Isha stopped in front of the RV door, frozen by the loud moans spilling out from inside. Her expression sharpened. She shoved her key toward the lock, but before it even slid in, the door swung open.
She grabbed the nearest stone from the ground, raised it like a weapon, and rushed inside.
On the bed, a teenage boy and a teenage girl were tangled together, half-undressed and breathless.
The sight made Daisy halt instantly.
Startled by her sudden entrance, the girl screamed, and the boy jerked still.
The scream snapped Daisy out of her shock."Shut up!" she barked.
The girl silenced herself immediately, lips clamped tight.
Daisy lifted the stone higher, shifting into a perfect throwing pose."Dress up."
The boy shot to his feet and scrambled into his pants. The girl hesitated for a heartbeat, then hurried to dress as well.
When they were both fully clothed, Daisy's face hardened."You both, sit."
They obeyed on instinct, sitting side by side on the bed like two scolded puppies.
Daisy gave a brief, satisfied smile before sinking into a chair. She set the stone on the floor beside her and folded her arms.
"Now tell me," she said, voice stern, "what were you doing?"
The girl's face reddened instantly.
Daisy clicked her tongue. "You don't feel embarrassed doing it in someone else's house, but you blush when asked about it? Stop that. Answer properly, or I will call the polis."
Both teens nodded in shaky unison.
"What are your names?"
"Obero," the boy said.
"Isha," the girl added.
Daisy blinked once but let it pass.
"Which school?"
"Goodyear High School," Obero answered.
"We're freshmen," the girl said.
Daisy frowned thoughtfully. "Goodyear… right. That's where we shot this morning. But why are you here?"
Obero cleared his throat. "School was closed because of the film shoot. We didn't have anything to do, so we tried to enjoy our holiday. We found this RV unlocked in the corner, so we came in and… we were trying to make love. But you came before we reached the climax."
Daisy sighed without a trace of surprise. "Kids these days."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the small mole on the girl's chin. She stared just a little too long.
The girl stiffened. "What?"
Startled, she ducked behind Obero and began mumbling something too quiet to hear.
Daisy leaned forward. "Speak louder."
Still nothing.
Seeing how frightened she was, Daisy softened. Her smile turned warm, her tone gentle."Speak out loud, darling."
The girl hesitated, then slowly peeked out from behind Obero.
"Are you… Aasia?" she whispered.
Daisy nodded.
Obero suddenly exclaimed, "Now I remember where I saw you! You're The Femme Fatale!"
Aasia chuckled, low and velvety. "Yes, kid. I am The Femme Fatale."
Still smiling, she rubbed her stomach and made an exaggeratedly starving expression. "I've been looking for a young boy to fill my stomach. Thank the Lord I found one."
She leaned forward until her face was inches from Obero's. Her eyes gleamed with wicked humor. "I promise you a happy death."
Obero trembled so hard the bed shook.
Isha burst into laughter. She patted his head. "She's just a normal human, Obero. She only played the Femme Fatale in a movie. She doesn't actually eat men, so stop shaking."
Frightened Obero straightened, face flushing with embarrassed anger. "I wasn't scared! I was acting with her. Pretending."
Isha grinned broadly and tugged his cheek. "You look cute when you bluff, you know."
Aasia watched them quietly. Something in their easy affection must have tugged at an old memory, because her gaze drifted away and her expression softened with an ache Isha didn't yet understand.
"Miss? Miss? Miss?" Isha called gently.
Aasia blinked back to the present. "Ah!"
"Sorry, ma'am," Isha said at once. "For breaking into your hous—no, your vehicle."
Aasia smiled, amused at the correction. "Nothing to worry about. Seeing you two being all lovey-dovey, I can't stay mad. And this isn't just a vehicle. It's my home."
Obero blurted, "You live in this old, shitty RV?"
Aasia's eyes narrowed. "I don't live in an old, shitty RV. I live in this lovely and beautiful RV."
"But how can you live in this shithol—" he began.
Isha pinched him sharply on the thigh. Hard.
While he groaned in pain, Isha apologized. "Sorry about him. He's a bit crazy, as you can see. He's been like this since he was a kid."
"Who are you calling crazy?" Obero snapped. "Who do you think?" "You need a doctor! Maybe I should admit you on our way home—"
Their bickering went on until Aasia cut through it with a gentle question. "Were you both love birds since you were kids?"
Isha stopped mid-argument. Ignoring Obero entirely, she replied, "Yes. We were."
Aasia's eyes warmed with nostalgia. "You both remind me of myself and Dravid."
"Dravid is your husband, right?" Isha asked.
"Yes," Aasia said. "But for a fifteen-year-old girl, you know a lot about me."
Obero chimed in, "She watched tons of movies since she was a baby. And she used to read about actors and actresses in newspapers."
"I stopped reading, remember," Isha argued.
"That's why I said 'used to read.' Didn't you listen? Or have you gone deaf?" Obero yelled.
Aasia watched them with fascination. "Are you two always like this?"
"Yes," they answered together.
Aasia smiled.
Isha studied her face for a moment and said, "Now you look like the one from the newspaper photos."
Aasia frowned slightly. "Why? Don't I look as beautiful as I did in those photos?"
Isha answered without hesitation, "No, you look more beautiful now. But you also look a lot less happy than you did in those photos."
Aasia blinked, surprised. "You amaze me, kid. How can you remember photos from a decade ago?"
Isha said nothing.
Obero answered for her. "She has a huge brain. She remembers everything."
"Oh?" Aasia asked. "Then she must be good at studies."
"She tops every exam," he said proudly.
Isha's eyes burned suddenly, a silent glare that said stop talking. Before she could scold him again, he turned toward her, bewildered.
She snapped, "Can't you read her expression? She was trying to change the subject, and you walked right into it. How can you become a writer when you're this bad at reading people?"
He yelled back, "Say anything bad about me, but don't you dare insult my writing!"
Before Isha could fire back, Aasia leaned forward, excited."You're a writer?"
Obero blinked, startled by her sudden enthusiasm.
Isha answered for him. "Yes. He wants to become the youngest writer in the kingdom."
Aasia smiled softly. "The more I listen to you two, the more I feel like you resemble us."
"Was Dravid also a writer?" Isha asked.
"Yes," Aasia said, her smile bittersweet. "He would have become a fine writer… if he had published the book."
Isha's eyes gleamed with curiosity, as bright as stars catching fire."Tell us about you," she said. "Everything."
Aasia narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds," Isha replied. "Tell us about you. How we resemble you and your husband. How this sh— this beautiful RV became your home. Why an actress once called 'The Angel of Noida' became 'The B-Grade Actress.' And most importantly… how the happiness in your eyes disappeared. In short, tell us your entire mysterious tale."
Aasia let out a soft mocking laugh. "Didn't you read about all that in the newspapers?"
"Newspapers never show the whole picture," Isha said. "They only give pieces. But the real story is sitting in front of me. I want to hear it from your own words."
Aasia's smile faded. "Haven't you heard? Curiosity is man's curse."
Obero leaned forward. "Curiosity is the door to knowledge and knowledge is the source of evolution."
Aasia blinked, taken aback.
Isha beamed proudly. "Don't you think my Obero will become a great writer one day?"
Aasia nodded slowly. "His words are strange but true. Yes, maybe he will."
Isha leaned forward with renewed excitement. "See? Even I keep saying that!"
Aasia could not help but smile. She reached out and patted both their heads, even as Obero tried to bat her hand away. Isha, ever merciless, pinched his thigh again to keep him still.
While he groaned, she turned to Aasia. "Maybe your mysterious tale will help him with his writing."
Aasia lowered her hand. "There is nothing in my story that will help anyone. And truly, it would be better if you didn't hear it."
Isha leaned forward, pleading. "It might give him inspiration. Please, ma'am. Please tell us."
Obero added, "Just tell her. If you don't, she'll cry like a baby."
"I am not a baby!" Isha snapped. "You still wet your pan— you can't even tell colors apart and you call me a baby?"
"How is that related here? And when did I not differentiate colors?"
"This morning! I asked you to pick the prettiest among five nail polish bottles and you said, 'They're all red.'"
"They were red!"
Obero said confidently. "You tried to trick me by showing five red bottles, but I saw through you."
"No, idiot! They were five different colors."
Just as he opened his mouth to yell again, Aasia shouted, "Okay! I'll tell you my story. Just stop quarreling."
They shut up instantly and sat straight, hands folded like obedient children awaiting their bedtime story.
Aasia smiled at the sight. "All right. I will tell."
Both nodded eagerly, eyes bright.
"I married Dravid when I was—"
"No, please," Isha cut in. "From the beginning."
"The beginning?" Aasia asked. "You mean… my childhood?"
Both nodded again.
Aasia's expression dimmed, shadows filling her eyes."Sometimes," she said quietly, "not knowing the beginning is better. I'll skip to my marriage."
Obero leaned forward until his face was inches from hers."Without the night," he said softly, "you never understand the value of day. And if the night is completely dark, you go blind to the morning's meaning. The moon keeps you from losing yourself in the dark. And the sun keeps you from forgetting the dark entirely."
Aasia blinked, stunned. "Your words are beautiful but… how does that relate to my beginning?"
Obero smiled with quiet certainty."Without the sun, without the night, without the moon, the world is incomplete. A person's story is the same. Without the beginning, the rest of it never really means anything. No matter how painful the start was, it shaped who you became."
He leaned back. "Tell us your tale from the beginning. Without it, you aren't fully you."
Aasia chuckled softly. "Yes… it is still my tale." She sighed. "Fine. I will tell you about my childhood as well. But I'm warning you, kids—my beginning isn't what you imagine."
Isha and Obero looked delighted.
"Don't worry," Isha said with a bright smile. "We might not look like it, but we're good at handling things."
Aasia smiled. "You seem so. Very well. I'll begin."