Chapter 12 – Metamorphosis
It is always a puzzle; a dichotomy; a Dogma.
The real world mimics fiction or fiction mimics real world. The human brain is probably the supreme divine’s master piece and it so potent an instrument that it can construct universes, alter paradigms and blur the line between realism, quasi – realism and absolute fiction, where nothing but the human imagination is real.
An obscure author who earned his bread belching out one made up horror tale after another, might just be the missing piece of a giant jigsaw puzzle that had robbed peace from this restive village out of Bangalore and the site of the imposing ‘Aaradhya Center of Excellence or ACE’.
Fate plays in ways and manners. The human race is in a perennial evolutionary stage; we are a young species and evolution takes its time, though the human brain might have just disturbed this equation to advance evolution itself by a few thousand years.
If it is not fate that brought a girl to a place mired in a virulent past and a turbulent present just to show its victims and beneficiaries a path of redemption and retribution, then the world of science is yet to discover a new postulate, an algorithm or a formula that would explain what was happening & more importantly what was to happen, at ACE.
“Whoa! Never suspected that! Nice, buying this was not a complete disaster either” Chavi told herself as she closed Lasting Fondness to get back to sleep. It was well over 10’o clock and she was over her allowed time.
Chavi was having a little trouble sleeping and she tossed around in her bed, thinking about different climaxes for O Toole’s horror thriller and Peeya’s crying incident also crisscrossed her mind every now and then.
It was 45 minutes past 11’o clock and Chavi still could not sleep.
“I promise I will stop reading gore stories, I can’t even sleep, guhh!” Chavi was doing a soliloquy.
“mmm….Chavi? is that you? You still up? What happened?” Peeya had never been more mellow or kinder with Chavi before.
“Oh nothing, nothing, I just wanted some water” Chavi was a little embarrassed since Peeya had never spoke to her so nicely and she frankly did not know how to react. She then rose from the bed towards the water jug placed on the center shelf of drawers, just below the large window sill.
“Aah! How beautiful the nights are here! How lovely their lives could have been, if only...” Chavi sighed at the sight of the large D’Cousta bungalow Ararat.
“It could have been really beautiful. Yes. But fate always has schemes of its own” Peeya too was now standing near her end of the water jug and was seemed to be talking in a trance to the cold wind blowing outside their 4th floor window.
“What do you mean? Fate gave him what he deserved!” Chavi spoke about Richmond in a manner that she thought would fit his stature as a greedy murderer who reaped what he sowed.
“Stop It Chavi!” Peeya was hoarse and she seemed to be very sad.
“Do not speak about things you don’t know about!” Peeya told Chavi just as she went back to her bed, turning her back towards Chavi.
“I know everything! Pawan told me everything!” Chavi responded.
“And how is he the authority?” Peeya was not going to ignore Chavi this time.
“So what everyone knows in the whole school is all false? And why do the villagers shun the bungalow? Why do I see no guests ever?” Chavi was a little agitated herself and Peeya’s retorts had spurred her to speak more freely and boldly.
“Because they are ignorant! Just as you all are!” Peeya said loudly turning only her head in Chavi’s direction.
“Well then enlighten us!” Chavi asked anticipating something interesting.
“The time will come, Chavi”
“Time for what?” Chavi again went into soliloquy and this time Peeya ignored Chavi. It was still not the time.
The next morning was no different from the others when Chavi ate with her friends minus Pawan, whose father had come and picked him for a week’s time. He needed the rest.
Peeya was found eating with her Airavatha housemates.
“Well! What was that all about yesterday?” Praneethi remarked at seeing Peeya snubbing them after speaking to them about something of ‘grave’ importance just the previous day.
“She is a loony indeed!” Disha passed a snug comment.
“No, she is alright, she is definitely up to something and I feel that we all figure in her plans” Chavi shared a piece of her mind.
“Did she say something last night? What happened? You guys spoke finally?” Praneethi asked with a smug face.
“Nothing monumental! But she definitely has something up her sleeve, we will soon be party to it” Chavi said
“When” asked both Praneethi and Disha in unison.
“The time will come” Chavi said with her eyes closed and chin up holding a spoon in her raised right hand.
“Ha Ha” giggled the three girls at Chavi’s dramatic statement.
The three were all the time being observed by Peeya at a safe distance. She did not want her friends to get hurt. She; was in fact protecting them all from a danger unknown to them. Yet.