Aadita Exclusive Chapter

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER TWELVE

Her head burned and her shoulders felt heavy, so she put down her head on her arm and stared at the paper before her.  It was pointless; she was no closer to the truth than she was when she had begun.

She tapped the pencil restlessly on the desk and stared at the name she had written on the paper.  

AADITA

That was the name Ahan had told her.  She was supposed to be her great Aunt and it pained Raina to know that a total stranger knew more about her family than she herself did.  Then again, Ahan did live in a small town and gossip was passed on more freely than in her city where everyone thought it best to mind their own business.

What did she know about Aadita?  That she had been her great Aunt and since she had seen her ghost, that meant she was dead.  Raina closed her eyes and bit her lip hard until it hurt.  This is ludicrous, her mind yelled.  Ghosts and apparitions simply do not exist and are just a conjuration of the idle mind.  

Yet, granted that she had gone crazy after suffering in high school courtesy of Mallika, Jeevan had seen her and so had her Aunt.  Her Grandfather was at wit's end, because he too was scared of something in the house and she could bet it had something to do with Aadita.

Raina tried to remember the picture she had seen in the attic that day.  That had been Aadita, it had been that very girl she had seen around her.  

"It has to be!" she told herself and sat upright.  Raina stared at the name on the paper once more and wondered what else she knew about her.  After several seconds, she realized that she knew nothing about her own family.  No one had ever told her and there was no way she could begin asking now.  Aunt Lily was dead, Uncle Rabindra was mourning, her parents were too busy to notice her and she had never gotten along with Uncle Paras and Aunt Neeta (since they hadn't spent time with her).

Raina looked out the window at the rising sun and then realized she had been biting her lip this whole time.  She put a tentative finger to her lips and frowned when she saw a spot of blood on it.

"Why the hell doesn't this house have Internet!" She grumbled in exasperation.

"Raina?"  It was her mother.

Raina turned around and plastered a weak smile on her face.  "Mom!  Do you need anything?"

"I'm leaving," she said and gestured to Raina to follow her outside.

Raina pushed the piece of paper away and got up.  As she went down the stairs, she held her breath and grasped the railing.

"Raina..." her mother started to say once they were downstairs.

Raina turned around to look up the stairs and let out her breath.  No ghost and no Aadita.

"You should reconsider your decision."  Her mother was saying.

"About what?"

"Staying here."  Her mother said and walked out the door.

Raina followed her mother to her car and prepared herself for another lecture about how everything she did was wrong.

"You're going to college in the fall.  Do you really think it's a good idea to spend your time here when you could be trying to choose a good college and start earning extra credits?"

"Didn't you and Dad already pick a college for me?" Raina asked.

Her mother looked away with a frown and adjusted the strap of her purse.  "We've left you three brochures.  Steve will give them to you."

"I'll take a look." She replied.

"What about your graduation day?  Aren't you required to attend that?"

"Oh, are you coming?"  Raina asked, unable to mask the bitterness in her voice.

Her mother hesitated.  "Your Dad left this morning to attend a conference.  He won't be due back for another month or so."

"And what's your alibi?"

"I have to work."  Her mother said.  "But that does not give you the excuse to miss your own graduation.  Your graduation day is going to be a memory you're going to cherish forever."

Raina looked back at the house and bit her sore lip.  She winced when she cut further into the flesh.  "I'll think about it."  She said distractedly.

"Will you stop doing that?"  Her mother scolded.

"What?"

"Biting your lip like that."  Her mother took out a tissue and pressed it on her lip.  "It's a disgusting habit and gesture of weakness and confusion.  You cannot ever show anyone how vulnerable you are or people will eat you alive."

"Relax Mom...I..."

"Have you been biting your nails again?"

"What? No..."

"Show me your nails," her mother demanded.

Raina took a deep breath and put out her hands for her mother to inspect.

"Hmm.  At least you got rid of one filthy habit."

"Yeah, good for me."  Raina replied sarcastically.

"I'm running late, so I need you to think about this."  Her mother said.  "You shouldn't be squandering away your time here, when you could be..."

"I'll let you know," Raina said abruptly.  "Have a safe flight."

Her mother opened the door and then paused.  "If you do decide to stay here, try to remain active.  It's taken you quite a lot of time to lose all that weight and you don't want to pile it back on just sitting around now, do you?"

"I'll run around the house." 

Her mother frowned at her sarcasm and then looked out towards the lake.  Raina held her breath as she noticed the tiny ripples forming on the surface of the water.  

"You could go for a swim."  Her mother suggested.

Raina shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket.  "I don't know how to swim and I almost drowned in that lake once, remember?"  Her tone still sarcastic.

Her mother looked down at her phone and nodded; her attention obviously elsewhere.  "Yes...well...you do know how to ride a bicycle?"

"Bye, mom," Raina said and clenched her hands in her jacket, anxious for her mother to be gone.

Her mother got in a closed the door.  A second later she rolled down the window and called her closer.

"Before I forget, here's a cheque.  It's your graduation present."

Raina stared at the hefty amount written on the cheque and smiled.  "Thanks."

"Spend wisely."  Her mother advised and rolled up the windows.  "You're going to be a businesswoman."

As her mother's car drove off, Raina dropped the smile on her face and stared at the cheque.  She didn't need the money and she couldn't care less about it.  She wondered if she should just tear it up when a thought occurred to her.  There were some things she needed, however, and with the remainder, she could splurge on herself.

Raina grinned as she walked back in the house.  If that's how her parents were showing her love, then who was she to deny it?

*  *  *  *  *

"Here we are."  The driver announced.

Raina rolled down the window and looked at the store in front of her.  "This is it?  That's an electronics store?"

"The only one in this town miss."  The driver replied dryly.  

The store in front of her had an old and cracked awning with the name ‘ELECTRONICS DEPOT' painted on a board.  The windows needed washing and the walls were in desperate need of a paint job.  

"Don't you have like a..."Raina stopped herself.  What was she expecting anyway?  A town like this couldn't really have a mall bustling with activity.  It was a town where people came to retire and spend all their time fishing in lakes and going boating.

Raina clutched the door handle and sighed.  No use getting mad.  Who knows, maybe store may have what I need.  She pulled on the door handle and stepped out.  No matter what, she was going to keep her temper in check out of respect for her Aunt.  

"How much time will you need?"  The driver asked.  

Raina looked at her watch and then all around her at the other shops.  "Oh...I may need to buy some other things too.  Maybe an hour or so would do."

The driver nodded hastily.  "I have some errands to run, so if you could give me a call when you're done, I'll come pick you up."

"Okay.  I have your number."

The driver gave another nod and drove off, leaving her feeling a bit lost.  She wished she wasn't alone right now and most importantly, she wished she didn't have to do her own shopping.  Throughout the years, her parents or her nanny had brought her everything she had ever required and so she had never found the need to do anything by herself.  But now, she wanted to learn.  She no longer had anyone to depend on but herself.  

She stepped towards the door and cringed when it creaked as she pushed on it.

"Hello."  A man smiled near the counter.

Raina smiled back at him and looked all around her.   She had been wrong after all.  Even though the store looked like a gust of wind could bring it down, it still had some pretty sturdy looking shelves and tables that carried expensive equipment.  She looked up at the corners and wondered if there were surveillance cameras.   Surely a quiet town as this wasn't entirely devoid of crime now, was it?

A salesman came towards her and beamed at her.   "Can I help you?"

Raina held her purse close to her and thanked the heavens for having the good sense to go to a bank before coming here.  "Yeah, I'm looking for a laptop and a mobile phone."

"What do you have in mind?"

Raina swallowed.  "Why don't you show me what you have?"

The salesman led her through an aisle and towards a counter with eight different laptops.  "These are the latest models we have in stock."

"Oh," Raina said and wished there were price cards in front of them.  "Um...which is the most...er...expensive one available."

"This one here..." the salesman pointed towards a black laptop, "may not be the most expensive one, but is reliable and..."

"I want the most expensive one you have," Raina said stubbornly and then smiled when the salesman looked at her in surprise.

The salesman nodded and pushed a silver notebook in front of her.  "This has the highest price here."

"I'll take it," Raina said and started to open her purse when she heard footsteps behind her.

"That's not such a good idea."  A familiar voice said from behind her.

Raina turned to see Ahan standing behind her a grinning at her.  He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans and looked out of place in the drab store.

"What are you doing here?"  She asked when she finally caught her breath.  

Ahan shrugged his shoulders.  "Just visiting."  He stepped towards her and studied the laptop in front of him.  "Pete's right.  This laptop isn't the best one in the market."

"I've made my decision."  She said and crossed her arms.

Ahan raised his eyebrows at her and grinned.  "Seriously, the battery life is too short and the operating system is too complex.  The system crashes like crazy and the whole piece will last you like about three months."

Raina frowned and wished her face wouldn't feel so warm.  Of all the things, the last thing she wanted was for Ahan to assume she didn't know computers, when she did.  If she bought it now, Ahan would think she was stupid.

"Well...what do you advise?"

Ahan led her gently away from the salesman.  "To tell you the truth, there aren't any good ones in this store," he whispered.  "My cousin works in an electronic store in Eagles City and he could get you a good price."

"Money is really no..."

"I know," Ahan said.  "Still, wouldn't you rather buy these things from a store that can offer you a warranty?"

"Your assumption that I don't know how to shop is ridiculous, and well…presumptuous," Raina said.

"Hey! I'm not attacking you.  Nor am I promoting my cousin's store.  I'm just trying to help."

Raina looked back at the laptop she was about to buy and sighed.  It would make things easier if she bought a reliable machine.  She didn't want her laptop to break down just as she was about to get to the bottom of the mystery.

"Fine.  When can I have it?  It's imperative that I get it as soon as possible.  Possibly today itself."

Ahan grinned widely at her.  "I'll make the call.  It'll be delivered to you this evening."

"I was also looking for a cell phone."

Ahan nodded as he removed his cell phone.  "Anything specific?"

"Something with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, anything else is fine.  I don't care about the price." Raina said, glad she knew about cell phones at least...

Ahan started to text and Raina watched as his fingers moved with deftness on the keypad.  

"What colour do you want it in?"  Ahan asked without looking up.

"Colours?"

"The laptop I have in mind for you is available in black, silver, pink, green, blue and orange."

Raina scratched her arm and looked towards the laptops sitting on the counter.  What was wrong with her?  Why couldn't she think of her favourite colour? 

"Well?"  Ahan asked.

"Oh...green," she said quickly.

"Okay then," Ahan said and put away his cell phone.  "It will be delivered by nine at the latest.  I've even asked my cousin to set you up with an Internet stick."

"Oh, thanks.  I completely forgot about the internet." Raina admitted.

"Let's go," Ahan said and led her out the store.

Raina blinked as she stepped out into the sun and wished she had brought her sunglasses.  She looked across the street at the other stores and then at Ahan.  "What are you really doing here?" she asked.  "Why visit a quiet place like Winters Town?"

"My family has a cabin by the lake.  Every six months or so, I come here to check it out.  Make sure everything's fine."

"There isn't a cabin by the lake.  At least I haven't seen one."

Ahan smiled and walked towards his car.  "There are three lakes in this town.  The other two are smaller compared to the one your family owns."

Raina turned to look at him.  "My family owns a lake?"

"Want to go get coffee?"

"It's too hot for coffee." 

"Good, we'll go get some juice then."  Ahan said and started walking towards a juice bar across the street.

"Are you...I mean, I didn't know that was our lake." Raina said.

"Actually, it's more like named after your family.  Like this town is."

"What?"

Ahan looked at her in surprise.  "Winters Town?  Isn't your last name Winters?"

Raina opened her mouth and then realized how foolish she must have appeared.  How did she not know all this?  "I just presumed we were called Winters because we hailed from this town."

"What will you have?"  Ahan asked when they had reached the juice bar.

"Pineapple."  She replied, without thinking.  She had clearly embarrassed herself in front of Ahan.  What must he think?  That she didn't know anything about her own family?

Ahan ordered the juices and then handed her a plastic glass.  "Did you seriously not know that?"

Raina sipped thoughtfully and then looked away.  

"I'm sorry," Ahan said.

Raina looked at him in puzzlement.

"I'm sorry about your Aunt," he explained.  

"Thanks,"  Raina said meekly and then walked over to one of the benches.  "How did you find out?"

"Your Uncle Rabindra called us to tell us the news.  It's unfortunate that this happened.  She was a kind woman and a good neighbour."  

"Yeah, she was." Raina said and held her breath.  It was sad that Aunt Lily had died, but what was really making her mad was the feeling that her Aunt may have been murdered.  Even if it was by a ghost.  She stole a glance at Ahan as he sipped his own juice and wondered if she should ask him about Aadita.  As humiliating as it was, he did know more about her family than she did.

She opened her mouth to ask him, when Ahan's phone rang.

"I have to take this," he said and excused himself.  

As he walked away, Raina decided that it was best not to ask him.  After all, Ahan was a stranger and this was her problem and her family.  She would have to handle this herself.

She looked as Ahan spoke on the phone and then dialled another number.  She hoped he was calling his cousin for her laptop.  She couldn't wait to get on the Internet and find whatever she could about her family history.

"My cousin asked me to inform you to expect your delivery around seven to eight in the evening." Ahan said walking towards her.

"Okay."

"Do you have to get some more shopping done?"

"Yeah, I do need some stuff."  Raina said, feeling disappointed that Ahan would now leave.

"Fine, we could shop for your stuff, check on my cabin and then I can drop you home."  Ahan said and put his cell phone back in his pocket.

"Oh, you don't have to..." Raina started to say.

"I don't mind.  I can show you around."  Ahan suggested.

Raina smiled back at him.  She could feel her heart flutter and she got up.  "Okay, then."

*  *  *  *  *

Raina couldn't help but feel pleased.  This was the first time in quite a long while that she found herself relaxing.  Ahan was a cheerful companion and within half an hour she was able to shop for clothes, groceries and household items.  She had no idea how long she was going to stay, but since Ahan had offered to help her, Raina found herself making up more excuses to shop for things she wouldn't even need.

She turned to look at the backseat and wondered what she was going to do with the ceramic mugs she had found.  She didn't like coffee and her Grandfather wasn't supposed to have any.  Aunt Neeta too preferred cups of herbal teas.  But Ahan had insisted she buy them and Raina found herself unable to say no.

"How much further is the cabin?"  She asked.

"We should arrive in a couple of minutes." 

Raina looked out the window and stared at the passing scenery.  Winters Town was beautiful.  There were green hills, trees and flowers growing everywhere and she could spot the lake coming up into view.  

"It's so beautiful," she remarked, awed by the sight.  

"Not as beautiful as the lake near your Grandfather's house," Ahan countered.

Raina looked at him and felt her skin break out in goosebumps.  The lake at her gandfather's house wasn't beautiful.  It was dark and malicious and something dreadfully evil resided in its depths.  Raina pushed those thoughts away.  She was having a great time today and she wasn't going to spoil everything by thinking about it.

"Why do you have to come and check it out?"  She asked.  "The cabin, I mean.  Why not send one of your servants to do it?"

Ahan grinned at her.  "One; we don't have servants and two; it gives me a chance to drive out here every once in a while.  I use this time to meditate on things that are yet to come."

"Like what?"

"College."  Ahan said.  "I'm starting this fall, and it's going to be such a big change in my life.  This is what I really want to do, but I don't think my parents understand why."

"What do you mean?"  Raina asked and turned away from the window.

"Nursing," Ahan said.  "I do want to become a male nurse."

"Oh," Raina said.  "Why?  Why not choose to be a doctor instead."

"I like to interact with patients.  Doctors sometimes miss out on one to one interactions with their patients.  And surgeons get so involved with, well surgeries, that there are times when they don't even know the names of the patient they're operating on."

"Are your parents doctors?"

"That was a good deduction."  Ahan smiled.  "Surgeons."

"It was kind of obvious."  Raina smiled back.  

"So where are you going to college?"

Ahan gripped the steering wheel tightly and turned it towards the right.  "I'm going to Eagles Community College."

"Oh," Raina said.  The colleges her parents had picked for her were much further away than Eagles.

"Here we are," Ahan said as he parked the car.  He looked out the window then exclaim.  "What the hell?"

Raina started to remove her seatbelt, while Ahan got out of the car in haste.  "What's wrong?" she called.

"Shit!" she heard Ahan say.

Raina looked out the windshield at the log cabin in front of her and gasped.  "Oh no!"