The Legend of Amara Book II

PLOT: Amara has returned but Veer doesn't believe in the legend nor is he convinced that she is possessing his neighbor.

But when he encounters the notorious witch, he realizes there is some truth to the legend after all.

CHAPTER ONE

She was beautiful.

Her hair was dark against her porcelain skin, curling just under her chin, while the rest of it fell to her knees. Her eyes seemed to change colour, but right now they were a bluish-gray with long, dark eyelashes. Her mouth was small, with pouty and pink lips. Every word that came out of that mouth was perfectly articulated. She wasn’t wearing make-up, he was certain of that. Yet, her skin appeared blemish-free and soft.

His eyes travelled to her long graceful neck; a satin light blue ribbon was wrapped around it. The white gown she wore was simple with small flowers dotted around, and she wore no shoes, yet her feet were clean and her nails pink.

She was the archetype of a temptress playing innocent, making all the right moves to entice but not being too obvious.

She kept down the book she was holding and turned to him, her eyes blazing with temper that caused her nostrils to flare and her small mouth to become smaller.

“What are you doing? Where is your mind at?” Her voice was crisp enough to break through his musings.

He collected himself promptly. It wouldn’t do if he confirmed her doubt that he was indeed not concentrating on what she was doing but what she looked like.

She stood up, the dry leaves falling off her gown.

“You are not serious. Do you understand the situation we are in?” She demanded.

He looked all around, saw nothing but the trees and the bushes that rustled in the autumn breeze. The leaves were dappled with sunlight.

“I do,” he replied, knowing it was the appropriate reply, because her temper simmered a little.

She crossed her arms, tapped her foot restlessly before sitting next to him again.

He could smell her scent- floral, although there was something else in the depths, something stronger, almost sour and rancid.

“This should have never happened,” she said, her eyes looking ahead at nothing. There was sadness in them and when she took a deep breath, he could sense the hopelessness she must feel.

He took her hand and squeezed. “We will find a way.”

She snatched her hand back and regarded him crossly. “This wouldn’t have happened if you had kept an eye on her as I told you to.” Then she lowered her eyes and blinked. “I suppose it isn’t entirely your fault. She did decide this fate for herself. Her decision to give up was bolstered by the disappointing people in her life.”

“You did say there was a chance she could be saved. We’re here because of that, aren’t we?” He said softly.

“Of course. But you aren’t putting too much of an effort, are you?” Her eyes blazed once more, but she looked even more beautiful than when she was simply at repose.

He gestured to the book with creases on the leather. The pages inside were mottled and dry, ready to be ripped with the slightest breeze. Yet, they had kept for years. “It’s difficult for me to learn all this in one day.”

“It’s been a month.” Nari pouted, and he found himself gazing at her lips. “I thought the city would provide too many distractions, that’s why I called you to the woods. I suppose it is your intention to not learn anything at all.”

“You can’t leave the woods, can you?” He asked softly.

“Not for long periods of time.” Her eyes wavered. “Which is why I need your help. And you aren’t providing much.”

“I’ll try harder,” he said. He would do anything just to not see her looking so dejected. He wondered if she ever smiled.

“Will you really, Veer? Because so far you have been doing a terrible job.”

“I’m sorry.” He must have looked earnest, because her features softened.

She put a hand over his and he felt a jolt race through him. “We have to get Kiara back. She’s been waylaid. She gave up. We have to find a way to segregate her from Amara. We have to make her stronger so she becomes dominant and takes over her body once more. Amara has to fail. The possession has to weaken.”

He nodded. At this point, he would agree to jump off a cliff if she asked him. He almost whined when she removed her hand from his and took hold of the book. She looked deep in thought as she turned the pages.

She was really determined to defeat Amara, but he wondered if it would be truly possible.

Kiara was a depressed young woman. He still remembered when he first met her. She had been walking along the road near these woods, her head and shoulders stooped. He had pretty much hit her with his motorcycle, and she had pretty much backed down when he spoke to her.

It was from his cousin Shanaya that he found out that Kiara was a loner, a troubled young woman who let every failure take a part of her courage to live on.

Veer believed the real reason she must have given herself up was because of her family life. Her father had separated from her mother years ago. But her father had held on to some grudge and was imprisoned for attacking his ex-wife at her home. And then a few days later, he had broken out of prison only to hurt his daughter.

He still remembered that night, when Kiara had looked at him with pleading, desperate eyes. He knew it was a bad idea to let her go to the woods, but she was persistent, and in that moment he had thought she had finally gained courage to stand up for herself. He had thought, in spite of everything going on in her personal life, that she would fight.

Things had only gone worse when she had gone into the woods.

“Stop thinking about the past,” Nari said, while keeping her eyes on the book.

“I need to understand why she did what she did. It’s pretty much like committing suicide.”

“It is. But worse. She gave herself up to an evil witch.”

“Yeah, but...” Veer scratched the side of his cheek. “It’s been more than six months. I thought Kiara would graduate and move away from the city. But she’s going to college here. Her mother and she still live in the same apartment. I’ve been keeping an eye on her like you told me to and all I’ve seen so far is her attending her classes, meeting up with friends and behaving like a normal college girl.”

Nari pursed her lips and stared straight ahead. He knew what she was staring at, the empty platform where the statue of Amara once stood, cursed with white magic. He had heard Amara stood before a pack of wolves, also cursed into becoming stone, but he had never seen it.

According to the legend, those who lay eyes on the statue, didn’t survive to tell the tale.

“She’s waiting. Plotting. It’s Amara. She has something big planned.” Nari frowned.

“What if she decided she didn’t want revenge anymore but a normal life?” Veer suggested. “She’s finally out of the woods, she’s popular, she has a mother who loves her. Maybe she’s... misunderstood.”

Nari snorted and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “This is Amara we are talking about. She was teased for being a dwarf and used magic and wolves to kill all those who bullied her. Even when she was turned into stone, she was strong enough to kill anyone who dared venture around her. She’s pure evil. She hasn’t changed. She’s just being cautious.”

“Then she’s scared if she’s being cautious. But of what?”

Nari looked at him pointedly. “You have to find that out. I want you to keep a close eye on everything she does.”

“You want me to be her stalker?”

Nari didn’t seem amused by his quip. She looked like she wanted to strike him but was restrained only by her good manners.

“Amara cut off my head. You see this blue ribbon here?” She touched the knots of the ribbon wound around the neck. “This and a bit of white magic is what is holding me together.” She pointed a finger at his chest. “Find out what she’s up to.”

Veer slid back, something inside him lifted a fog that had descended on him ever since he came to the woods. He blinked and looked all around.

Nari was no longer here. He let out a breath and got up. He began walking, eager to leave the woods.

He stopped suddenly and raised his left wrist. There was a blue ribbon, still wound around it. He had tried to get rid of it ever since it appeared on his wrist months ago, but it never tore, never came off.

Nari had given him that and told him he had to protect Kiara. He knew she had put a spell on him so that he appeared whenever Kiara was in trouble.

Something in the blue ribbon would warn him. It would become warm, pulsate and lead him to wherever Kiara was like an electrical tracker.

But for the past six months, he had felt nothing. Nari had told him that Kiara had managed to get rid of her ribbon and after that, he hadn’t felt anything in what looked like an innocent baby blue ribbon.

He put a finger on the ribbon and tugged. It still wouldn’t come off. This ribbon was what tied him to Kiara. He felt a vibration on his wrist and clasped a hand around it.

“She’s in trouble,” he said out aloud. “But that’s impossible. Kiara isn’t there anymore.” He felt another full vibration and his mind clouded with thoughts of Kiara but he couldn’t make sense of it.

He put a hand on his head. “If I can sense her, that means...”

“She’s not really dead,” Nari came to stand before him. “I sensed her just now, too. She’s still there. Probably fighting to come out but she can’t. Amara is too powerful.” She looked at something behind him, then narrowed her eyes. “Go to her. Find out what she’s up to. If we can sense Kiara, then there’s still hope.”

CHAPTER TWO

HarbourOne University was newly built and far from where he worked, but Veer travelled the one-and-a-half-hour distance everyday.

His cousin Shanaya went there too to study business administration while Kiara was studying medicine.

So far, his neighbour didn’t seem to show any signs of being possessed by an evil witch.

Kiara had lost some weight since she was in high school. Her hair was longer, almost down to her waist, and possibly dyed a light brown. Her skin seemed paler and she wore red lipstick and bright red nail polish. Her clothes clung to every curve and she always wore the same dark boots regardless of her outfit. He supposed it had to do with the heels on the boot that were a good three to four inches.

Every time he saw her outside the building, she was with a different guy, talking, laughing, flirting. On social media, she seemed to have many friends, mostly men, and he had cringed at the way they wrote flirty comments under each picture she posted; even if it was a cup of fancy coffee.

Veer parked his motorcycle across HarbourOne University and entered the gates. The security guard knew him by now. Veer had visited the Dean and professors three months ago to talk to them about writing some articles to promote the university.

The faculty had been impressed with his charming demeanor, enough to put them at ease and happy to be interviewed by him.

Veer promised individual articles on each professor, promising the Dean that he would help promote the University so that the locals would choose it over going abroad.

So far, his ploy worked, but it wouldn’t be long before he would run out of excuses to hang around the university and keep an eye on Kiara. He had to find another way.

He looked at the time. It was almost eleven o’clock. Kiara would be finishing off with one of her lectures and coming out with a guy to go get coffee.

Five minutes after eleven, she emerged, arm in arm with a guy that didn’t look the same from yesterday. She was giggling and squeezing the guy’s bicep. The guy in question seemed to live in a gym. He wore a vest even though it was late autumn and getting cooler.

The breeze swept away at her hair and as Kiara pushed her hair back, he felt certain she had looked in his direction.

Veer quickly moved away from behind a tree, hoping she hadn’t recognized him. If she had, she didn’t look around, nor notice his change in position. Her attention was centered on the guy again, pressing closer against him.

He must have uttered a joke because Kiara laughed, and moved away a little to slap his forearm. Her movement caused her to move back and bump into the gardener, an elderly woman with a handkerchief tied around her head and wearing a worn-out dress.

Kiara turned around, her eyes wide. She took the older woman’s hands and talked to her before patting her arm. The guy seemed annoyed that attention was taken away from him for a few seconds but Kiara didn’t care as she smiled kindly at the woman.

The old woman walked away with a smile that exposed her crooked yellowed teeth. Kiara returned to the guy and said something which caused the guy to smile.

Veer turned around and followed her from a distance. She would be going to the cafe across the street, getting a double espresso while whatever guy she was with would be getting something fancy with too many ingredients.

This time the guy ordered a herbal tea while she had her regular double espresso. The barista seemed to recognize Kiara and greeted her with a smile. Another barista came over, a guy that seemed a little older than Kiara. He was thin and his face dotted with acne. He stared at Kiara with a goofy smile, obviously harbouring a little crush on her.

But he was short, and too thin. Kiara didn’t seem to go for guys like him. Nevertheless, she took her coffee from him with a smile that made the scrawny guy swoon.

Kiara’s new boyfriend seemed annoyed but appreciated a table outside and away from the other guy’s ogling.

Veer ordered a decaf and sipped as he walked around the cafe for a bit, pretending to look for a table before venturing outside and taking a seat far behind Kiara.

He sat down and rubbed his forehead. He wanted to sleep. Nari had beckoned him at four in the morning to learn the rituals. Last night he had slept at one after working on an article he needed to submit at work.

As far as his boss knew, Veer was out on research work. He took out his notebook and began jotting down ideas to submit to his boss. He looked at the other college kids in the cafe, then at Kiara, then at the fancy coffees everyone was drinking.

He jotted down: Do college kids drink coffee to stay awake and study or just so they could post fancy drinks on their social media?

Veer snickered as he wrote it down. It was a terrible, derivative and unexciting. His editor would no doubt reject the idea. Or maybe give it a go ahead considering there was never anything exciting to report on the town.

The last time HarbourOne City had been in national news was when Nari had disappeared almost six years ago, and then when her friend Ruchi was murdered a year ago. Her case was ruled as an animal attack but the people in the city wasn’t convinced. It was something in the woods. It was the tribe that was intent on protecting Amara’s secret.

But Veer now knew the truth. It wasn’t the tribe in the woods. It was Amara who had the ability to come alive long enough to attack anyone who trespassed in her area. She had been waiting to possess someone so she could break free from the curse put on her by the tribe, and that someone had been Kiara.

He leaned back. No, there was something else that had made the news recently. Kiara’s father had attacked her and her mother by breaking into their apartment in the middle of the night. It was allegedly over some financial dispute. Then when he was in prison, he had broken out and attacked Kiara once again. That part hadn’t made the news.

He remembered how Kiara had begged him to not let her name be involved in the incident. She was desperate to go to the woods with Manvir, a secret blogger who was working on the legend of Amara.

Something happened that night that caused Kiara to go the next day and give herself up to Amara. As for Manvir, he was never seen again. The supervisor at the restaurant where he worked had initially filed a missing person report which had yielded no results. Now the supervisor thought Manvir had simply run back home because he wasn’t being paid enough.

Veer watched Kiara. He didn’t know much about her except that she had looked depressed all the time. It wasn’t surprising considering what her family history was. Having a father that hated her enough to want to murder her must have destroyed her happiness.

She had seemed a fearful girl, one who was trying to fight her demons but failing.

The girl he saw now was different. She seemed full of life, laughing all the time. She also seemed to have a lot of boyfriends, a new one every day.

He knew what she would do now. She would attend a few more classes, then instead of heading home, go to a local bar, dance with more guys and head home around midnight.

Veer rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t have the energy to go to a bar and stay up that late. He planned a nap when Kiara would be attending her next class. The one thing he did know about Kiara for certain was that she never missed a lecture.

He could take a nap when she was attending her two-hour lecture. He yawned and lowered his head on his folded arms. The gentle breeze and the soft music playing from the cafe were soporific.

He closed his eyes, aware that he was drifting and needed to hold on. Sleeping in a public place, and especially when he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Kiara, was a bad idea. He felt something soft and furry touch his calves, and his eyes snapped open. He looked down to see a pair of purple glowing eyes.

Slowly, the darkness took the shape of a wolf. It growled, annoyed.

Veer pushed back his chair and let out a small cry. His heart raced against his chest as he looked around him and then down.

The wolf had disappeared. The other customers paid no heed. He looked the other way and saw a waitress smile at him before returning to cleaning a table.

Veer caught his breath and rubbed his forehead. Either Amara’s legend had imprinted in his subconscious and was now giving him nightmares, or he was losing it.

Amara was never portrayed without her pack of wolves which she controlled through black magic and used to kill her enemies. In Amara’s case, her enemies were those who insulted and made fun of her dwarfism.

Veer looked to where Kiara was sitting, hoping she hadn’t noticed his little display. Her table was empty and the cups were being picked up by a waiter.

“Fuck.” He got up and looked around, then at his watch. According to his simple black watch, he had been asleep for at least fifteen minutes, enough time for Kiara to finish her coffee and leave.

His foot hit the leg of the table as he moved out. Wincing, he walked faster trying to look everywhere for any sign of Kiara.

She couldn’t have gotten very far, could she?

Across the road, he saw the door to a boutique open, and Kiara walked out, bags in hand. She had changed her clothes and was now wearing a full sleeves red dress with a skirt that fell just above her knees. Her boots were still intact.

She was wearing sunglasses and was still talking to her muscular boyfriend who looked sullen.

A sports bike stopped in front of her, and Kiara kissed her muscular boyfriend on the cheek before getting behind the guy on the bike.

The biker in a black leather jacket and black helmet, took her bags and she laughed about something. Then she took the bags back and handed them to her muscular boyfriend who took them without a complaint.

Kiara rode off with the new guy, in the opposite direction from the University.

Veer watched Kiara wrap her arms around the rider as the wind pushed back her hair and played with her dress.

He turned back to watch the muscular guy walk with the shopping bags, and then dump them into a trash can.

Veer looked at his left wrist when he felt a small, burning vibration. He instantly saw a flash of images.

He saw himself standing in the corner of a room. When he turned around, he saw Kiara in her bed, looking at him with frightened eyes. He heard himself saying, “He’s here.”

The scene melted into another. This time he was standing outside the woods, and when he looked down at the road, he found Kiara collapsed.

Veer clutched his head. He wished Nari would stop playing with his mind. She was the one who had tied the blue ribbon around him in the first place, extracting a promise from him that he would have to protect Kiara at all cost, a promise he didn’t think he accepted in a full conscious state.

Of course, he had failed when Kiara had made the mistake of going over to the woods and giving herself up in front of Amara’s statue. After that, the statue, along with the pack of wolves, was nowhere to be seen.

And Kiara… he still couldn’t figure out what she was up to.

“Why do I feel like she’s in trouble?” He played with the blue ribbon that refused to come off. “If she’s not Kiara anymore, why am I being drawn to her?”

He remembered how Nari told him that there was a slight chance Kiara wasn’t entirely gone and that her soul must still be trapped and overpowered by Amara who wanted her body at all cost.

Veer walked in the other direction, all the way to his parked motorcycle and got on. There was only one place Kiara liked to go and that was the pub. She was probably headed there. He glanced at the university gates and saw more students on the ground at this time. He saw his cousin Shanaya heading to the gates, looking miserable.

Her hair and clothes were wet. She saw Veer and looked up in surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just passing by,” he lied. “I was in the area to interview someone and thought I would pass by and say hello.” He looked up at the sky. “Was it raining?”

“No, the roof was leaking.” Shanaya pouted her lips. “Some issue with the air conditioning. There’s leakage everywhere so they cancelled classes for today.”

“Do you want a ride back home?”

Shanaya shook her head and held up her car keys. “No, I’m good. See you at dinner? Or will you be working late again?”

“I’ll try to see you for dinner.” He smiled.

“I hope you aren’t mocking me for my drenched state.”

“Nope. The look suits you.” He grinned.

Shanaya looked down at her wet dark blue blouse and black skirt. “I was in the process of giving a presentation when the roof gave away. So not funny. My presentation was A-grade material.”

“I thought your partner was terrible.”

“And he didn’t show up. So far, college sucks. I miss high school.”

“When you were queen bee?” Veer asked. He put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re still that strong, confident girl. Don’t let a few obstacles hinder your path to success.”

“Are you writing motivational posters too? Is your job as a reporter not paying you well enough?”

Veer narrowed his eyes and patted her shoulder. “There’s that girl who always had a comeback line ready. As lame as it is.”

“Whatever. And you still owe me a treat for your promotion. What was it again? Senior motivational poster writer?”

“You’re hilarious. Anyway, yeah let’s make a plan for the weekend.”

“Definitely. Bye now. I have to go home and get changed.”

Veer watched Shanaya get in her gray sedan, reverse, and then drive away. He started his engine and made a turn.

He was glad to see Shanaya smile. Ever since she had enrolled in HarbourOne University, she hadn’t been too happy. Her high school friends had moved away, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t made any new friends so far. Her focus was on studies but according to his aunt, his cousin wasn’t faring that well in that department.

He wondered if it was karma. He had heard that Shanaya had bullied Kiara in high school. And now Kiara was the popular one with hundreds of friends on social media, and Shanaya was the loner.

Of course, it remained to be seen if Kiara was still Kiara or possessed by an evil witch.

CHAPTER THREE

New City Lights was a new district that had opened four months ago. The area boasted high-rise towers, a promenade, the largest mall in the country, and several pubs and five-star restaurants.

Very few people could afford to live there, but several people visited it for entertainment.

It was another long drive, but when he didn’t spot Kiara at the regular pub, he realized she must have headed to New City Lights. After all, she had been planning to do so in her social media posts ever since the district had opened.

When he entered the city through high arched gates with golden lettering to welcome visitors, the first thing he saw was a stretch of grass and palm trees.

He spotted an iron gate, decorated with golden engravings that displayed the name of City Garden.

He saw a few cars and motorcycles parked in the lot and almost fell over when he spotted a blue sports bike.

As far as he remembered, Kiara had gotten behind a rider on a dark blue bike. He parked a few spaces behind it and headed to the gate.

It came as no surprise that the entry required a ticket.

How else is the city going to pay for all this luxury?

He paid with a fifty-note and walked in, then almost rolled his eyes when the staff in white and gold uniforms, handed him a small picnic basket.

He took it and found a small bottle of sparkling water, a packet of organic potato chips, a small packet of gourmet mixed nuts, a tiny cupcake with frosting, and a coupon to either get a free small juice or coffee at the cafeteria.

“How generous,” he told the man who was probably ordered to smile no matter what the visitors said.

Veer looked around the park, seeing picnic tables, play areas for children and a vending machine near picnic spots that gave picnic blankets rather than snacks.

He spotted a cafeteria with tables in front of it, all of them with umbrellas. He almost walked past it when he saw a girl in a red dress emerge from the cafeteria, holding onto a plastic glass filled with orange juice.

Kiara giggled as her new boyfriend carried the picnic baskets, as well as another bag that looked to be filled with food. She stood under a tree, while the boyfriend dropped the bags near her and headed to the vending machine to purchase a blanket.

Veer moved behind a tree, watching her as she leisurely sipped her juice, enjoying the cool breeze that played with her long locks. She removed her sunglasses and handed it to her boyfriend who gratefully put it in the pocket of his jacket. He laid out the red and white checkered blanket and Kiara sat down, stretching her legs before her.

The boyfriend fished out sandwiches from the bag and reached into the picnic basket to offer her chips and nuts, both of which Kiara declined.

The boyfriend started to kiss her cheek, but she pushed him away. He looked annoyed and she placated him by whispering something in his ear that brightened up his eyes.

Veer’s phone buzzed and he saw it was Shiraz, his editor. He had to take the call.

“Hi,” he said and heard his boss grunt.

“Hi indeed. Where are you? Why aren’t you at work?”

Veer swallowed and walked a little way from the picnic area. “I’m working on a new article. I’m doing research.”

“And which article is that? I don’t remember receiving any emails from you regarding any articles. I haven’t commissioned anything.”

“I just had an idea,” Veer said quickly. “I’m at New City Lights.”

“New City Lights? What are you doing there?” Shiraz’s tone grew annoyed. “You didn’t ask for a leave…”

Veer swallowed again. “I’m at the City Garden, writing about...if the entry fee justifies the experience.”

“And how much is the entry?”

“Fifty.”

“For a garden? Are they insane? Are the trees made of gold there?”

Veer chuckled. “It would be much more expensive then. They gift every visitor a picnic basket full of tiny snacks.”

“Hmmm.” Shiraz paused for a while. “Take some pictures as well.”

Veer rubbed his forehead. Of course, he had forgotten his camera. He would have to make do with taking pictures on his phone and then hoping they were publish-worthy.

“Of course. I’ll send you some stuff tonight so you can look it over.”

“You better. And I want to see you first thing tomorrow morning. No more skipping work. Especially without prior notice.”

“I’m a writer. I’m working twenty-four hours,” he assured. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. First thing.”

Veer ended the call and turned around. Kiara was busy nibbling her sandwich while her boyfriend was already balling up his sandwich wrapper.

They look like they may be here for a while.

Not wanting to waste any time, Veer began to take pictures of the garden. He set the small picnic basket on a table and took a picture of it. Then the vending machine, and a long shot of the garden hills. He walked ahead and saw a flower garden with dozens of varieties of colourful flowers. He took a picture of that, and turned around, making sure he could still see Kiara from his spot.

On a whim, he raised his phone, and took her in the frame. His stomach clenched and his heart raced in his chest. He blinked several times, sure that he had imagined Kiara’s figure wavering.

He zoomed in and saw that the hands holding the sandwich was gray and bony. Right before his eyes, her legs began to shrink and the skin melted away to reveal dark bones.

Kiara’s other hand, bony as well, had fingers that extended until the ends were sharp.

Veer took a picture and just as suddenly, Kiara turned around, her face no longer hers but of an ominous, skeletal figure with gleaming purple eyes.

Veer heard a howl and dropped the camera. He caught his breath and watched Kiara who was still nibbling on her sandwich while listening to whatever her boyfriend was saying.

Veer turned around, and of course, there were no wolves about.

He picked up his phone, grateful that it hadn’t broken. He placed Kiara in the frame again, and saw her unchanged.

He went to his gallery and saw the picture he had taken of her. She appeared normal, although a bit blurry.

Veer switched off his phone and put it into his pocket.

“Fuck, I’m losing it,” he reprimanded himself. He sat himself down on a bench across and diagonally from where Kiara was enjoying her picnic. He opened the basket and took out the small bottle of water and drank it all in one gulp.

He winced as he felt a burning sensation in his wrist. Veer put two fingers under the blue ribbon and tugged. It was futile, of course. He had no idea how Kiara managed to get rid of hers. If it were up to him, he would rip it to shreds, leave this country and never come back.

But here he was, ordered by a beautiful, undead girl to remain and protect another girl.

What did he know about Kiara? Nothing except what he was learning now, and whatever that was, it was all mostly about Amara.

He looked at the time, saw it was after three, and sat back on the bench.

Now that he was tasked with this responsibility, he might as well see it through.

In the meantime...

He removed a small notepad from his pocket and a pen. Clicking on the pen he opened the notebook and began to jot down notes for an article on the over-priced garden.

*****

The sky paled by the time Veer finished typing the first draft of an article on his phone, an ability he had to learn ever since Nari summoned him at odd hours and tasked him with stalking Kiara.

Kiara was still with her boyfriend, although they weren’t speaking much. They were on their phones and got up at random times to take selfies against the garden’s attractions that included animal topiary.

After some time, they walked hand in hand towards the exit. They were almost near the gate when he got up and quietly followed them. Inwardly, he prayed they were headed home. He wanted to go home, submit the article to Shiraz and then sleep. He would think about a proper meal later. All he wanted to do was sleep.

Kiara got on the motorbike behind her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his waist, whispering something in his ear that caused her boyfriend to laugh. He reached out to kiss her cheek but she moved away and looked at her phone.

Veer remained hidden behind two SUVs. He saw her phone flash and realized she was getting a call that she chose to ignore.

After a few seconds, her phone flashed again and he heard her chirpy ringtone. It was a tune from a popular song that was all electro beats and ridiculous lyrics. Kiara rejected the call and he could see her grimace.

He wondered who could be calling her to cause her to become disturbed. He heard the bike start and Veer headed to his own. He quickly put on his helmet before Kiara noticed him.

He started his bike and made sure to follow them at a safe distance. Just as he had expected, they were not heading back home. Veer groaned when he saw them make a turn to where all the restaurants and bars were, most of them playing loud music to entice people to dance.

They parked closer to the entrance, while Veer chose a space two rows away.

He looked at the building before him that was flashing lights and playing loud music.

Nightclub City.

Veer groaned again. The music was already giving him a headache. He mused whether he was getting too old not to enjoy these activities that young people liked. He was still in his twenties too, so why didn’t he seem to want to even be around these loud places?

He walked to the entrance, groaned again when he saw there was a hefty ticket price to enter the club.

“Do you accept payment by card?” He asked at the ticket counter. The woman behind the glass, dressed in a strapless black dress and tons of makeup, looked at him as if he was an idiot. She handed him the card machine and he tapped his card on it, wincing when he saw what was being removed from his account.

The woman handed him a black and red band and then looked behind him to smile at the next customer.

Veer put on his band, gritting his teeth at the people who were dancing. It looked like they were rubbing against each other more than dancing.

How he wished Kiara had boring tastes. So far, following her around was costing him half his salary.

Following. He snorted. He was stalking Kiara and it felt uncomfortable.

But Nari urged him that she was an evil witch in disguise. If only he could see some sign she was right, he wouldn’t feel aggravated at wasting so much time and money on this errand.

He spotted Kiara and her boyfriend at the bar. They were ordering tequila shots that Kiara happily gulped down.

Her boyfriend ordered a beer and watched Kiara with a lecherous grin. Kiara said something to him after which he turned to the bartender and ordered more tequila shots.

Veer pressed his lips together. Kiara hadn’t taken alcohol before. She was going to get drunk and by the looks of her boyfriend, be taken advantage of.

He sighed as the bartender came to him with a welcoming smile. Veer took one look at the chalkboard behind that listed all the prices and found the water here cost the same as beer.

He ordered a beer and sat down. He checked his phone and found messages from Shanaya asking when he was coming home for dinner. He replied that he wasn’t. There was a reminder from Shiraz regarding the article.

Veer saw that he was connected to free WiFi and took advantage by sending him the rough article, explaining it was yet to be polished. He glanced up and saw Kiara sipping a cocktail. She slurped it down before being pulled to the dance floor.

Veer pressed send on his email to Shiraz and watched as Kiara’s boyfriend took her in his arms from behind and swayed.

Kiara looked too drunk to push him away as he kissed her neck. He waited to see if she consented to his kisses; he was after all one of her boyfriends.

He saw Kiara push him away only to be pulled back into her boyfriend’s arms. Veer studied her boyfriend, saw he had gelled hair, was wearing a really tight T-shirt under his jacket which he had removed before coming to the club. This was matched with tight skinny jeans. He had roving hands which irritated Kiara who slapped them away repeatedly.

When he tried to kiss her, and Kiara, in her drunken state, could barely push him away, Veer got up and made his way over.

He didn’t want her to see him just yet, but dammit he wasn’t going to let a woman be molested.

Kiara and her boyfriend got into an argument which caused her to push him back. He retaliated by shoving her with more force. Kiara fell back but Veer caught her just in time.

“Hey!” Veer glared at the sleazy boyfriend while grabbing Kiara’s arms. Before he could say anything more, two security guards showed up.

“Sir, you have violated the rules of this club. You will have to leave,” The female security guard said.

Kiara’s boyfriend frowned and started to say something when both security guards held him by the arms and dragged him toward the exit.

Veer looked around and saw that there were cameras all around and security guards standing on the top floor, watching everyone.

“Okay, now the admission fee is worth it. Somewhat,” he muttered.

Kiara brushed his hands away and turned around. She could barely stand upright and swayed.

“How am I going to go home?” Her speech was slurred and she kept blinking. He caught her before she fell sideways.

“I could call you a taxi.”

Kiara looked annoyed. She stared at him and blinked sleepily. “Don’t we live in the same building?”

Veer was hoping Kiara would be too drunk to recognize him. Apparently not.

“Of course, I could take you home.”

“Then let’s go,” she commanded and headed to the exit. Veer had to take her arm again when she stumbled.

“I have a bike and in your state it would be better if you take a car,” Veer suggested.

Kiara kept walking toward the parking lot. Veer massaged the back of his neck. He decided it was pointless and led her toward his bike.

“You’re going to fall off,” he told her.

Kiara got on the bike and waited quietly. Her phone flashed again and he saw the name Neena flash. Veer narrowed his eyes. That was her mother’s name. He took his seat and saw Kiara in the rearview mirror frowning and rejecting the call.

“You’ll have to hold on,” he said.

Kiara still didn’t say a word. He started the bike and rode out of the parking lot. When he got on the road, he felt Kiara’s hand on his back, then her forehead.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep,” he urged.

Kiara turned her head and exhaled. She was awake, but in her condition he feared she would fall asleep. He gritted his teeth when he saw traffic up ahead. He stopped at the red light and turned to look over his shoulder. Kiara was resting the side of her head on his back and he caught her blinking.

Veer turned to the signal and waited for it to turn green. He felt something around his waist and looked down to see a bony hand with pointed ends. The nails dug into his torso and he cried out.

He tugged the hands away and looked back. Kiara laughed out loud before turning her head sideways and throwing up.

The lights turned green and he considered moving to the side so that she could finish vomiting. But Kiara was already resting her head back and he wondered if he had imagined her transforming into something unearthly.

His stomach still hurt from where a nail had pricked. He kept a watch on her throughout the drive home but Kiara didn’t move, nor transform into something else. He heard her breathing sharply and hoped she hadn’t fallen asleep.

Almost an hour later, they arrived at the street that would lead home.

“We’re almost there,” he told her.

Kiara sat up and said nothing. She wasn’t holding him anymore and he took a turn carefully so that she wouldn’t fall over.

He stopped in front of the building and parked. Kiara was the first to get down and he moved to help her in case she fell.

Kiara held up a palm and backed away. “Thanks for the ride,” she said. Her speech was no longer slurred and she was standing properly.

Veer looked at her as he alighted. In the streetlights, she didn’t appear to be drunk at all. He wondered if her vomiting had removed the effects of the alcohol.

“Surprised, Veer?” She grinned. “I can’t get drunk. No matter what. And I’ve tried. Made all sorts of cocktails. Turns out I’m immune.”

He didn’t know what to say so he made his way to the building’s entrance.

“I know you’ve been following me. Hope I gave you a good show.”

Veer turned around. So much for believing he was stealthy.

“Are you going to tell me what you are up to?” Kiara demanded.

“You tell me.” Veer felt his phone buzz but ignored it. “Who are you?”

“Who am I?” Kiara asked sarcastically. “What am I supposed to be?”

Veer felt a surge of anger. Now that he was being confronted, he wasn’t going to back down. Even if it was against a witch.

“Amara.”

She laughed out loud. “Are you insane?”

“I know you’re not Kiara. I saw you change into your true self a few times. Just what do you want, Amara?”

She stopped laughing and stared at him. “You are insane.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve been letting all these legends about Amara go to your head. And what makes you think I’m not Kiara? What do you know about me? Do you know enough to claim that I am not her?”

Veer opened his mouth to argue but realized he didn’t have an argument. It was true. He met Kiara only a couple of times, but not enough to glean her characteristics and differentiate between her and a witch.

“Don’t have anything to say, do you?” Kiara shook her head and sneered. “Ever since I was attacked by Roy, I’ve become aware of my surroundings. I know you’ve been stalking me. Tonight when you followed me all the way to New City Lights, I got pissed off and decided to put an end to this charade. So I’m going to come out and say this: stay away from me, Veer. Get a life.”

Veer felt the sharp twinge of humiliation but he wasn’t entirely convinced yet. “Amara’s statue isn’t in the woods anymore.”

Kiara muttered something under her breath and he caught the words ‘pathetic’ and ‘idiot’. She looked at him squarely. “Maybe the tribesmen moved it. Or it crumbled. Wasn’t it a really old statue? It’s probably dust by now.”

“It wasn’t an ordinary statue. It was Amara, turned into stone...”

“Enough, Veer!” Kiara almost yelled. “That’s enough.” She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. She muttered something again and he saw her unclench her hands. “Amara’s legend is just that, a legend. It isn’t true. You’re a writer who is trained to perennially search for interesting stories. This isn’t one of them. You’re supposed to report facts, aren’t you? The day you have concrete facts that I am not Kiara but some witch who died decades ago, then come talk to me. Otherwise, I don’t want to see you anywhere around me.”

She brushed her hair back. “And now I’m going to my apartment. Don’t follow me yet. I know we live on the same floor, but I’ve no intention of being neighbourly with you, and that means I don’t want to share the elevator with you.” She turned on her heels and walked with long strides to the entrance.

Veer leaned against his bike, Kiara’s words playing out in his head. She was right. How much did he know about Kiara? Why did he assume that she would be the same girl she was in high school? Maybe she just wanted to let loose and have fun.

He checked his watch, and peered through the entrance. He saw Kiara get into the elevator. He walked to the entrance, deep in thought.

Just because she was having fun, didn’t mean she was a witch.

He pressed the button for the elevator and got in when it arrived.

He had been following Kiara for months and had yet to see her using black magic, let alone be mean to anyone.

The elevator pinged and he got out on the eighteenth floor.

All that he had seen, the transformation of her turning to Amara, was his subconscious desire to get something out of his months of research on Kiara. He wanted to see her turn and his subconscious had tricked him.

Veer took out his key and was about to insert it when he heard growling. He looked to the side where Kiara’s apartment was. The sensory lights in that area of the passage had not come on. He peered in the darkness but didn’t see anything.

Lights began to flicker and he thought he saw a dog. Veer took a step forward. As far as he knew, none of the neighbours on this floor had any pets.

He stopped when the flickering light showed another animal figure. He stopped and pushed himself against the wall.

It wasn’t a dog.

The lights came on but immediately turned a bluish hue. He saw a pack of five wolves stand outside Kiara’s apartment. They were watching him, snarling.

He could see their saliva drip to the floor. Then all of them lowered their heads and stretched their forelegs.

Veer took a step back and reached for his door. He kept his eyes on the wolves while his hands fumbled to insert the key.

The wolves began running toward him, their vicious growl echoing all around the passageway.

Veer pushed the key in and almost fell inside his apartment. He shut the door with a slam and pressed against it with his back as he heard clawing sounds against it.

The wolves snarled and barked and he heard frustrated whines. Veer garnered enough courage to look through the peephole.

There was no one outside. He didn’t hear a single sound. He counted till ten, slowly, and opened the door slightly. Peeking out, he didn’t anyone in the passage. And definitely no wolves.

He slid in again and rubbed his forehead. He had to be imagining things.

Veer made his way through the apartment which was dark except for the light left at the entrance for him. His aunt and cousin were probably asleep. He went into his room and shut the door.

What he needed was sleep. He ignored the messages on his phone and got into his bed.

He would shower tomorrow. For now, he would sleep to stop his rampant imagination from overtaking his sanity.