CONSPIRACY: THE THIRD WORLD

Chapter Ten│Lay Me Down

©APOORVA2015

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I'm reaching out to you
Can you hear my call?
This hurt that I've been through
I'm missing you, missing you like crazy

                                        ---Chapter Ten---

It was four in the morning when there was a knock on the door.

She apprehensively got down the bed, tied her hair in a ponytail and walked towards the door. She switched on the lights of the living area. Unlocking the door, her eyes widened at the sight of Ved standing on the entrance with Yumi, Rose, Christian and five others that she had not known, but seen in one of the cult meetings. Before she could open her mouth to verbalize her feeling of surprise and annoyance, Ved towered over her and pulled her in a longing hug. Her breath caught up in her lungs as she forced herself to respond to his imposed embrace.

“Surprise,” he said, drawing in a long breath and resting his chin on her head, “I missed you.”

“Ved, you should have told me you were coming,” she rasped, trying to pull away

“It wouldn’t have been a surprise then, would it?” he spoke in her hair

Ved pulled away dramatically and smiled at her. She looked at him, then at others, her eyes drifting on everyone’s face.

“Sorry for coming uninvited,” Yumi said, “but we all wanted to know if you were alright?”

“Also, can we come in?” Rose asked, popping her head up

“Of course, I’m sorry I…yes, do come in and I am fine,” she answered

She stood aside and noticed that Rose and Christian were holding hands and actually floating above the ground. Ved gave her another smile then moved in with others.

“This is Avan,” Yumi introduced, “and this is Tara, Dr. Ambuj, Neil, and Herman and then you know Rati, right?”

Ekaa stared at Rati for long and felt stupid for not recognizing her at once. Rati had dyed her hair pink, all of them. She was wearing a green khaki shirt with a loose trouser, had a layer of make-up that she could easily discriminate from the skin of her neck.

“Hey,” Rati tediously said

“Hi,” she replied, looking away. “So, purpose of this surprise?” she asked Ved

“Well, I feared you might get so carried away with ‘Saving Samar’ mission that you might do something rash and put yourself in danger,” he said with a hint of excitement, “so Yumi and I thought, and the others too, that it would be better if we stick up as a team and go there…together.”

For once she mused that he was joking and the punch line was that they were all going together. She ambiguously smiled, angry at Ved for making fun of such a delicate situation yet fighting herself to believe him.

“For real,” he added

Her smile disappeared as easily as it surface; her face straightened with hesitation.

“We know what you are going through,” Yumi spoke in a comforting tone, “and if nothing, we want to take this pressure off your shoulders. Ved called in your office and they said you resigned a while ago. We were worried-”