Aru Shah Oneshots (requests!)

[5] • Look outside

☆☆☆Hira☆☆☆

This chapter might be a bit weird for one of us because it says "Nandini" in it a lot lmao.

That night, Hira's dreams were unpleasant. She dreamt she was in a forest, her clothes ragged, and her hair messed up. The rakshasi realized she held a bow in one hand and her quiver was almost empty of arrows.

She was chasing someone, but Hira didn't know who. She didn't want to chase someone; it was like something possessed her. 

The being rustled through bushes, panting. It emerged from behind a tree, and Hira could see her target: a lean, young woman. It was hard to make out her facial features in the dark, but Hira nocked an arrow and released. The woman leaped out of sight just in time, leaving the arrow to smack an owl. Hira cursed under her breath.

The scene changed, and Hira stood in the middle of a narrow path. The path ran between rows of tiny concrete houses, each a different color. She recognized the house closest to her: Hira used to live there. She was dreaming of the Otherworld right now. 

Though Hira would never walk in that house ever again, some outside force beckoned to her, urging her to step inside. In the scorching afternoon heat, she found herself moving closer to the old pink building. It was different than she remembered. The banana tree next to the house withered, and the front door was missing, hinges and all. The wind was still, and the only sounds seemed to be coming from Hira's breathing.

The familiar scent of turmeric and jasmine oil washed over Hira. She stepped in barefoot, and the dust left footprints on the floor. That was odd---Mama never kept the floor dusty. 

"Mama?" the rakshasi called, her voice trembling. She realized, the usually-busy streets of her village were silent. Where was everyone?

"Shh!" a girl's voice cried. "Don't be so loud."

Hira jumped. She wasn't expecting a response. "Who's there?" she demanded, trying to sound brave. Hira made her way to the kitchen, where she heard the voice. 

Hira peered behind the wall to find a girl at the dining table. She wore a thin, blue Rajasthani headscarf and twirled her already-curly hair. The girl rested her chin on her elbow and flipped the page of a thick book.

Hira's jaw dropped and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She gasped. "Nandini?"

The girl looked up. She closed her book and stood up so fast that Hira was afraid she would bonk her head on the table. "How do you know my name? Who..?" Realization dawned on her and she covered her mouth.

Bile formed in Hira's throat. That girl... that was her sister, Nandini. She was very much alive. Nandini's long, curly hair fell down to her back. She wore a plain brown dress, but her face glowed. Her almond-shaped eyes were as stunning as Hira remembered, and dimples formed as she smiled. Nandini was beautiful in every way Hira wasn't, inside and out.

"Hira? Oh my..." Nandini stifled a sob and pulled Hira into a hug.

Hira had to bend down since she had gotten taller over the years, and dream-Nandini was still fifteen years old. She tried stopping the tears, but it was too late. Hira smelled the familiar scent of coconut oil and pine on Nandini and shut her eyes violently.

They pulled back after what seemed like an eternity, and Nandini was the first to speak. "Hira? Is that you?" she whispered weakly. "Look at how you've grown. How long have I been...?"

A silent tear fell down Hira's cheek. "Eight years." She remembered vividly the night Nandini shut the door to their bedroom and told Hira not to open the door. Hira was twelve.

It was Nandini's turn to gasp. "You're twenty?" Her eyes fell to Hira's chest, where her mangal sutra sat. "Who's the lucky man?" she smirked.

Hira shook her head. Why was she dreaming about this? She had dreams about her older sister, sure, but only memories came. Hira never dreamed about anything new. "Nandini, I---look, a lot's been going on," she stuttered.

Her older sister placed her hand reassuringly on Hira's shoulder. "Okay, well. Looks like you have to go."

Hira frowned. "Go where?"

Nandini ignored her question. "Just know that if times ever get rough, I always take a look outside at the night sky." She turned and disappeared behind a door. 

"Wait!" Hira followed and twisted the doorknob, but the dream shifted. 

She was now sitting in a dark room at an interrogation desk, light pointed at her. A woman with tousled brown hair and heavy lipstick sat across from her. She wore an old-fashioned pantsuit. The woman steepled her fingers and looked across the desk. "My dear child, listen," she frowned. "You are going to wake soon. Look outside at the sky and I will be waiting."

The light was too bright for Hira to focus on her words. The rakshasi squinted and held her fingers up to shield her face from the light. "Who---?"

"What you're doing is no different from trying to light fireproof kindling."

"What?"

"I'm saying it's no use." The woman shook her head. She leaned closer, her pointed features looking haunting and enchanting at the same time. "If you choose to follow your wife's visions, you will regret many things in the future."

What did this woman mean? Was she telling Hira not to find Gauri and stop the Sleeper? "You know about the visions?" Hira pressed. "Who are you?"

The woman ignored Hira. "Oh, the mistakes you will commit." She shook her head and looked at Hira with pity. "Just look at the weapon you're carrying, child. The blood is on your hands, and there is nothing I can do about it."

The rakshasi looked down and gasped at the sight. As if it had been there before, the same bow and arrow set from the forest lay on Hira's lap. Her quiver was still slung around her, and a single arrow remained. 

"I swear I wouldn't try to kill anyone. Please, believe me," Hira pleaded. Though was that true? Only a few months ago, she wanted nothing more than her father's death. But was she strong enough to kill him herself?

The woman stood up and made for the door in the corner of the dark, little room. "We'll chat later, Hira. Look outside."

Hira woke in a cold sweat. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and her heart raced. She looked to her side to find Brynne next to her on the bed, still sound asleep. She sighed and got to her feet.

Look outside, Nandini told Hira. Look outside, the woman at the interrogation table told her. Hira shook her head. It was just a dream.

Was it just a dream, though? She hadn't dreamt about Nandini in years, and she came back for a reason. Hira made her way to the balcony to look outside. Though she wasn't looking for... whatever she was looking for,  but for a breath of fresh air.

Hira opened the sliding door to the balcony and was surprised to see someone else there.

"Aiden?" she breathed, her breath fogging in the cool winter air.

He jerked his head toward her in shock. "Oh. What are you doing here?"

Hira shoved her hands into her pajama pockets. "I could ask you the same."

Aiden shook his head. "I had a dream. Something kept telling me to look outside."

Hira stared. The same thing happened to her. She decided to ask the young man, "Look outside for what?"

He simply shrugged. "I don't know. She never said." Aiden ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and turned. "Well, whatever it is," he said with a sigh, "I can't find it. I'm going back inside."

The rakshasi caught his arm. "Aiden, I had a similar dream." She told Aiden about her sister and the woman with the blazer in the interrogation room. Hira left out the part about the forest---she didn't know what that meant yet.

And as if on cue, a light glinted in the sky. A bright, large figure barrelled closer to Hira and Aiden.

"Well," Hira breathed. "I guess we really did have to look outside."