Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 32: Pt. 3

I don't want to stay here. I need to go back. I need to fight my case. I deserve that role, no matter what I look like, Ananya decided. They can give me a partner, I know they can. Detectives don't always run around. I'll stay healthy if I stay on my feet. Mausi wants to keep me on my butt, so I become a vegetable. She scowled. I have to go back. Oscar and the pack need me. I need them. Gosh, I wonder what June and Dafowick are doing to them right now...

She rolled onto her side just as the door creaked open. She attempted to look past her bulbous nose, and she didn't know who was walking into the room until frail fingers wrapped around her elbow and lifted her into a sitting position.

"Mausa?!" She exclaimed.

Aman put a finger to his lips and cast a nervous glance around the room. "Wolves," he whispered and pushed Ananya into the room.

She frowned. "Wolves?" She repeated. "What do you mean?"

"The student is a wolf," he said. "A wolf from Bourdier. He's looking for you."

"He is?" Ananya's heart leaped. Is it Oscar? No, Mausi would never let him inside. Immediately, a cold stone fell in her chest. "Does he look like he's just been attacked?"

Aman nodded.

Darn. Ananya's teeth seared through her bottom lip. He must be from June's pack. Why is she looking for me, though? Does she know? She may, she must have seen us together. Oh no...her body felt heavy and her legs staggered.

"You have to leave," Aman said gravely. He put a paperclip in Ananya's hands - the torn fragments of the photograph that Rutuparna had destroyed bundled underneath - and a small bottle. "Cover your scent. Get as far as you kind. Find Oscar."

"Mausa..." Ananya didn't know what to say. Her lower lip trembled and she shakily took the items he was giving her. "What about you?"

Aman smiled wanly. "I'll be okay, beti," he assured her, cupping her cheek lovingly. "I've been with your Mausi for a long time and I can handle her. You deserve to live life on your terms, Ananya. You're a bright, loving girl and you deserve the world. Chase your dreams to the end of the Earth, and one day, you'll catch them and make them a part of you."

"Mausa..." Ananya sniffled. She hugged him and buried her head in his shoulder. "I...I don't know if I can...God, I can't even run."

He laughed gently and patted her shoulder. "Then walk. Crawl if you have to. Don't let others pull you down, Ananya because while they laugh at you and try to hold you back, they're not being successful in their own lives. Follow your ambitions, and one day, you'll be on the top of the world, okay?" He ran his frail fingers along the curve of her soft cheek and the bruise forming on her skin. "I can't expect you to forgive us for how we treated you. I can't expect you to...to forgive me for being unable to protect you, but I don't want you to regret anything like I did." He sighed. "I want the best for you, beti, and you deserve that. So go, go make the world a better place for all of us."

Ananya swallowed hard and retracted slightly to press her forehead against Aman's. "I'll do my best," she promised with renewed determination. "I'll make you proud, Mausa, I promise."

He shook his head, his fingers remaining on her cheek. "No, Ananya. Make yourself proud." The door slammed downstairs and his head shot to the ground. "I wish I had more time with you, but you must go now. Your aunt is furious with you, and I do not doubt that she'll hand you over to these wolves just to inflict some sort of punishment onto you. You know very well how harsh she can be."

Ananya gulped. "I do." Her ears rang and she cast a nervous glance around the room. "How do I get out, though?"

"Here." Aman led her to the window and opened the panes. "I'm going to climb down, and then you're going to jump. There's a cushion underneath, so it'll break your fall."

"I'm not sure that's how physics works," Ananya muttered, her complexion paling, though, in all honesty, she'd never paid attention to her physics class, so she had no idea if the plan made sense or not. "Mausa-!"

"We don't have time to debate this. When you get down, I want you to keep walking until you get to the park. The next day, a train will take you to Bourdier. It'll take you at least two trips and around four days since you aren't going by plane. Give me your phone. I'll take out the card." Aman spoke quickly, thrusting items into Ananya's shaking hands. "Put the perfume on. Here, give it to me." He sprayed the chemicals onto her clothes. "Make sure you cover your face. Put this hoodie on. The train will drop you around a mile from Bourdier. From there, head to the nearest park - it's Grengebill Park. There's a path there that will lead you to the Yuen Pack."

"How do you know this?" Ananya blinked in bewilderment.

Aman blushed. "I've been doing my research," he admitted. "But listen to me, Ananya, when you leave, you cannot look back, do you understand? You must do everything that I'm telling you if you want to escape. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I understand." She clutched the tickets and they crinkled in her grasp.

Aman nodded. "Good." He climbed over the window and crawled down the wall. Then, he stepped onto the mat and fluffed it up with air, adding mounds of blankets and pillows. "Jump, Ananya!"

"Oh great..." Ananya peered at the ground from her window and took a deep breath. Okay, Ananya, you can do this. Don't think twice. Just do it. Trust Mausa. Jump! She sat on the window and threw her legs over the side, losing her balance in the process. With a muffled scream, she fell face-forward into Aman's arms.

"Oh, that wasn't so high." She groaned against his shirt. "Mausa, how did you catch me?"

He chuckled. "I'm stronger than I look, Ananya." He lifted her to her feet. "Now, remember what I told you, okay?" He touched her temple, then put his large hand on her head, smiling gently. "May God be with you, beti. Go."

--()--()--()--

There's been a new revelation! Were any of you expecting that Rutuparna had a deeper connection with werewolves? What do you guys think of Aman?