The Secrets of the Elements

Hit and Miss

Ray and Tej took their seats at the dining table, their faces aglow with the excitement of their recent adventure. Meanwhile, Advika, Zarna, and Maya appeared worn out and slumped onto the sofa, seeking respite.

Advika quickly downed a glass of water and sprawled on the sofa, while Zarna sprawled out on the adjacent one, shutting her eyes. Maya positioned herself near the foot of the sofa, rubbing her aching feet.

Ray playfully teased the girls, a sly grin on his face. "Perhaps you should consider a bit of jogging," he suggested, drawing a mock glare from Advika. Tej joined in with a smile, adding, "I think we should offer them some fitness lessons." Laughter erupted from the boys as the girls exchanged tired, albeit amused, glances, too exhausted to engage in playful banter.

"Jokes apart, but I wish we could find the source of that sound," said Tej, his tone more serious now.

"The timing of that man was..." Maya started but trailed off with a sigh.

"I hope he didn't see any of us," Advika said, catching her breath. 

"No worries, it was dark, and he seemed to have poor eyesight," reassured Tej. 

"Yeah, his eyesight won't be that great," added Ray, nodding in agreement.

"We'll go again, but maybe after a few days," suggested Advika, still panting.

"Hopefully, that man would have forgotten about us by then," Zarna chimed in, voicing her hope.

"I'm glad we went," said Ray, his eyes shining with excitement. "Now we have a lead."

Tej added, "It's a strange thing though. I found a book in a library that is quite far away from this temple." He glanced at his friends. "Can't seem to connect the dots."

Advika nodded, her mind racing with possibilities. "There has to be a connection between all these clues for sure. But let's not assume, we'll keep searching for more information."

Ray, looking concerned, got to his feet. "But guys, what if we encounter dangerous people on this mission? We need to be strong and learn self-defense."

Maya interjected, "Let's get some rest for now. We can discuss our plan in the morning." With that, she dragged herself upstairs to the bedroom, followed by the others, ready to get some much-needed rest before continuing their investigation the next day.

~~~~~~

The morning sun peeked through the window, casting a warm glow across the room as Advika covered her face with the blanket to shield herself from the light. Zarna drew the heavy curtains, flooding the room with sunlight, and chirped, "Rise and Shine!"

Maya, still rubbing her sleepy eyes, couldn't help but wonder how Zarna could be so cheerful in the morning. Advika yawned and sat upright, stretching her arms.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Ray's voice echoed through the room, "Girls, come down asap. Breakfast is ready." He then went downstairs, leaving the girls to get ready for the day.

"I can't believe the boys woke up before us," Maya muttered, quickly tying her hair into a messy bun. Advika headed to the bathroom to freshen up, while Maya got engrossed with her phone. Zarna announced, "I'm going down, come soon," and made her way to the hall.

Ray and Tej were already seated at the dining table when Zarna descended the stairs with a beaming smile. "Good morning," she greeted. The boys returned the greeting. 

"Where's Advika?" Tej asked as he poured milk into his glass.

"She's coming, she just woke up," Zarna replied, pouring honey on the pancakes and marveling at Ray's cooking skills. "How do you do this?" she asked Ray, who simply smiled in response.

Maya joined them, sitting beside Zarna and exclaiming, "Morning, guys!" eagerly anticipating the pancakes. "Oh wow! Pancakes," Maya said with delight as she took a bite. "Awesome," she added, enjoying the delicious breakfast.

Tej glanced at the staircase.

"Thanks," Ray beamed with pride. 

Zarna then pleaded with Tej, "Tej, can you drop us home?" pouting playfully. 

"Yeah, sure," Tej agreed, glancing at the staircase again.

~~~~~

Advika rushed towards the window, her heart pounding in her chest, wiping her face with a towel. She saw sawdust near the windowpane, but it had a sparkling quality to it. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. She heard a knock on the door and Tej's voice asking if she was okay and what was taking her so long.

"Tej, I saw... I thought I saw someone near the window, like a fairy or something," Advika said urgently, pulling him towards the window. "See the sawdust-"

Tej examined the windowpane carefully but found nothing unusual. "There's nothing here, Advika. I think you're just too tired," he said gently, turning to face her.

"I'm not imagining things," Advika insisted, feeling a mixture of frustration and anxiety. "I didn't mean that," Tej defended himself, his tone softening. "Okay, just come down and have breakfast. It's going to be 10," he said, trying to reassure her.

Advika took a deep breath and nodded, realizing that she needed to gather herself and focus on the task at hand. She followed Tej downstairs, still feeling unsettled by what she had seen.

As she sat down at the dining table with the rest of the group, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something mysterious was happening around them, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.