Getting prepared
1156 Words
Sona’s POV
“You have to make sure you do everything very well,” I said to the brown serpent.
Many of you already know her as Norah.
“I am listening, my Queen,” she replied humbly, still bowing before me.
“You must do everything exactly as I have instructed you,” I commanded.
The brown Nagin lowered her head respectfully before disappearing into the darkness.
I had finally made up my mind.
I was going to begin my mission of revenge officially.
I wanted it finished once and for all.
“Lord Shaghan, give me the power and wisdom to do this,” I recited in a short prayer.
Almost immediately, a means of transport appeared before me. It was a glowing stream of light, moving faster than lightning itself. It surrounded my body and, within seconds, transported me back into my office.
It was the end of the workday.
I had to return home.
However, later tonight, exactly at midnight, the moon would become full. That was the sacred moment when all serpents were required to shed and renew their snake forms.
I needed to be prepared.
“Sona!”
I heard Priya call my name just as I stepped into the hallway.
“Yes?” I replied, turning around as she hurried toward me.
Honestly, today was the last day I wanted to run into her.
Ever since the board meeting, she had been insisting that I go for coffee with Mr. Rollins.
The thing about Priya was that she would never believe me when I said nothing would ever happen between her brother and me.
And now that I fully understood my true identity, I knew even more clearly that I could not allow myself to get close to anyone.
I had already been warned.
Falling in love, especially with a human, was the most forbidden thing I could ever do.
“Where are you rushing off to?” Priya asked once she reached me.
“I’m going home,” I answered firmly, hoping she would let me leave.
“Don’t tell me you’re skipping that coffee with Dev and me,” she said, bringing up the subject once again.
“Priya…” I began.
But she interrupted immediately.
“No excuses. You are not going anywhere. You have to come.”
Before I could protest, she grabbed my hand and began pulling me back in the direction I had just come from.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked as she practically dragged me like a child.
We moved through the hallway, drawing curious looks from a few employees who were finishing their work before heading home.
“Priya, where are you taking me?” I asked again.
“We’re going for dinner. The three of us,” she said proudly.
I stopped.
“But you said it was only coffee.”
“I changed my mind. Since you were trying to escape, dinner sounds much better.”
A satisfied smile spread across her lips.
“But that’s not…”
I stopped mid sentence.
I saw him approaching.
“There he comes,” Priya whispered. “You can tell him yourself.”
She knew I would never dare.
Apart from him being my strict and intimidating boss, we simply did not like each other.
We could barely tolerate one another unless Priya was present to mediate.
“What is going on here?” Mr. Rollins asked as he approached us.
“Officially, we are going for dinner,” Priya announced cheerfully.
He sighed heavily.
I sighed too.
Neither of us had any interest in this.
But when Priya made up her mind, there was usually only one option.
Obey.
**
We had been sitting at dinner for what felt like hours.
Honestly, it was only Priya keeping the conversation alive.
She looked like a counselor trying to reconcile a married couple who had been fighting for years.
“How has the food been?” Priya asked as the waiter cleared our plates.
“Good,” I answered quietly.
“And you, Dev? You’ve been staring at your phone the whole time,” she said, turning to her brother.
“I’m working. You know I’m busy,” he replied.
His eyes never left his sister.
He barely looked at me at all.
“You are impossible,” Priya muttered.
Then suddenly her face lit up.
“I have another plan.”
Dev and I looked at her at the same time.
“We are going to the movies.”
“There is no way I’m going there,” Rollins said immediately.
I silently agreed.
But with Priya’s influence, resistance was pointless.
Once she decided something, it happened.
And so, somehow, we found ourselves sitting in a movie theater.
We had been there for nearly an hour.
The problem was, I had absolutely no idea what the movie was about.
I kept checking my phone.
11:30 PM.
My heart sank.
That meant there were only thirty minutes left before the midnight moon reached its full power.
If that happened while I was still here, I would not be able to control the transformation.
I would return to my serpent form.
And that would be the end of everything.
As I stared at the time, panic began to rise inside me.
I needed to leave.
“As you keep checking your phone… are you okay?”
I froze.
Slowly, I turned toward Mr. Rollins.
Of all people, he was the last person I expected to notice me.
“No… yes. I’m okay,” I replied quickly.
But even to my own ears, I sounded nervous.
“You don’t look okay,” he said.
His voice was different.
It was softer.
Nothing like the commanding, cold voice he used in the office.
This voice was… difficult to describe.
Gentle.
Concerned.
For a brief moment, I forgot how to breathe.
The conversation ended there, leaving silence between us as the movie continued.
Priya was completely absorbed in the film, unaware of the tension building beside her.
Suddenly, I felt something strange.
A sharp heat moved through my body.
I looked down.
My fingers trembled.
My skin felt as though it were burning beneath the surface.
My true serpent nature was beginning to awaken.
No.
Not here.
Not now.
I could feel the transformation beginning.
I stood up immediately.
I didn’t care if Priya called after me.
I didn’t care if Mr. Rollins followed me.
I had to get to the temple.
I had only five minutes left before the midnight moon reached its full strength.
If I failed to get there in time…
I would lose control.
And if anyone saw me transform into a serpent…
Everything would be over.
Without another thought, I hurried out of the theater.
My breathing became uneven.
My vision blurred.
The power inside me was rising.
The moon was calling me.
And I had to answer.
- Writer
