DOMINANT BLUE

CHAPTER 9

When I was in 6th-grade mom gave me a couple of medicines to swallow.

I was running down with fever but I begged to let me go to school. I was stubborn enough so she let me go on two conditions. First, I had to finish my breakfast and take the medicines. Second, I had to finish my lunch in school and take the second dose of medicine. Owing to fever I had lost my appetite.

But under mom's strict watch I somehow finished my breakfast and ate my medicines. There was no mom to force me into eating in school, so I skipped it and directly ate the medicine. Though Anikesh and Sanvi tried to make me eat, they eventually gave up. After lunch when the teacher came I started feeling dizzy. Everything started blacking out and as people told me I fainted. It wasn't anything very serious. I got up after receiving a few splashes of water on my face. I was made to eat my lunch and after that, I was sent home. My mom was very angry with me but she was more worried. I never told her why I wanted to go to school so desperately.

It was Anikesh's birthday and I didn't want to miss it. I had prepared a card for him with lots of efforts and a heart shaped charm made of quilling papers. Mom wasn't going to allow me to go to his birthday party cause I was ill. But I knew I could somehow go to school if I lied about having a test. In the end it was me cause of whom Anikesh was worried the whole time. He couldn't enjoy his own birthday properly. All I did was ruin his day.

Here I was, after 4 years, not calling for an ambulance or making my mom eat medicine. I was letting her get hypnotized or god knows what Aira was doing. It was a random memory that flashed in my brain. But I knew I missed Anikesh and all my friends so much. Though I met a few of them at school. Now after seeing all this magic happening, I had no doubt there was a reason Anikesh behaved that way in the lunch period.

After what left like hours, but I checked the wall clock, 2 mins, they were done. Aira slowly took two steps backing away lowering her hands. Mom's eyes were still wide open, but then she blinked rapidly. She blinked fast as if she was trying to break through a surface. Aira Picked up the case of the pendant and hid it behind her. She nudged me to go to my room, so I went without a word. I don't know why I was following her orders. I was surely not under a spell. I was reluctantly doing it cause I felt it was best to let her do the job which I barely understood.

I reached my room and sat down on my bed. Slowly the gravity of the situation hit me like a tsunami. I don't know what thing Aira was but I wasn't scared of her. I never have been scared of anything. (Hyperbole). Of course, a few things are there like wild animals, but I would never be foolish enough to go near them unprepared. My anxiety was reaching the brim. I was going to get the answers anyhow. Was my mom really out of danger now??

After a couple of minutes, Aira came back with my mom's blood spilled clothes in her hands. She remained standing near the door after closing it behind her. "How did you manage to get those out?" I asked.

" Is it the only thing you want to know? " Of course, she would never answer me directly without asking a question of her own. No, it wasn't the only thing but it could be a start. I was getting a feeling, all the truth was going to be too much for me. I didn't speak. It was as if she understood what I was thinking and sat next to me on my bed. She had that apologetic genuine smile on her face. I couldn't help but wonder if this was all practiced.

"Radhika, I asked your mom to get changed so she went to the bathroom and changed. I asked her to hand over the clothes which she was wearing earlier and she gave them to me."

Aira said slowly again trying to put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Radhika, do not worry. She is fine now. It was my mistake, I shouldn't have given that necklace to you. If only I had a little more time. I knew I was risking too much coming out here but I was more scared of what might happen if I didn't."

Okay, that was it. The time for keeping my sanity was over. I threw her hand away from me and stood up. Even while sitting she was a lot taller than me.

"Who are you Aira, what are you? Don't tell me you didn't have a choice. My mom was lying unconscious on the floor. I don't know what f*****g blue thing affected her. And my mom is safe just because I am freaking bleeding. Don't tell me you didn't have a choice because I can clearly see that all this is happening cause of that god damn necklace which you gave me. Why would you do such a thing? ...wait... you wanted to kill me. But my innocent mom came in between so you had to pretend to save her. What harm have I done to you Aira? What...

"Radhika stop. I think someone is coming. Go hide these clothes. No one can see it especially your mom." She said hurriedly getting up cutting me in between. I heard it too, footsteps. I threw the clothes below the bed and released a sigh of relief when my dad opened the door.