by Namita Singh
sounded grim enough, immediately making me fire ten more questions at him. He managed to divulge that Gwen aunt will be traversing the length of the forest with Rome. Both being siblings, Aunt Gwen is used to with Rome’s harsh animalistic nature and will be able to ‘handle’ it. Handle it how, I have no idea. The idea sounded bizarre as it is. I can’t even imagine someone pulling off being around Rome. But then I have always had hints that Uncle Terry had met Aunt Gwen in the wilderness where the latter had been roving about with her brother, Rome. I suppose she knows what she is dealing with. She will be reaching Krasnoyarsk in another two days’ time. What is she going to do with Rome, I don’t want to think about it.
So, I don’t.
I turn and shake Neal’s shoulder when our arrival is announced again. Groggily, he gets up, looking disoriented. Soon we are off, collecting our luggage and checking out of the airport at Novosibirsk,all of us not uttering a word. We have to catch a train from here to Krasnoyarsk. I can already sense the train journey not being very pleasant. Father and Uncle Terry lead our cult in search of a taxi when we step outside, each one of us strolls the luggage container piled with our duffel bags and suitcases. I watch as Neal awkwardly looks away from a still silently weeping Silvia.
Oh, well.
Once we haul ourselves in the taxis, it takes eons to reach the railway station. Another round of awkwardness commences when we all gather around at the station and wait for father to get our tickets. However, the train ride is not that awkward. Most of us are tired so we end up taking short naps. The only burden is the excess amount of luggage we are carrying around. Fifteen hours pass by surprisingly in a jiffy owing to my sleep. When we step onto the platform of the Trans-Siberian railway station at Krasnoyarsk, I am awed by the hefty movements of numerous people around. Liepāja is not a crowded city, so even this much of population at the station takes me by surprise. More surprising is when I sense therian auras around in the crowd. I am immediately on high alert but the rest are at ease. Father informs me that therians are not a rarity here. The railway station is at the heart of the city and the city is one of the headquarters of one of the therian Realms. Outside, I see people in numerous forms of winter wear. It’s weird how some of the people are already adorning winter clothes. The weather has the same coolness as I am accustomed to in Liepāja. Hence, my simple full sleeves t-shirt feels sufficient. People are moving about and not at all glancing at us. Not even the therians give us the light of the day, though I expect some reaction in response to Neal’s aura at least.
Father informs that he will look for a taxi so they can reside in a hotel in the outskirts of Krasnoyarsk. He doesn’t want undue attention towards Neal till he has talked with the people of his Realm. Silvia starts sniffing quietly again.
“Alright,” Father says as he comes back to our whole group which was standing in an uneasy silence, with only Silvia’s sniffs echoing around us. We must be quite a site, I muse.
“We are going to get a room in some hotel in the outskirts first. Therians are generally not around in the outskirts and we anyways need to keep a low status till we talk to the head council.” Father says, “So, we’ll get a room and then Terry and I will go to the head council residence.”
“We’ll come with you.” David says, for himself and Jennifer.
Father sighs, “It’s better if just Terry and I-”
“We’ll come with you, Nik.” Jennifer says, leaving no room for argument.
“I believe it is better if none of the protector’s family is exposed till we acquire some positive response.” Father reasons.
Jennifer sighs, looking at David. David nods, “Alright, Jennifer can stay. But I’ll come.”
Father sighs in defeat, “Alright. Let’s go.”
By the time we reach the hotel, darkness climbs up. We take up rooms in duality. No room is reserved for Father, Uncle Terry and David.They plan to leave for the head council as soon as they can and will probably stay the night at the concentrated colonies of the realm, irrespective of the response of the head council. So, I am left to share the room with Aakir. Mother and Aunt Rufina coddle a distressed Silvia and make her stay in the room with them. Jennifer requests Neal to share the room with her, for which Neal looks extremely reluctant. But he gives in nonetheless, probably sensing that his aunt wants to talk in private with him. Faith and Rahul are off to their room instantly after the departure of father, Uncle Terry and David.
I flop down on the queen sized bed, letting the exhaustion catch up to me. Again, it’s not so much the physical exhaustion as it is the mental exhaustion. Aakir sitting at the corner of his own queen sized bed is the last thing I remember before I succumb to sleep.
When I open my eyes, it is to Aakir gently shaking me awake.
“Hmm?” I say, rubbing my eyes and forcing myself to sit up.
“You should eat. Order whatever you want on speed dial nine,” he motions at the hotel telephone on the tabouret, “They’ll send it up.”
“You ate?” I ask groggily.
“Yeah.” Aakir replies, “I am going to go and check on Silvia.”
I flick my wrist to check the time, feeling surprised at realizing that I have slept for more than three hours. It’s ten thirty at night.
“You’re gonna check on her now?” I say, “Wouldn’t she be planning to sleep or something?” I yawn.
“No.” Aakir says, getting up. “I have been checking on her room at every half hour. She has been sleeping much like you since our arrival.”
“Well…she is bound to be exhausted.” Because of crying so vehemently. I don’t add the last part, finding it an unnecessary punch at Aakir.
Aakir sighs, shuddering, “Yeah.” He whispers, probably grasping my unspoken words.
A knock on our door snaps us out of our conversation. I sense Neal’s unique aura reverberating just outside the door and I hastily get up, running my hair through my bed hair, hoping to tame it down a little.
I curse at my involuntary antics, while Aakir, oblivious, walks to the door and opens it. Neal is standing, frowning, his hands shoved in the pockets of his baggy jeans, his voluminous t-shirt incompletely and haphazardly tucked inside his pockets along with his hands.
“…Hey.” He says uncertainly, glancing from Aakir to me.
“Hey, what’s up?” Aakir says.
I roll my eyes at the both of them, “Oh, hey, everything’s dandy,” I say, my voice high on sarcasm, “Funny seeing you after such a long time.”
Aakir sighs, while Neal rolls his eyes back at me.
“May I talk with you?” Neal says, his uncertainty back as he watches me apprehensively, pointedly choosing to not look at Aakir.
Aakir coughs awkwardly, “I am actually going. Have to check on Silvia.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Neal scoffs, “Even if you were staying back, I’d just ask Lichinsky to move outside.”
Whoa, aren’t we a blunt bunch? I sardonically chuckle, rubbing the sleep away from my eyes.
“Gee, thanks.” Aakir mutters, giving me one weird look and moving past Neal towards the outside.
Awkwardness creeps up as soon as Aakir disappears. Neal clears his throat, stepping inside and nonchalantly shutting the door.
“Eh, have you eaten?” I ask, in hopes of lessening the discomfiture. I turn to pick up the menu lying beside the bed.
“Yup.” Neal responds, walking to Aakir’s bed and siting on the edge. “You haven’t?”
“Nah, I just got up.” I tell him, rubbing my eyes again and checking out the à la carte. “I didn’t even freshen up. Just slept as soon as I hit the sack.”
Neal simply hums.
I pointedly keep looking at the menu. I don’t even know how come suddenly I am feeling so awkward with Neal around. Okay, I surely disclosed things, some potentially embarrassing things, but come on. He is my partner. Probably the last person I should be at ill ease with. That last particular thought in turns manages to make me feel even more awkward. Even the calmness hi
s aura is offering is not managing to tame my anxious thoughts. Which is completely weird, by the way.
“Uh, you wanted to talk about something?” I say, nonchalantly looking up from the menu at Neal.
He has been silently and expressionlessly appraising me. At my question, he simply raises his eyebrows.
“Oh.” He says, “Yeah, actually, yes.”
I silently urge him to go on.
He rubs the back of his neck, taking off his loafers and sitting cross legged on the edge of Aakir’s bed.
“Can people hear us?” he asks.
I sense for any aura outside our room but find none. “Nope. No one’s outside.”
Neal hesitates, “What about everyone in other rooms? Can they hear us?”
“I don’t think so.” I frown, “Therian hearing doesn’t go beyond twenty-thirty steps, at most. Besides, there are solid concrete walls between rooms.”
“Okay,” Neal says in a lower voice anyway, “I have been talking to Jen aunt…” he says.
“Hmm, yeah?” I say, the menu completely forgotten by now.
“I think…I think she is planning to run away.” He says, his voice barely above a whisper.
“…O-okay.” I stutter at the unforeseen revelation.
“With me.” Neal adds.
My eyebrows shoot up towards my hairline, “What the fuck?” Neal hisses, motioning for me to lower my voice. I roll my eyes, “What did she say?” I ask him.
“She didn’t exactly say it…but the way she was talking, I just got a hunch.” Neal