At Night.....
After dinner, Advika was sleeping in her room. Moli was sleeping beside her because there were only two rooms in the house—one was for Moli's father, and the other was Moli's. When Advika had arrived, Moli had given her own room to her and started sleeping in the courtyard. But Advika had insisted she sleep inside.
"Hey didi, you used to live in the big city, right? Then why did you come here?" Moli asked curiously.
"Something was lost in this town... I've come to find it," Advika said flatly, without emotion.
"What didi? Was it something valuable?" Moli asked, turning toward her.
"Hmm... very valuable. Now go to sleep, we have to work tomorrow," Advika said, turning on her side and closing her eyes. But behind her closed eyelids, a smiling face appeared, and tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
Moli wanted to say something but seeing her tears, she stayed quiet.
At Thakur Mansion…
When Anay returned home, he saw his friend Shrey smoking a cigarette in navy-blue shirt and jeans.
"What's up, idiot? What brings you here?" Anay teased him.
"Call me idiot one more time... I'll kill you. Damn, no one respects me," Shrey said, glaring.
"What's this? Foreign cigarettes? Give me one too," Anay sprawled out on the sofa.
Shrey tossed him the pack. "It's a cigar... rich people smoke this stuff."
Anay picked one out, placed it between his lips, took a drag and said, "Damn, this has some kick..."
Shrey, also taking a puff, said, "That Nayan is spreading his influence in the market... sending girls to the suppliers to keep them happy. You need to go and properly explain things to him."
"Hmm... This time, we'll explain it... thoroughly," Anay said, taking a deep drag. As he exhaled smoke rings, all he could see were Advika's eyes. He hadn't even seen her full face. There was something about those eyes that had stolen his peace. Anay shook the thought away.
"Why do I keep seeing her face? Am I sick or something? Damn, life is already full of stress... now this new mess."
The next morning, Anay and Shrey went out for a ride. It was their usual routine—whenever Shrey got upset, he would disappear for a while, and once his anger cooled down, he'd return, and the two of them would roam around the entire village on Anay's jeep.
Moli's House....
Advika woke up early and had hung a sack stuffed with husk in the courtyard. Her hands were wrapped in cloth as she punched the sack repeatedly.
Moli came with a pot of water and gasped at the sight. "Oh my god, didi… what is this?"
"Desi fix," Advika said, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Moli quickly shut the door and said, "But what is this? I once saw Bhaiya Anay doing the same…"
Advika's brows furrowed. "You don't know what this is?"
"I'm a simple village girl... how would I know?" Moli laughed.
"It's called a punching bag... We punch it, like this… to release all our anger and frustration," she said, punching it hard again.
"What are you angry about, didi?" Moli asked with a smile.
"You won't understand... forget it," Advika replied and continued punching.
After some time, they finished their chores and headed to work. Rajan and Darshit were nowhere to be seen all day, so the girls breathed a sigh of relief.
Evening – On the Way Home
It got dark by the time they were heading home. Moli was muttering prayers nervously, while Advika walked behind her, holding a cycle loaded with rice crop. Because of the load, Moli couldn't sit on the back.
Just as they were passing the canal, a car screeched to a halt beside them.
Moli stepped back in fear. Out stepped Darshit Thakur with Rajan—both with wicked grins on their faces.
Moli was about to run, but Advika grabbed her hand and started walking straight ahead.
"Hey hey... why the rush? We won't eat you," Darshit said lecherously.
Advika ignored him and kept walking. Moli was on the verge of tears.
Darshit came closer and grabbed Advika's hand, twisting it. "Acting all high and mighty now that we gave her a little attention..." he sneered. Advika tried to pull her hand free, but Darshit cruelly pulled her closer until her back hit his chest. She felt like a thousand leeches were crawling on her spine.
When Darshit placed his hand on her waist, Advika's eyes shut tight and her fists clenched. Then, she opened her eyes—now burning red.
Meanwhile, Rajan was misbehaving with Moli, who was pleading with him.
Advika yanked her hand away and slapped Darshit hard, sending him stumbling several steps back.
A tense silence fell. Rajan gawked at Advika in disbelief.
As Darshit staggered toward her in rage, she kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying again.
Rajan rushed at her next, but she kicked him too—and he went crashing down.
Darshit glared at her and took out his phone, dialing a number. "Come. All of you."
Advika's eyes widened. She glanced at Moli, who stood frozen in fear. Without hesitation, she grabbed Moli's hand and started running.
"Catch the bitch!" Darshit yelled.
Soon, ten to fifteen men appeared behind them, chasing after the girls.
Advika and Moli ran until they reached a storage shed. They slipped inside and hid behind a mound of hay.
Moli sobbed, "Didi…"
"Quiet. Not a single sound. Not one," Advika whispered sharply.
Moli quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
To be continued…...