Rehearsal Hall, Mount College
Later , in the morning , at the rehearsal hall, students tumble in for the dance practice for the annual fest after the first lecture. Mac and Zizo are selecting the music CDs to be used for the day near the music system. Zeenia is putting up her make up and Tracker is helping her against her wishes in selecting the right shade for her lips. Sambhav, T, Piya and Kabir are nowhere t o be seen. Natasha is busy munching on wafers, sitting on a bench , lazily and rounding up the rehearsal hall with her sharp cat eyes. And amidst all the hustle-bustle, Abhay and Misha are standing in a corner and seem deeply immersed in their conversation. Misha is slurping at a CCD coffee in depression while Abhay is listening to her deeply.
Abhay ( having heard her)- Hmm. Mishkoo, he is not going to let go of you just because you have Huraan protecting you from his wrath. If magic doesn't work, he will get down to using his twisted genius brain and I can see he is already doing it. Telling you that Pancchi has been compelled by Daksh – the chieftan of vampire slayers – this sudden forced trip of both you and Pancchi to Mussorrie – getting friendly with your Dad……it is strange. I know he is weaving this web for me, but I am just trying to figure out who all he wants to sacrifice and use.
Misha ( in tears )- I feel like my brains have blown up and fallen in a 100 different directions, Abhay. Keeping Abheer at bay , handling Piya, Sambhav's labyrinth , getting to the root of Pancchi's association with Daksh and of course Abheer's lurking danger on you! ….
Abhay ( struck )- Handling Piya? Keeping Abheer at bay? As in?
Misha ( not abusing herself for her verbal folly as Abhay may read her mind )- Umm.. I meant , taking care of Piya, you know. She is all alone in this world and you know her relations are not good with Maithli ….so that….
Abhay ( looking at her suspiciously )- Oh, that way. And Abheer? Why would you want to or even need to keep Abheer at bay , kidzie?
Misha ( looking here and there )- I-I mean ….
Abhay ( keeping his hands on her shoulders to steady her )- You are attracted to him, right? ….No! Damn you! HELL NO!... (Natasha notices that and Abhay turns his back towards her )…..Look at me.
Misha ( turning a beetroot red )- No….
Abhay (shaking his head as though he is in shock reading her eyes)- Yes! Shit! How can you, Misha?... How…. ( shuts his eyes and jerks his head )…..why am I even asking this question! Its Abheer! Misha ….(holding her hands protectively )…..no, you can't let this happen.
Misha ( feeling her heart pound )- No, Abhay. Th-That is not possible, right? Abheer cannot control me. What the hell is T's blood for , then?
Abhay ( hisses angrily )- T's blood can protect you against magic, you little fool. It cannot set gears for your feelings!...Hell yeah, you are attracted to Abheer. What's wrong with you? Weren't you supposed to be in love with Sam? ….Abheer? Of all the people and animals in the world, Abheer? Knowing who he is and what he is? You….
Abhay is not able to finish the scolding as at that moment, T, Piya and Kabir walk in. Kabir looks at Abhay and Misha and nods at them. Kabir points to his wrist watch makes a 1 hour sign to Misha and she gets the message. Kabir and Misha were going to talk to Pancchi. Abhay , still shocked and shaken by what he has felt in Misha , leaves her arm. He glares at her and Misha makes a confused baby face at him. Oh, Abhay. Don't hate me. You are my BFF, you've always got my back. Help me get out of this mess. Don't judge me. Please.
Piya looks at Abhay and smiles hesitantly and Abhay , switching his mood off Misha's shocking new feelings , gives Piya a big brilliant smile as though everything is so fabulous that he could do an Elvis Presley right now. T comes to Misha and hugs her, taking a good look at her.
T (genuinely )- I hope the Huraan is working, Misha.
Misha ( looking at Abhay like a cat caught with the cream)- Y-Yes. Its .. its working just fine. Abheer felt its effect and that means he is off my back….(coughs and changes the subject )….Ummm, you alone? Where is your partner , Sammy?
T ( tying her hair into a ponytail )- He is not coming today, Mish. He said he had to go with Abhay's parents somewhere!...( winks at Abhay)…. What, Abhay? Vampires are adopting werewolves now?
Abhay ( grins )- No, we are adopting Bolshvas as well.
T ( rolls her eyes )- Czens are nice goody vamps. Don't be such a meanie.
Kabir ( laughs )- Abhay is a goody vamp . Now, what can he do if he has cement instead of skin?
Abhay is forced to laugh amongst all the drama going on inside him. Just then, Mac and Zizo clap and tell all students to gather. Zeenia , who is done admiring herself in the mirror , turns around and comes running. She comes and stands next to Kabir , fluttering her eyelashes at him. Looking at Kabir's confused 'what the hell' expression, Piya nudges Zeenia and glares at her and she gives her an 'oops, I forgot am Anushka' expression. Then, she makes a 'who the hell are you' face at Kabir and stands a few inches away from her. Piya looks at Abhay but he is busy on his Blackberry sending BBMs and he is not even looking at her. Misha looks very troubled and T even raises her eyebrows at her to ask her what is wrong but Misha doesn't say anything and just smiles it off. Angad and Tracker have taken their dance position already. Natasha's eyes are on T's wrist. Damn! That is Sam's watch. He had it in 1950! I remember. What is it doing on T's wrist? What is this hybrid chick upto?
Mac ( not even daring to look at Piya )- Okay, people. This is the fifth day of the rehearsals and we haven't yet zeroed upon our lead dancers … I mean, the lead couple. We are going to make the steps tougher now as we move to the next level , okay? But first , we rehearse what you've learnt till now and…. (looks at T)….Tanzie, where's Sam?
T( shrugs her shoulders )- He is not coming in today. He had to make an urgent trip.
Zizo – Oh. Never mind. You can practice with Sam today.
T – Cool.
Mac ( beaming that the beauty will be in his arms )- Good. Okay now…
Abhay ( interrupting sharply )- Hang on. I need an adjustment.
Mac ( makes a face )- You can be such a trouble child, Abhay Raichand . What now?
Abhay ( keeping his phone on a bench with others)- I want to change my partner.
Everyone looks at him, stunned as he casually looks at them , his hands in the pockets of his track pants and business written in his ice-blues. Piya looks at him in shock and hurt as she feels a pang of rejection by him all over again.
Kabir ( instantly )- You want to leave Piya?
Abhay ( grins)- Leave Piya? She is just my dance partner and I want a change.
Piya is still gaping at him with her big baby browns and Misha knows she is in no position to give glares to Abhay , so she quietly holds Piya's hand which has gone stone cold. Zeenia's bubble gum's bubble has burst and stuck on her nose due to shock. Mac and Zizo can't believe Abhay said what he just said.
Mac ( blinking his eyes like a round-eyed doll)- You mean, you are going to let another man dance with Piya?
Abhay ( rolls his eyes )- What language do you understand, trainer?
Zizo ( mumbling to herself )- He is a new man everyday. He needs to get himself checked for a multiple personality disorder.
Abhay ( reading her thoughts and glaring at her )- Fracture….
Zizo ( horrified )- What?
Abhay( suddenly smiling )- I mean , my handling and moves are very sharp and swift. Piya is …. ( looks at her side ways)… well, TOO DELICATE and TOO FRAGILE. I really don't want to hurt her…..(points to Kabir )….Kabir is gentle. And she has a 'better' tuning with him. Right, Piya?
Kabir can read the daggers in Abhay's sweet words and he is trying to understand this change of behavior in Abhay. There is something running in his head for sure. Until yesterday, he was ready to cut the hand that would even brush against Piya inspite of him dating Maithli. And now? He is pushing Piya into my arms? ME?
Piya ( looking at Abhay with such hurt and shocked eyes that Abhay has to clench his fists in his pockets to not let his face show any signs of melting )- Right…. I am better off dancing with Kabir. Your body is… ( gulps)…. You are too harsh.
Mac ( trying to handle the awkwardness of the situation )- Umm, err…uh,okay. Piya can go to Kabir and ….
Abhay ( pulling T to his side)- T can come with me and Anushka can go to Sambhav. All sorted. Right, T?
T ( surprised)- S-Sure, Abhay. No problem.
Tracker ( pouting )- All couples are playing musical chairs. Humph. Angad, only our love is true! Washed and purified in dettol.
Angad ( patting her head)- Yes, baby. We are dettol lovers.
Zeenia ( grins)- Oopsie- Doopsie. Thanks for telling us. I thought you both were washed in Harpic . Hehe.
Kabir ( whispers to a tearful Piya who is looking at the floor , standing next to him )- Is it just me or is everyone around me going crazy? Especially this brother-sister duo. First Anush gave Abhay a multiple personality disorder and now, she herself seems to suffer from one. I mean, the Anushka I knew would brush her teeth even if she was to mouth the word 'harpic'.
Piya ( turning to him and taking her position to dance )- Can we not talk about Abhay? Please….
Kabir ( pressing her hand)- Its not his fault , Piya… ( she looks up at him)…. He doesn't know what has been done to him.
The music rises and as Mac's instructions echo on the mic, Kabir gently prempts her moves and she moves like a dancing doll in his arms. But her eyes are on Abhay , not leaving his face even once . Abhay , on the other hand, is swirling and twirling T smoothly in his arms – talking to her coolly and not even once looking at Piya. T's eyes are on Piya, reading the hurt and sadness on her face. T's own face falls as she puts up a fake smile to Abhay.
Misha is sitting on a bench, her head in her hands and Abhay's words hammering in her mind. She had shut her eyes in that direction but Abhay had jerked her and pushed her to the ground of truth. Abheer! Yes, she was attracted to him – slowly and creepily , he was easing out Sam from her mind and she could feel her veins freeze in the realization of this horror. Toying with the crystal vial of Huraan dangling from her wrist, Misha seemed to ask it that why didn't it have the power to change real feelings! Feelings for Abheer? How was it possible? As Abhay had hissed at her , wasn't she supposed to be in love with Sam? Oh hell!
Bloodstone Dungeon.
Chaand , Haseena and Sambhav are standing in the center of the Bloodstone Dungeon. The tall high-ceiling stone structure is lit with fire lamps . Behind Chaand and Haseena , there are scores of hooded men and women sitting – dressed like druids , not revealing their faces. Sambhav is feeling rather uncomfortable in this scary , dimly lit high ceiling powerseat of the Czen vampires. What was his business here , anyway? Why had he been called here? To a vampire meeting? A werewolf? He looked at Chaand and Hasena who were looking at the huge stone door in front of them, waiting for it to open any moment now.
Sambhav ( to himself )- I should go down in history for attending secret meetings of vampires who are supposed to be our greatest enemies…. Darn! Why have I been called here anyway?
Just then, the stone door moves and three tall men , in robes and hoods enter. Except Sam, everyone stands up and bows to them. The three men take their chairs on the dais and signal everyone to sit. Chaand and Haseena keep standing.
Master 1 ( in an authoritative voice )- Chaand, you understand why you and Haseena have been called here , right?
Chaand ( nods )- Its many things coming together , Master. I understand. Abhay's nearing birthday – the day of the solar eclipse . Abheer's return. Basically, it's a royal mess. We are nearing the much feared supernatural explosion.
Master 2 – Abheer's return is the last straw to the mess that we are in, already. More than anyone else, we fear his presence on Abhay's 666th birthday. If Abhay finds the ring before the solar eclipse , then , we will have to leave everything to fate.
Haseena ( lowering her head )- Excuse my interruption, master. But how can Abhay not find the ring? Its in the prophecy that if he doesn't , the ring will seek him out , even if its five seconds before his hour of birth. All we can do is maneuver Abhay if and when he gets the ring.
Master 3 – Still, we can try to revoke the prophecy, Haseena. Isn't it being revoked already? Anushka, who has the ring and is guarding it is burning in sulphurous flames in the underworld. Zeenia doesn't know anything about it. But Maithli , rest of the Bolshvas and maybe even werewolves can push Abhay towards the ring. If Abhay gets even an idea about the existence of the ring , the powers of the ring will connect to him and attract him like a magnet.
Chaand – You mean , we need to find the ring?
Master 1 – Yes, find it. I don't know how. Connect to Anushka , bring her back, push Zeenia to use Anushka's memory – but get the ring under your control. Abheer's games have already begun. He is infiltrating Abhay's circle and he will make Abhay leave everyone – one by one.
Sambhav ( puzzled )- But why will Abhay ever believe Abheer? Abhay knows that his brother is the king of evil .
Master 1 – Abhay , where he stands today , doubts even his own shadow. This memory erosion is the worst thing that anyone could do to Abhay. For what? To save a human-being's life? Abhay is no longer in sync with himself and for Abheer, nothing is more ideal than a 'vulnerable Abhay'. Anushka will be tried for this crime once she is back.
Sambhav( irritated )- What? You are going to punish Anushka because she gave in to a Bolshva and a hideous witch's blackmail and saved an innocent life ?
Master 2 – Innocent life? Piya's life at the COST of Abhay? Who is Piya? A mortal who is nothing to us and we don't care whether she lives or dies. Abhay is an emotional fool and as we have realized, everyone around him is no different….. including you.
Sambhav ( angry)- Excuse me?
Master 1 ( raising his voice )- Volume, Sambhav. We may not be your masters but have some respect for discipline and decorum in this high chamber.
Master 2 – You are an Ancient, Sambhav. 500+ years old. Don't behave like a rebellious adolescent – doesn't suit a leader of a 1000 wolves.
Sambhav realizes that he is actually behaving like a hot-headed 19 year old and this behavior is not expected from 'The Sambhav' . He had to keep the reputation and respect of his clan, and that too when he was surrounded by his enemies.
Sambhav( calms down)- Forgive me. Look, I know you will not like my or any werewolf's interference in your matters. But Abhay is my….
Master 1 ( cutting him )- YOUR ENEMY. Your target. Your future victim. That is why you have been summoned here.
Master 2 – To remind you , who you are. To remind you what you were before 'something' happened to you…..
Sambhav ( sensing something is wrong )- Is there something that I should know?
Master 3 – Yes and somebody has come to remind you who you are…..
Just then, the stone door opens again and Sambhav can feel the familiar air. As he sees in shock , his grey eyes indicating the upcoming lash on him, 5 tall, well-built muscular men walk in , glaring at Sambhav as though he is a criminal.
Sambhav ( in respectful horror but horror still )- Pentagon Ancients…….
TO BE CONTINUED…..