The moment Khushi regained back her senses it was still all dark around her. Pitch black dark. She couldn't see anything. But she could hear things around her. Even distant things. The chirping of different birds, she didn't know how she realized they were different birds. How could she differentiate between different birds chirping? Shouldn't it all sound singular like a single symphony to her? How could she tell the bird apart by its sound? How could she feel a butterfly fluttering over her? How could she feel the ever minute vibrations and eruptions in the air?

It didn't make any sense to her. Has she finally lost her remaining sanity? She didn't know. She just knew that she hadn't felt this serene since she was five-years-old.

Where was she? Why it felt so serene in such darkness? And why does her head hurt so much?

It felt like something was being suppressed in the depths of her brain. Something very important. Something she needed to chase through the dark abyss.

And so she did.

Without any other thought or concern, she chased after something unknown in the dark.

Forsaking her fears and worries, she ran, jogged, and sometimes walked along with the darkness, running her fingers through the swirls of colorful mists appearing out of nowhere in her path.

The red, the blue, the orange, the green, the rustic, the woody, the violent. There seemed to be a symphony of colors in her mind. A carnival of colors and she couldn't help but be strongly drawn towards the stormy whirlpool swirl in her mind.

The swirl with cracking thunder, pure white and purplish blinding flashes of lightning. The swirl smelling like a hurricane and tasting like blood.  The swirl that seemed to define her and so, she let the most cover her whole. Let the black be replaced by the colors of the storm and thunderstorm, grey, brownish grey, bluish grey, dark purple almost black.

The colors were swirling around her frantically creating and uplifting her in a typhoon of dark hues and winds. The winds howled a dangerous melody, the thunder cackled a terrifying tune and the electric discharged around her changed from red to cyan to blue to purple to yellow to vivid green and then all-consuming white.

The white thoroughly replaced the black serenity around her and filled her with chaos. The incidences of past flashed in front of her eyes with the hues of lightening. Her mother, her childhood, her school life, her adulthood, her first meet with Aryaman, and then the last few days flashed with flashes of red in her mind.
Her screams, her begging, her pain, and the kindness of darkness as it consumed her and took her away from a world of pain and suffering.

And all she can feel now was the rage of red. Falling on her foes like a brilliantly white supercharged lightning and destroy them in one quick yet painful move. She could feel it. She could do it.

And then the anger discharged and despair loaded. The shades of grey and icy blue griping her filling her with cold and gloom. She stood at the center of a hurricane now, watching the destruction, watching death, and feeling the after-effects.

Was it necessary? Her soul screamed and she was again in the pitch black serenity with a hurricane trapped inside her, crashing violently against her skin and making a ruckus so loud that it tuned out everything. Everything but the song of two different birds mixed together creating a strange harmony and drowning out everything.

She couldn't hear anything but the sound of the birds and hurricane mixing with each other and becoming one. Hurricane, birds, and blood. She could feel it. Smell it. Tell it apart.

And suddenly it all stopped. She was definitely trapped in hell and slowly going mad. She decided firmly. Nothing else explained this strange phenomenon. She is dead and going mad. She decided sullenly as the chaos of symphony surrounding her merged into stillness. Silence.

She could feel her eyes flutter and the energy flowing through her veins. The rustle of leaves outside, whistling winds, and the chants of the birds. And disturbing this sweet harmony was loud heavy footsteps and not so whispered conversations.

"It's been more than three weeks bhai, "

"I know, "

"Her injuries healed. Why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know...I have a theory, "

"Bhai... it's impossible, "

"It doesn't seem so, Nav"

"She's awake, "

The ominous words in an unfamiliar tone sent jolts of fear through her. They knew she was awake but how? She didn't even open her eyes. How did they know? And more importantly who were they? Is she still with Shyam and co?

No, it can't be possible.

She won't let them harm her more.

She'll kill them all. Yes, she'll like the red of thunderstorm. She'll rain red. She won't let them. She won't. She thought frantically opening her eyes. There was no sense in being motionless when they knew she was awake.

But how? She thought, taking in the room around her. It was a large hospital looking room with various machines attached to her body. She was in a hospital or clinic. She deduced watching two totally strange men standing in front of her looking at her with a fearful gaze.

"Mam please relax. We won't harm you. I'm doctor Siddhant and I found you in the jungle, Mam, please calm down"

The tall one with a warrior-like presence asked her to calm down eyeing the machine attached to her warily. But his presence didn't make her feel calm. His soldier-like appearance with perfectly cut hair ripped muscles, and boots were making her uneasy.

He seemed too strong, too powerful, too like them. He could snap her, break her in minutes and there were two of them. What if these people in front of her were just like them? What if they wanted the same from her?

The thought was terrifying and she dwindled more into herself. Her eyes darting madly around the room trying to search an escape. She can't be here. She won't let anyone else take advantage of her. She won't.

"Khushi, Calm down, please" the one who introduced himself as the doctor begged her again eyeing something outside the window and the machine attached to her very uneasily. 

How did this man know her name? Who are they really? Are they Dadi's men? Something wasn't right. Everything felt fishy and she couldn't be here. They were going to hurt her more. They...they were going to torture her more.

She couldn't be here, Khushi decided. As she tore apart all the wires attached to her and jumped out of the bed and towards the window. She needed to get away from this place. She needed to run away. She will run away. She won't let them use her.

She thought as she made the dash for the window but she didn't count on her body to give up on her or her hospital room to be on the third floor. Her body swayed dangerously and she felt herself fall out of the window.

"Well, death is better than what they had planned for me, " she thought almost calmly letting go of everything when she felt herself being pulled back and crashing into a warm and strong chest.

"No, let me go"

"No, no, no, I won't surrender, lemme go, " she screamed hitting the man holding her with all her might as panic swirled inside her dangerously. It felt just like the hurricane swirling under her skin in the dream.

"Khushi, relax, you'll hurt yourself, Khushi, "

The stranger man yelled at her to calm down again and again. But she couldn't, no, she couldn't. Not at all, when he was caging her in his arms like this. No, she won't surrender to them. She won't. So she fought tooth and nail to escape this deadly cage. Fought for her freedom screaming and hitting the man to let her go.

"Nav, go call Riya down, "  the man holding her down ordered the other men.

Who's Riya? What will she do to her? Why are they calling her? Khushi thought almost frightfully as she tried to escape the man caging her with renowned vigor. No, she won't fall in their trap. No, she won't. She'll escape. She'll live and die on her own accord. She won't let anyone control her. She won't. She thought unflattering by her constant defeat in the hands of one Dadi and now her men.

She sank her teeth on his arm holding her down. Biting the flesh with all her might. He had to leave her now. He had too. She thought vindictively but the man held onto her, not leaving her at all. Her plan can't fail like this.

"What's going on here?" A very familiar voice demanded gasping at the scene going on in the room.

"Khushi stop biting Siddhant, " the same voice ordered her so authoritatively that she couldn't help but let go, feeling the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

Feeling so proud of drawing blood of her enemies. She wouldn't go down easily. No, she won't. Looking all smug at her small victory of inflicting the bleeding wound on her wrongdoer's arm. She looked up and gasped.

The new female wasn't Sheetal or Dadi.

"Lavanya, " she gasped stupefied.

"Yes and Khushi, I'll really appreciate it if you don't mortally wound my brother-in-law's. They're saying the truth, they saved you, " Lavanya spoke strangely detached and Khushi didn't like that at all.

Lavanya was her friend.

She shouldn't sound so detached while talking to her.

And what brother-in-law? When did Lavanya get married? Why weren't they informed? What happened to her? Where is she? Is what Lavanya saying the truth? Did these men really save her?

But...but Lavanya shot her. Lavanya shot her. She remembered now that girl in the distance was Lavanya. The girl with the police or running away from the police. She didn't know but Lavanya shot her.

"You shot me, " Khushi didn't mean to sound so accusing but it came out so.

"What?"

The confusion was genuine. She could feel it. So, Lav didn't mean it. Lav wasn't one of them. This was safe.

"You shot me, "

This time Khushi informed her. It was a statement as she looked at the men around her. They...she, she hurt them.

"Sorry, "

She mumbled as darkness consumed her again before falling in the lands of serenity. She heard the panic yells of her name and arms holding her before she could hit the floor. Sorry, she mumbled again letting go.

~to be continued~

So, Khushi is awake and had already injured her healer. Poor Siddhant.

So, excited for the next updates.

And keep guessing guys.

Khushi doesn't know Arnav. What was the reason then?

Will meet you again with the next update till then stay safe and happy.