It was the third time I had fainted today and, I would be opening my eyes in a strange place, I would have to face that terrible betrayer Raj. I had trusted him more than I had trusted myself, and when I run towards him for help, he stabs me in the back. How did he know about Tanya? I never killed Aanya, I just pushed her, and she couldn't possibly be dead.

Why is my life being so hard on me? Can't a girl live in peace?

Apart from a glass of orange juice and a drugged mango drink that tasted better than the orange juice, I hadn't consumed anything at all since morning, my stomach was grumbling with weird noises. Even if these guys failed to kill me, if I keep running away like this without food and water, I would definitely die of hunger.

Nothing makes sense to me. Why would Raj drug me? What have I ever done to him, didn't I love him enough? Why do people find it so hard to trust anything at all I say?

I could feel someone slapping hard on my cheeks, and I opened my eyes.

On seeing the gloomy faces staring back at me, I regretted opening them, what have I pulled myself into.

Next to Raj stood Mr Roland Hedge and Mrs Peyton Hedge, My 'guardians' who are mortal versions of Ouranos and Gaia. I have always seen them screeching and shouting at me, even if I avoided them, they would purposely nag me.

Peyton had sharp features in contrary to Roland, who lacked everything. But, Roland was full of brains; Joy had inherited both looks from his mom
and the genes for smartest from his dad.

With her high neck ocean blue, full-sleeved crop top and boot cut jeans, people would mistake her for a runway model.

"How are you?" her voice as cold as her heart boomed throughout the room.

I got up from my sleeping position and sat up straight. A white mattress covered my lower half.

"Why do you care?" I shouted back at her.

"He is on his way, everything will be over soon."

I knew it; the guy they had appointed to kill me is on his way. That means Raj also wants me dead. He knew about the plan all along and was killing time for all of them to arrive here. It was a trap to kill me. Once I'm dead, everything will be fine.

"You killed Joy, and you're blaming it on me, you are all evil." I tossed the bed sheet right onto her face.

"What makes you think so?" Raj bellowed, and I was shattered to pieces like broken glass. He had never raised his voice at me.

"I just don't think, I know the truth." I sighed. "Don't believe them, Raj; you don't know their worst intentions.

They were envious that Joy had documented everything that he owned, to rightfully belong to me after his death. Neither of them could bear the fact that they had no share on it. They hated me right from the start. So once Joy announced them about his will they planned on killing us."

Raj remained speechless, but Peyton blew a question my way.

"We could have killed you easily. Why kill Joy unnecessarily and blame it on you?"

"Joy would have put you people behind bars if he finds out you killed me. Later donate everything he owned to charity."

"What the..." Raj interrupted, but Ronald for the first time that day signalled him to stay put and said.

"You continue."

"That's why you killed him first now you are after me. Once I'm dead, you would get everything he owned. All of his businesses, his property and the wealth he owned. Your Hedge Apartments was enduring a major drawback; to compensate for your losses you killed him."

Ronald poured himself a glass of water and handed one to Peyton. Her black lipstick left a stain on the glassware. Ronald bit his lower lip, took in another sip of water and said.

"Fine... But, who killed Tanya? Aanya? Why is your beloved Raj on our side?"

"The masked men you sent to my room to kill me must have mistaken Tanya for me. She's gone. Aanya isn't dead! Just unconscious and Raj... I'm sure even he wants money more than love."

"There is no such thing as true love, I realised it the hard way." I remarked.

Raj couldn't meet my eyes, he looked fixedly at the floor, and perhaps the floor was fancier than me.

No one spoke; they were examining me like I was an autopsied corpse.

"Can I have three glasses of water?" I said. Ronald's eyebrow raised in question. "Three?"

"I haven't eaten anything since morning, apart from the drugged juice this trickster gave me, my stomach is cheesed-off."

"Get her something to eat, Raj." Peyton instructed. She opened her Louis Vuitton clutch and handed over a few hundred rupees, but he shook his hand and neglected to take it from her.

"A plate of Biryani would do." I smirked.

Raj went out of the room to make an order. I asked Roland to bolt the windows as the breeze was directly hitting on my skin, I felt icy-cold.

"What's the time, Peyton?" I never called her mom or anything close to it. It was either her name or nothing. She accepted it as well; even at social gatherings we shared an uncomfortable vibe.

"It's 4.54."

"Wow, I have been out for a very long time." Raj brought in hot streaming Biryani in a plate along with a glass of water in a copper stained tumbler.

I grabbed the plate from his hands and started to devour it with both my hands, there wasn't a need for me to act graceful or sophisticated while eating, I was going to die. I might as well eat to my heart's content. The way I stuffed it into my mouth was similar to vultures tearing the meat of dead animals.

All of them sat at the edge of the bed, facing their back towards me.

I completed gobbling the last grain of rice on the plate, it wasn't even the tastiest biryani I had ever had. Yet, the hunger made it worth reaching my tummy.

I drank up the glass of water; the three were still busy in communicating with one another. It was perfect for executing my plan.

I threw the tumbler right onto Raj's head; his hands immediately went up to the back of his head as he bent down to his knees.

I crawled over the white spread mattress and broke the ceramic plate right on top of Peyton's head. She yelped, startled and tried to get hold of my wrists. I pulled out the shawl covered around her head and tied it around Roland's neck who was too flabbergasted to react and had been watching the visuals take place.

I tightened the shawl around his neck, his colour drained; he stopped choking, losing conscious. In breakneck speed, I zoomed out of the room while the other two were trying to regain their balance.

I locked the door from behind and fleeted into the kitchen and searched for some spices. A bottle of pepper and chilly was present on the shelf. I grappled a knife and pushed it inside my belt. I placed both the boxes at the entrance of the bedroom door and searched for a leaf blower and found it inside the storeroom.

With all my props ready to execute my strategy, I tied a checked red and white handkerchief over my nose and mouth, and slightly opened the lid from the pepper and chilly boxes and turned on the blower.

The gust of air, from the blower, carried the scent of spices into the bottom entrance of the door. Some lingered around the living area. The contents in the boxes started to reduce. I could hear them coughing, wheezing, they were fighting for breath.

Raj pleaded me to open up the door; he should know that would never work. I could only hear rasping sounds. I found it peculiar that they weren't dodging curse words at me.

The contents in the boxes emptied and I turned off the blower. I could hear high pitched screams, it sounded too gross to even listen to it.

Their cries and pleas sounded like praises and round of applause to my ears. They banged onto the doors; I was worried the door might break. But, gradually they stopped.

I removed the napkin from my face and placed it aside. Everyone, on the other side, grew quiet. I could vividly hear the chirping of birds from a distant. The noise of electric mixer from the neighbourhood, she must be preparing very spicy chilly chutney. The spicy aroma jiggled around my nostrils.

But, inside the room, there was dead silence.

No one can stop me now, I don't have to run away or hide somewhere. They would probably die inside due to asphyxia.

I had the cash I withdrew and, I would elope to someplace far far away. I hung my handbag to my shoulder and whisked away from the house.

I was alleviated, the feeling was ecstatic, something close to completing all my semester exams, I don't have to worry about a thing right now. I can happily go back home and just sleep.

No one would chase me hereafter there wasn't a thing to bother about, But, being here would land me into trouble, where shall I go? I know Bethany. I could book my tickets and head off to her place. She would take me in she knows me longer than anyone and would definitely believe me.

All in a sudden, a girl with coolers on and a black helmet covering her head, seated on white Ducati multistrada, stopped right in front of me. I couldn't quite place my finger on who she was, but I knew she looked familiar. A face I knew too well.

She removed her helmet straps placed it on her seat and took off her sky blue coolers.

"Susan?" I was nonplussed.