"Then why this two hundred rupees? They are charging us huge fees anyhow for our joining in the school."

"How he has got this much of properties you are thinking? By collecting money like this." Anupama who was listening all that interfered and said.

"Do you both shall be in the garden coming Sunday for celebrating the picnic?"Jasmine asked.

"In all respects. I never miss such a good opportunity to enjoy myself." Madhuri said.

"It would not be as much exciting as Madhuri said. But tolerable. Anyhow I too shall be there." Anupama said

***

"This garden is as much better as it has been said. It is indeed wonderful! We can enjoy a lot here." Looking around happily Jasmine said.

"You have not seen the big palace yet. If you have seen the palace, you shall become even more amazed." Ragini said. Jasmine, Mounika and Ragini stood under a tree.

"How many times until now you have come into this garden to enjoy picnic?" observing the happiness in Mounika's face, Jasmine asked her.

"Three times. It is equally enjoyable to me in all the three times." She said.

"What about you?" turning her head towards Ragini, Jasmine asked her.

"Three times of course. Every year we both came here together."

As they were talking like that, Ranjan came there.

"Hello Jasmine, it seems you are enjoying here a lot." Ranjan said.

"Of course I am enjoying." Jasmine said. "You are a tenth class student. How do you come to the ninth class students' picnic?"

"Some of our tenth class students were asked to come to help the teachers. So three of us have come. I, Mukund and Pramod."

Then Pramod also came there. Jasmine observed that seeing Pramod there Ragini's face lit up with pleasure.

"Children, enjoy yourselves. Play the games and sports you want. Don't go too far from here." English teacher Manorama said.

There were special arrangements made to play games and sports.

"Alright teacher." All the students said at once.

Along with English teacher Manorama, two other teachers also came there with her

"If any of you want to see the palace here, I am having the keys with me." Mukund said. "This garden, the trees in it and the palace all are ours." He proudly said.

"We three are very much interested in seeing that palace." Jasmine said.

"I too come with you" Pramod said.

"I stay with the other students and teachers. It is very important." Ranjan said.

"Alright. You three come with me. See if any other students also are interested in seeing the palace." Mukund said.

"All are involved in some game or other. We go now and see the palace. If they want they do see it later." Pramod said.

The others with them nodded their heads and they started towards the palace.

"It is indeed a very big palace. Why this much big palace is abandoned like this in this garden?" looking at it surprisingly Jasmine asked.

"In fact this palace was constructed by my grandfather. In those days my grandfather lived in this palace with his family. My father did not like this place much to live. So he has bought a house in the town and we all have shifted into it." Mukund said.

Mukund opened the big lock before and opened the doors wide. They all entered into it.

"There is no electricity in it. We are not using this palace for a long time. So you people may not feel much comfortable here." Mukund said when they all entered into the hall in the palace.

"But this palace is very much interesting. It is quite unfortunate that it has been abandoned like this." looking around and observing everything carefully, Mounika said.

"Yes, you are right." Saying so, Jasmine turned back.

Ragini and Pramod were looking into each other's eyes. There were smiles on their lips.

There were big rooms in that palace. There was some furniture also in some of the rooms. But all the rooms and furniture were dusty. All of them were enjoyed seeing the whole palace for some time.

"Whatever we have seen so far is enough. I am having dust allergy. I cannot stay here for long." Mounika said.

"Okay. We go out from here now itself." Jasmine said.

"But I want to stay in this palace for some more time." Ragini said. "It is very much interesting to me."

"No, Ragini. It is not much safe and healthy to stay here for long. We may better go out now." Mounika said.

"You are having dust allergy so you are talking like that. I have no dust allergy and I can stay here any length of time." Ragini stubbornly said.

"Alright Mounika. Let her see the palace for some more time and then come out. There would be no loss." Jasmine said.

"You people need not feel fear. I shall be with Ragini." Pramod said. "Mukund, if you give the keys to me, I lock the palace once we come out and give the keys back to you."

"Alright." Mukund nodded his head and handed over the keys to Pramod.

Jasmine, Mounika and Mukund came out of the palace.

While walking towards the trees where they were before Mukund said "Thank you very much Jasmine."

"For what?" Jasmine suddenly stopped and asked looking into the eyes of Mukund.

"I have changed my attitude after your saying so. I have scored very good marks in the unit test. My dad....." he stopped and smiled. "Not just stopped beating me but is praising me also." There was happiness in his face then.

Jasmine remembered what her parents said to her. The principal particularly praised her before them. Once again instead of feeling happy she felt awkward.

"Its alright." She said.

As he did not know what to say more, Mukund went away from that place.

When Mukund went away from there, Mounika said to her. "You felt uneasy when he said so to you, are not you?"

"I am still feeling uneasy." Jasmine said. "I don't like boys changing like this only hearing my words."

"Then what do you want really?" Mounika laughed and said. "Anyhow it is not your mistake. Even girls also feel mesmerized before you. You are really pretty and have a persuasive...." Mounika tried to say something more.

Jasmine walked fast away from that place.

"Jasmine please stop." Mounika loudly said. "There is something else I want to talk with you."

There was a change in Mounika's voice and that alerted Jasmine. "What is that?" Jasmine turned back and looked at Mounika.

Mounika came near to Jasmine, paused few seconds and said. "I don't like Ragini spending time like that with Pramod in that palace so."

"Why so?" Jasmine asked her but instantly remembered the conversation between her and Mounika about Ragini and Pramod. "You said that Ragini unnecessarily going to him quite often."

"Yes" Mounika nodded her head.

"I said to you to put her into caution. Did not you say to her not to spend time like that with him?" with a frown on her forehead, Jasmine asked.

"She said they both know each other from their childhood as they both are neighbors also. He is a good friend to her and there is nothing more than that in it."

"It may be just so. Don't worry unnecessarily."

"But it is not appearing like that." Looking helplessly into the face of Jasmine, Mounika said.

"What we can do? We have our limits, are not we?" once again moving fast from her, Jasmine said.

This time she came across Ranjan.

"Jasmine, just a moment."

Jasmine involuntarily stopped. 'My god! These boys are not going to leave me alone.' She irritated in herself.

"What?" she could not contain her irritation.

"I am very sorry."

"For what?" a frown gathered on her forehead.

"For the way I behaved with you. I should not have behaved like that with you. I should not have....." he tried to say more.

"Will you please stop?" Jasmine almost yelled. "Your sister said to me that she has given a warning to you and you promised to her not to behave in such a way with me in future. That is enough. Don't eat my brain away now." As soon as she finished, she moved fast away from there.

"Are we still friends?" he yelled after her.

She did not say anything to that. She did not even turn back. But her irritation mounted to the maximum.

***

"It is going to be very much thrilling." Pramod said looking into the eyes of Ragini. They both were in one of the dusty rooms.

"How can you say it is going to be very much thrilling? Have you any experience in it?" a sort of thrill was sweeping all over Ragini's body.

"No, it is very first time to me also. But it would be very much thrilling I can say." He also was feeling just like current going through his body.

"We both like each other, are not we?" Pramod placed his hands on the shoulders of Ragini and said again.

Ragini felt so much thrilled with his touch. There was a sudden pleasure wave in her body. "Yes, we are." She said with a husky voice and closed her eyes.

"We are lovers, are not we?" Pramod asked again. He squeezed her shoulders with his hands. She winced with uncontrollable pleasure.

"Yes, we are." Her voice was like a whisper. She opened her eyes and looked into his face.

"You do also want to have it a lot, are not you?" looking straight into her eyes, he asked her.

"You need not ask me that." She said.

Then he suddenly hugged her and kissed on her lips.

They both forgot time. She just submitted herself completely to him. There was the thrill they expected in it. They exhausted completely by the time it was over.

But Ragini could not feel the thrill when it was over. Moreover, a sort of guilty feeling strongly gripped her heart.

Once it was over like that, Pramod did not talk anything with her and silently started walking and she followed him. She expected him to talk something with her but he did not even turn back. He locked the palace and gave the keys to Pramod.

The next twenty days also he did not talk anything with Ragini. Then Ragini caught fever.

(..........to be continued)

(I hope you enjoyedit so far. Please don't forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapteras early as possible.)