Song of the chapter is
Coyotes by Wild Belle

-45-
-Siya Malhotra-
-Present-

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Malhotra Mansion
2 December, 2030
3:10 pm

As I stood in my cozy kitchen, a mix of nervous excitement and contentment filling her heart. The aroma of spices and freshly chopped vegetables filled the air, adding a touch of warmth to the atmosphere. I glanced around the room, taking in the sight of my friends gathered at the dining table, eagerly awaiting the meal I was preparing.

It had been a few hours since Kartik and I had mustered the courage to unveil our biggest secret to our closest friends. The weight of that secret had been a heavy burden on my shoulders for far too long. The fear of rejection and judgment had consumed my thoughts, but now as I looked at my friends, I felt a renewed sense of hope.

Perhaps....

The clinking of utensils and the soft hum of conversation echoed through the room, filling my heart with warmth. I had expected shock or confusion when I had revealed my secret, but my friends had surprised me with their unwavering support.

I moved around the kitchen, the familiar motions of household chores and dinner preparation bringing a sense of normalcy to this hectic day. The rhythm of the knife slicing through vegetables, the sizzling sound of spices hitting the pan-it all helped me find solace in the midst of chaos.

Lost in my thoughts, I opened the refrigerator door to retrieve some ingredients. As I reached for a jar, my eyes caught a glint of metal on one of the fridge magnets.

I squinted my eyes. Had I imagined it?

A peculiar sensation prickled at the back of my mind. With curiosity piqued, I gingerly pulled the magnet and turned it around.

And as I did, a tiny green light blinked back at me from the back. With furrowed brows, I grazed my fingers over the light when suddenly realisation struck, and my heart skipped several beats.

It wasn't just an innocent seashell magnet.

It was a recording device.

I gasped, hands trembling as I moved back in shock. Panic surged through my veins as the implications hit me like a tidal wave.

Why was there a hidden bug in my kitchen?

We were compromised, from the very beginning.

My thoughts raced, my mind spiraling into a frenzy of fear. I felt sick and violated.

Gathering my resolve, I swiftly detached the recording device from the magnet, my trembling hands betraying the mixture of emotions that coursed through me. I had to act fast. I had to tell the others.

Determined, I began to meticulously search every inch of the kitchen. Cupboards were opened, drawers were rifled through, and every corner was inspected. But my efforts yielded no further evidence of hidden devices. The relief mingled with suspicion-had I found the only bug, or were there more waiting to be discovered?

I couldn't keep this discovery to myself. I needed to share it with my friends, to warn them about the potential danger lurking in our own home. I rushed towards the dining hall but then stopped midway.

How was I supposed to tell them about this without giving myself away?

I knew that if I spoke, whoever was behind all of this would know instantly and I couldn't just let that happen. If I wanted to beat them at their own game, I needed to be one step ahead.

But how?

As I racked my brain for an idea, suddenly my gaze fell upon a small piece of paper attached to another magnet on the refrigerator. I licked my lips and slowly pulled it out.

If I wanted to do this, I needed to be smart. Strategic.

Grabbing a pen from the counter, I started scribbling down words on it. Then with sheer determination, I slowly made my way towards the dinner hall where my friends were still chatting merrily with each other.

It broke my heart to make them worry when they were finally finding some sort of peace in this messy situation.

But something needed to be done about this.

I went and stood next to my husband and passed him the chit, leaning down to whisper in his ears.

"Don't read it out loud."

He looked up at me with a quizzical look as he unfolded the chit and scanned his eyes over my words.

A split second later, his eyes widened.

He looked back at me with a horrified look on his face. I nodded, my eyes glistening already.

The rest had now stopped their conversations and were trying to figure out what silent conversation the two of us were having.

Kartik slowly passed the chit across the table to Veronica and put his finger up to his lips, signalling everyone to keep quiet.

As Veronica and the rest read what was in the note, their expressions started mirroring that of Kartik's.

Himanshu pulled out his phone and started texting and a second later, the rest of our phones chimed with a familiar tone.

I fished out my phone from the apron's pocket and scanned my eyes over the message in our group chat.

'Keep texting.'

A silent agreement was shared before Zoya texted, 'we need to find out if there are any more of these.'

'Let's split up and find.' Veronica responded.

As we surfed through the nook and corners of the mansion, I finally realised how big it actually was. The rooms itself took up half an hour to be completely investigated. Moments later, we all gathered back in the living room, with our conclusions.

There were six of them in total.

One in Kartik and my room, one in the guest room where Zoya and Veronica were staying, one in Saina's room, one under the living room couch, one in the study, one behind Kartik's family potrait over the mantle and the last one which I had found in the kitchen.

This was how the fucker had been one step ahead of us this whole time.

I clenched my fists as I stared at the consort of listening devices kept on the living room table.

'What do we do now?' Saina texted.

'Let's destroy them.' Kartik suggested.

'I can't believe this asshole has been listening to everything this entire time.' Zoya texted, furiously at that.

'Are we sure there aren't anymore?' Veronica texted.

'Nope, checked every corner.' Himanshu responded.

'Me too.'

'Same.'

'Good. Then let's destroy each and every one of these.' Kartik replied.

'Wait.' I began, with trembling hands. 'We'll do that. But not before we send a message.'

'What are you saying, Siya?' Kartik asked, texting as he looked at me.

I exchanged a glance at him before picking up one of the devices.

"Listen up, you fucker." I spoke, trying to sound as fearless as I could. The rest looked at me with anticipation.

"Your ruse is up. We know about your little trick. If you're listening to me right now, and I know you fucking are, let me tell you this.....if you think that you are gonna be able to get away with this, then you're gladly mistaken. Because until each one of us is alive and breathing, you have... no chance to ever fucking win. You hear me?"

"It doesn't matter how many games you play, or how many tricks you use to mess with us, we will....always....always be the ones left standing."

I slowly put the thing down with the rest of it's clan and moved back, taking a deep breath. Zoya held my hand as Kartik carried the hammer to the living room.

Exchanging a glance with the rest of us, he slowly picked it up and smashed the devices in one swing. The green blinking light stopped in a while.

As we all stared at the now broken devices, Saina spoke, "Now what?"

Inhaling deeply, I exhaled.

"Now we set up a trap."

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the gang's back in action and needless to say, i'm very excited for the upcoming chapters!

i hope you are too :)

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Love,
Bosedisha