There're things we keep hidden from each other,
Things we hide from ourselves,
Things that keep hidden from us,
And things that no one knows..
You learn the damndest things at worst possible time.

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Manik's POV 

"Manik Nandini what are you doing here?"

We turned to see Moloy Uncle standing there with a lantern as he stepped down from Raj Uncle's side of the door to the tunnel. Nandini in shock just held my hand and tried pulling me down behind the cupboard when Moloy uncle came closer to us. 

Moloy-" I asked you two something, what are you two doing here alone? Manik how did Nandini got to know about this place?" He asked with an authoritative voice while Nandini stood with her head bent low. 

" Moloy Uncle, bas haan ho gaya ab, you are scaring her more." I smirked looking at Nandini who was right now holding my hand in death grip had snapped her head up with confused look. 

Moloy Uncle started laughing and kept his left hand on Nandini's head patting it slowly. 

Nandini-" What is happening here? Manik, Moloy Uncle you...why are you laughing and you won't tell anyone right? I just came because of Manik." She pointed out at me while I shook my head, this girl just blurted out everything. 

" Very good partner, what a way of saving yourself, now stop panicking Moloy uncle is here to help us. I had also called him to keep a check inside the Lodge that no one get's in here specially Raj Uncle." 

Nandini made a Ohh face and looked at Moloy Uncle who smiled nodding his head and handed us the lantern. 

Moloy-" Manik make sure you are out of the den in an hour, Raj reaches the lodge sharp at 8 am, here are the key of the cupboard, incase you need it. I know what I'm doing is against the rules but I guess now nothing is going by the rules and ethics but for me the safety of you all is the top priority. I will keep a watch above and inform you with a message. Hope you get what you are looking for." he patted my shoulder handing me a bunch of keys and giving us a last look climbed up the stairs. 

I knew what we were doing was not right but I had told Nandini only the half truth, my motive to come here was not just based on the conversation of Raj Uncle and Raghav but something more. 

Flashback

The year 1947's was famous for it's changes in India and around the world. The independent India was divided now into 2 parts India and Pakistan. The spark of which was also seen in Bengal, I was asked to meet Tuhin Malhotra for his blood sample at Lodge itself. As I reached his cabin I got to know that he was waiting for me in the garden. 

Tuhin-" Manik my boy, how are you young man. So good to see you again." he got up from his rocking chair adjusting his shawl properly and spread his arms wide to take me in a hug. He looked a lot older than he was last time I had seen him but still as dashing and evergreen as always. I also hugged him with the same warmth. 

" Dadu, we had talk 5 years back about the stolen chronograph so you had said that you need sometime to think over this. So are you ready now?" I asked him when he took his seat and made me sit next to him. 

Tuhin-" Hmmm.. I remember Manik, though I have got old but my memory is as sharp as a knife. I'm willing to give you my blood but before that you need to listen to what I have to say." I nodded my head giving him a smile but also was confused as to what he wanted to talk about. 

As I was waiting for him to continue he forwarded a letter to me and asked me to read it. 

I know you will be thinking that this is again one of my plan to trap you all but in reality you are already been trapped Manik by the Lord and his followers. The mission on which you are on is not only going to destroy your life but also the people who are associated with you and the entire world at large. There are a lot of things which you don't know or better put it like you were never told. Now is the time to question the authorities as if things go on the way they are going then you all won't be able to save your loved ones. 

We could not stop this but did the best we could, our last hope is you and Nandini. If still you don't believe us then find the proof in the Lodge itself. Read between the lines and let the prophesies guide you towards your path.

You know who I am.

After reading the letter I didn't know what to say, should I be raged that he reached Tuhin Malhotra and maybe tried to persuade him against us or give him a chance and question the Lodge. The happenings of the Lodge has changed a lot which has been disturbing me from a long time but then what should I do? As I was think all this Grandpa kept his hand on my shoulder. 

Tuhin-" Manik I had read this letter before you and I feel that as there are two sides of the coin so is there is always two sides of every situation. You only know the side which was told you years ago but you should also listen to Siddhant. Don't think that he has persuaded me in any ways as even if he would have then I would have rejected to even meet you forget about giving you my blood. Never trust on anyone's words but believe in what you see with your own eyes and hear it from your own ears. Find the proof on your own and take that person's side who is right." He made me understand while I kept thinking what to do. After that he gave me a sample of his blood and I bid him goodbye. 

flashback over 

I was thinking about my meet with my Great great grandfather last night. I would have let it go the thing but after that visit I heard Raj uncle and Raghav's conversation. As I was thinking a lot all night in the lodge, that is when Moloy uncle sat with me and told him everything and got surprised when even he told that he doesn't feel things going right and is ready to help me if even Tuhin Malhotra has asked to give it a chance. Earlier I was about to go alone but didn't know what got into me and I dialed Nandini's number at 4 a.m. asking her to come and meet me. 

Right now we have almost searched all the shelves and drawers of the den but nothing was so important that we got. 

Nandini-" Manik there is nothing here which can be useful for us. But will you tell me that what exactly are you searching for?" I heard Nandini's tired voice as she sat on one of the stools.

"Nandini even I don't know what exactly am I looking for but all I know is that it is connected to the prophesies. The last thing to check is the locker of the guardian i.e. Raj Uncle's locker and I even have it's keys. I hope we get something from there. Let's go it's that side." I held her arms dragging her while this girl was falling asleep. 

Opening the locker I found many rolled up papers and manuscripts and in all of them there was this one huge book of prophesies which I had read once. This was the book which also had the past happenings which were yet to occur and that is why no one was allowed to read it and let the course of time guide us towards our future and complete the half past happenings.

Nandini-" Oh my god!!!! What is this? Manik this is so huge." all her sleep flew away when she saw the book and now she was peeping from my shoulder to have one look at it like a curious cat. 

" This is the prophesies book and also the book which has our past, present and future records. Only the Lord or the guardians are allowed to read it and that too in the time of crisis. Maybe this is the clue which we were looking for." I whispered the last line slowly remembering what was written in the letter - ' Read between the lines and let the prophesies guide you towards your path.' 

" Nandini-" What? What clue you said?" 

" Huhh.. no nothing, come let's see if this has anything important for us. We still have half n hour." With this we sat on the couch and started going through the pages. Though I knew that half and hour was not enough for reading this whole book but still we can't leave this chance. I was reading from the front while Nandini was reading from the back. 

Nandini-" Manik! Manik see this." She called me to show something, there was a section of pages which were torn apart. I looked at it and the pages before and after them, these were the last verses of prophesies and as far as I know we have been taught this. There was also a some happenings of time been scraped from the year 1947 to 2000. 

" How is this possible? I have read the whole prophesies from the age of 13 and know all the verses of it then how can the original book have the pages scrapped. And see there are some records missing from the year 1947 to 2000 that too in bits and pieces." I was talking to Nandini but she was not saying anything. I shook her a little and that is when she looked at me giving me a surprised look and then started looking at the book. 

I took some snaps of the pages around the book and thought to go through the xerox of the prophesies at home. But the main thing was that how can I find the records of the past happenings around this year. As I was thinking all this I got a message from Moloy uncle that it was about time and we should leave. I kept everything as it was along with the help of Nandini and slowly we climbed up the stairs and closed the hide out door. 

******************

Nandini's POV 

The entire happenings of the morning was roaming around my mind and specially the prophesies book. Manik insisted to drop me home and through out the journey he was asking me that why suddenly I am all quite and I tried making him believe that I was damn sleepy and wanted to go home. 

Right now I was in my room going through the manuscripts which had been given to me by Sanvi and Siddhant and looking at the patterns and drawings they looked like the ones from the prophesies book. 

*Should I tell Manik about this? Earlier also I couldn't tell him as Uncle came, God!!!! What to do now? What if the thing Manik is searching for is in these papers.* 

As I was engrossed in my thoughts and that is when I heard my cell ringing with Mukti's name displaying on the screen. 

"Yes Mukku" 

Mukti-" Nanz where are you? We were suppose to meet at the old library at 10 and right now it's 10:30. Aryamann and I are waiting for you from the last half n hr." She shouted and now I knew she was standing outside the library as for sure she can't be shouting in the library that loud. 

"Mukti stop shouting yaar, and yes I won't be able to come." 

Mukti-" Why you won't come? Hey are you alright? You sound so off." She asked me and now I knew I can't lie to her. 

"Come to my house I will tell you everything." 

********************

Manik's POV 

Books, papers and manuscripts were spread all over the table and amidst those I was sitting finding one clue for believing Siddhant. I had one copy of the prophesies but even after reading them for the third time I didn't get the connect between the photos I clicked from the original book. 

*Why can't I find the last line of the prophesies which I read in the original book in this copy. What did Siddhant meant by read between the lines? Why the hell the did anyone steal these papers from the original book and no one from the guardians or members know about this?*

" Bhoowww!!!!!" I jumped up suddenly and the papers from my hand flew up in the air. Turning around I heard Aryamann laughing out loud holding his stomach. 

Arya-" Bro, that was so damn funny, just like a...a  cartoon character hahhahahaha. Btw about whom were you thinking so hard that you got so startled? umm.. humm." He bumped his shoulder with mine teasing me and all I wanted to do that time was pull his hair and make him bald. 

" I was think of the no. of ways in which I can make your life hell just the way you do with mine. Now stop laughing like a crack head and help me pick these papers, look what you did." 

He didn't stop laughing but atleast helped me with arranging the papers. 

Arya-" Bro, what are you doing with these prophesies? You never take these out until it's really important?" 

"Yaa, it has something to do with the lodge. I don't know why I feel that things are not going right. Today Nandini and I sneaked into the underground record room and there I found that the original book has some torn pages and now when I'm trying to find the link of those prophesies in the copies which I had got I can't find any." 

Arya-" This is not what we read in the prophesies and decoded." As I was saying I heard Aryamann whisper something but I didn't get what he said as he held my copy of the prophesies.

"What did you say? Arya what you decoded?" Aryamann was looking with a shocked expression towards me while I stood all confused.

♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤

Heyaaaaaa !!!!
I'm back with the chapter. How did you find the update? 

So Manik met his Great great grandfather and also Siddhant's letter.

Do you think these 2 should keep on hiding things from each other? 🤔

Will Nandini tell Manik about the manuscript she got? And will Manik tell her about the letter?

What did Aryamann found which made him shocked and confused?

Lots of questions but no answer, right?

Will see you in next chapter till then please take care of yourself and stay safe.

Toodles!!!!!

Your mystery writer
Satakshi (neha) ❤