Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her. But once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win. 

                                                       Voltarie

Nandini's POV

I was walking through the huge corridors of this magnificent secret side of the church with Mr. Mukherjee walking in front letting me know about this place and the basic rooms I should know- the ladies washroom was to the left of the second last corridor on the extreme corner from this very corridor, the pantry was on the 1st floor just beside the prayer room which was the biggest room on the first floor. I didn't know if I understood any of the instructions but all this turning and walking and taking left or right turn made me more confused. 

Mr. Banerjee-" So Nandini tell me something about yourself. if we go about like this through all the corridor in silence then for sure you will have a bored feeling and I hate being bored. So shall we have a question answer round?" He asked rubbing his palms excitedly. He was surely a fun-loving and easy-going man. 

"Sure Mr. banerjee, I love this idea also I will be able to know more about what all this is about in which I'm heading to. To start with, I'm a college going student in my first year B.com from Goenka College." I smiled and gave him a tumbs-up.

Mr. Banerjee-" Well, first thing first please do not call me Mr. banerjee,I mean I know my surname is banerjee but my parents have also named me something which comes before this surname i.e. Moloy.So my pretty doll you better call me Moloy uncle. This Mr. Banerjee gives me a very formal feel which I don't like from kids like you. hmm, are we fine with it?" His expresssion all along the time he was talking made me laugh, he was really sweet and friendly also his efforts to make me feel comfortable was so nice. 

" I will love to call you moloy uncle but what if someone objects? I mean back in the hall too people were pointing on my manners . . . you know what I mean right sir."

Mr. banerjee-" Ohh darling don't take Dr. Sharma's words to your heart. He is a bit conservative with the new people, you will adjust with them. And your worry about someone objecting then... Okay how about you call me Moloy uncle when we are alone? You can stick to that formal name in front of formal people." He showed his white pearl teeth like a child who just solved the most most difficult maths problem and is happy about his achievement.

" Yes, this is done. Okay Moloy uncle we will have this locked. So, friends?" I put my hand forward stopping a bit and even Moloy uncle smiled shaking hands with me.

Moloy-" Okay so now we should talk about the work. See Nandini, you will have to work hard and try to learn a lot of things which I know will be difficult but then we are not left with any option. Time traveling is not a simple thing, it needs the person to be fully prepared and well known about the year they will be getting into, their language, the dressing sense, the way things worked at that time, its history and a lot of things. But don't worry you will be guided by the best of the mentors and I'm always there to help you extra bit." He encouraged me as we were walking.

*How will I learn things so fast? As it is I hate history and now I will have to study that again. Aiyappa! what is all this . . .*" I was stopped because my head collided with a wall as soon as I took a turn already praying with my eyes closed. 

wait a second, no it was not a wall but a person. Ohh it was Moloy uncle's back, he stopped abruptly and I collided. 

" Hey young man, finally you are here. So done with today's quota of traveling?" Moloy uncle was seen talking to someone. I cranned my head a bit towards the left to see past him as to who was the person. 

There was a handsome man climbing down the stairs in front of us with a duffle bag in his hand. He was wearing a white crisp shirt with the top 3 buttons open and a denim blue jeans with straps and a hat looking smoking hot and a smile on his face which can make anyone weak on the knees. 

" Moloy Uncle, yes I just came now from the past. Well I just couldn't handle that dhoti and all do I changed them as soon as I came. What is the picture now? Is Alia ready to travel in time?" He was having a conversation with Mr. Banerjee and he seemed to be close to him because even he called Mr. Banerjee as Moloy uncle. When he talked about Alia I wondered myself that where was she because I haven't seen her after coming here too. 

Moloy-" Manik, a lot happened while you went, Alia is clearly not the one for us. There have been a mistake. Your new partner for this mission is Nandini Rajvansh as she is the Diamond aka 12th time traveler." saying this he moved aside to present me in front of the Greek god.

I just smiled nervously looking at him who's eyes were scanning me from top to bottom with confusion and surprised expression. He turned to Moloy uncle and asked

" Are you sure uncle she is the one? I mean how can we have her all of a sudden, Alia has been getting trained from a long time and if I'm not wrong looking at her face, she doesn't even have a clue about all this. How can Mrs. basu have made such a mistake, we are almost running out of time." His smile was long lone and now he looked a lot pissed while the way he addressed me and judged me as if forgetting that I was right in front of him made me annoyed myself. 

Moloy-" I know Manik things have been a bit messed up now but we need to prepare her , Alia is of no use to us because as amazingly trained she is we can't forget that she is not one of you all. She is a normal human. So just get hold of yourself and at least greet the girl properly, this is not how you welcome a member." Moloy uncle made him understand and also asked him to behave. 

Manik-" Hello Miss. Nandini, nice to meet you. I'm Manik... Manik Malhotra, I hope you will be able to get along with all this." saying this he forwarded his hand towards me. I shook hands with him and said a small 'hello'. 

Moloy-" Okay, so we will see you around Manik as right now there are things Nandini has to do and starting it off with meeting designer Mary. And yes you are suppose to meet your uncle Raj, you will find him in the hall." With this we moved our ways. 

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I was standing in front of the huge showroom  plus sewing room I felt, it had beautiful dresses, saaries and men's wear everywhere. At one corner there were piles of fabrics, cloths and sewing machine, tailor's dummy and other side were beautiful dresses. The room was painted white but the amount of colors and clothing made it look vibrant. There on one of the dummy working ,was a plum lady with black curly hair, she was wearing a beautiful summer dress. 

Moloy-" Miss. Mary, are you free now? Can we come in." Moloy uncle asked knocking when she turned towards us and smiled looking at him.

Mary-" Mr. Banerjee, plz come in you don't need to ask for permission to meet me. Come come, I see we have a guest too here." She was a fair toned, approx 5'4 height and had a plum body. Looking at her one can say that she was in her 50's.

We got in and Moloy uncle introduced me to Miss. Mary.

Moloy-"Well Miss. Mary she Nandini Rajvansh, grand daughter of Gayatri Basu. She is the 12th time traveler and not Alia, there were some problem because of which now you will have to work on her and make beautiful outfits of her size. I got her here so that you can take her measurements and we can move forward with our work while you do yours." 

Mary looked at me and was smiling, she asked Moloy uncle to wait outside while she takes my measurements and he exited the room.

Mary-" hello, Nandini dear,myself Mary d'sousa, the official fashion designer of this Lodge. I will be making dresses of yours according to the time period you will be going into, because ofcourse you can't go in crop top and jeans in the year 1900. Hahahahah... Well I had stitched dresses for Alia and many of those will fit perfectly on you with some tiny altering here and there. Still I need your measurements so lets start." she took her measuring tape and was working on me. We talked about the different cloths I will be wearing in different era and what will suit me more and loads of fashion stuff.

" Miss. Mary, Alia is slimmer than me and also a bit tall. Won't there be any problem I'm a bit chubby." I knew that me and Alia were poles apart, she a control diet freak and me a foodie and no exercise person. Fitting in those dresses will be a bit problematic.

Mary-" Yaa she is a bit too thin, like a cloth hanger if you ask me. But you my dear don't need to have any complex issues. You are a real indian beauty specially with these long black silky hair of yours. I'm sure you will pull all the looks with grace. So just smile and let the dressing department be on me." She patted my cheeks lovingly and said that she was done. 

Moloy uncle came in and we went out to our next spot i.e. to Dr. Sharma's clinic which was on the 2nd floor. We were close to the stairs to head upstairs when Moloy uncle's phone rang, he excused himself and asked me to head upstairs and wait in the corridor he will be back in sometime. I nodded and started climbing the stairs when I heard some voices coming from the 2nd floor corridor and one of it surely was Alia but she was crying. I stopped there and hid myself so that no one sees me.  

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.

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Alia-" Just go away okay, this. . . this is so embarrassing can you imagine? A migrain problem or something else? How can they say like this to me." her eyes were red and she was dabbing it carefully with the back of her hand while still speaking her heart out with a hoarse tone. 

Next I saw that same guy whom we met on the staircase, what was his name... yes Manik, Manik was seen running after her trying to stop her. He came closer and held her left arm and pulled her closer to him. Then very gently he wiped her tears off and kissed her forehead with a sigh.

Manik-" Alia, please don't mind their words it was not intentional. They themselves are very much tensed with all the happenings from the morning. So just--" She cut him off shrugging his hands

Alia-" So, so what they will talk to me like this? I have been a part of this lodge for the last 8 years Manik and just in a click of fingers I'm being treated like a nobody, because apparently I'm not the gene carrier of time traveling. Where the hell is my fault in this that your uncle asked me to leave the place and termed my symptoms and pain as a migraine. I was not the one who was wiling to be a part of all this, no it was my family and you all who made me who I'm right now and after working for so long, learning things and being treated as a special one all my life , now they want me to lead a normal life? Not to forget my place will be given to my sweet cousin Nandini, who is getting all of this served in  a platter because of certain conspiracy. Like this is great... superb."She was really in an angry mode, well I can't just neglect the fact that how bad she must be feeling. She was really treated in a special manner all her 18 years of life and now I know why. But hey she was wrong about me taking her place with mere luck and conspiracy. I'm so not enthusiastic about this entire thing.

Manik-" Look Alia, I don't know what happened with your family or the conspiracy you are talking about but darling you need to understand that somethings are not in our hand and this is one of them. You are special Alia, special in your own way so don't think of yourself in a wrong manner. Think of all the other things you can do now being free from this curse. You can travel around the world, do your Fashion designing course and also try in acting without any fear of vanishing in thin air anytime. So this has its pros and you should look at them." He hugged her and was rubbing her back softly in a consoling manner. 

I was just standing there looking at them, so now I got to know that why was Manik so cross with me on the first meet. Afterall he wanted to do this so called mission with his girlfriend Alia and suddenly I was taking her place. Will it be wrong if I say that I felt a  tiny winy bad about them being a couple? But I shouldn't be, they have been working for so long together and its obvious they would have developed feelings for eachother after all both are extremely good looking. hashhhhh... Nandini just get them out of your thoughts. You have more important things to do, and first thing is I will prove this Co-partner of mine that I'm as capable of doing things as his GF. I saw them walking ahead when I felt a pat on my shoulder.

" What are you still doing here Nandini? I asked you to wait in the corridor na upstairs." It was Moloy uncle who came back after his call. 

"Yes uncle actually I also got a call from my friend so I was talking to her. I didn't go to college today right, so thats why." saying we moved upstairs.

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Doctor Sharma's clinic

I was lying on the single bed and Dr. sharma was making arrangements to take my blood for some basic tests. My medical report was with him, I think mumma asked someone to get it from home. Moloy uncle was sitting on one of the couch on the extreme corner of the room. This clinic had everything. a mini nursing home you can say, that is why it had occupied half of the 2nd floor. That boy Rohan was also sitting on his father's chair and waved at me when I came inside. This time I took the chance to talk to him and complete our last time's conversation but in a hush tone. 

"Hey, Rohan come here na we will talk." I gestured him to come near me and he did. He was now standing near my bed. He asked me something which made me confused.

Rohan-" How can you see and hear me?" his question made me confused, and his look even more. 

"What do you mean how can I see and hear you? Ofcourse by my eyes and ears na, like everyone else. Also you didn't tell me that why you didn't go to school today, our conversation was left mid-way in the hall."

Rohan-" I can't go to school, as I'm DEAD, I died 3 YEARS AGO. I'm just a spirit and you seeing me is the first time. No one in these 3 yrs could see me or hear me, not even my father. This was the reason when the first time you waved at me I was shocked." As soon as he completed this I was shocked. I didn't know what to say or do. 

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TAN TANAAAAA. SO HOW WAS THIS CHAPTER?

What exactly is Nandini getting herself into, will she be able to handle it all?

Manik Malhotra's entry, will he help her or compare her with Alya?

Finally!!!!! Nandini can see Spirits and ghosts. Wow isn't it amazing. 

I will see you guys soon with the next chapter, till then take care and keep spreading happiness. 

With love,

Satakshi (Neha)❤