I snuck back into the house a while later, hoping that my parents hadn't forgotten about me. The hallways were dark and barren; it looked like no one had lived here for years.
"Mother? Father?" I called. "Madhev?"
I walked slowly towards the library. The bookshelf that blocked the hidden door was put securely in place. They couldn't wait 15 minutes? I hauled the bookshelf out of the way and stepped cautiously into the dark. I moved swiftly down the dark and dank passageway to the vault. When I reached the big chamber door, I saw that they had left candles and food out for me. I didn't know why; I knew how to get to the shelter, and I surely wasn't staying out here.
I punched in the code in the keypad next to the door, and waited for it to unlock. Instead, I heard the rejection tone. The code wasn't working? I pressed the communication buzzer, and spoke into the speaker.
"Father? Mother? Didn't you notice I was gone?"
My fathers voice came in rough and filled with static from the transmitter.
"I noticed, Vatsala."
He noticed? Then why wasn't he letting me in?
"The code won't work. Open the door, let me in."
"I'm sorry. I- I can't."
I could hear my mother crying in the background, and Madhev pleading with my father to let me in.
"What? Why not?"
"You went to see Pritam, didn't you?"
"He wouldn't come father, he told me to come and be safe with you!"
I was starting to get annoyed. This wasn't funny. I couldn't believe that my own father wouldn't let me into the shelter just because I went to see Pritam. The voice that came through the transmitter was cracked and shaky. It sounded like my father was crying.
"You kissed him, yes?"
So that was it.
"I'm not infected! I'm fine!" I yelled.
"I can't let you in, Vatsala. I'm sorry."
"But I was only a few minutes late! You can't punish me for that!"
"I can't risk infecting the family."
"But I'm not sick!" I countered.
"Stay where you are for 48 hours. Then, if you are still not infected, I can let you in safely. We left some food and water out there for you."
I couldn't believe this. They were just going to leave me out here?
"And if I am infected? Would you just let me die out here?"
"There's no cure or treatment for the disease. If you're infected, there is nothing we can do."
"NO! You can't do this to me! This isn't fair!" I screamed, pounding my fist on the metal door. I tried twisting the round, steering wheel-like handle by brute force alone, but I knew it wouldn't budge.
"I'm protecting the family, Vatsala… from you."
"You can't punish me like this! What I did wasn't so bad!" I cried.
I heard my father sigh in emotional pain; pain I was causing him.
"Why couldn't you obey me just this once, Vatsala? This disease turns humans, good people, into… something else. Demons. If you are infected, we… we have already lost you. We love you, Vatsala. We will prey for you."
After that, I heard nothing. I cursed my father silently.
"I hate you, father. I will never forgive you for this."