Chapter 1
Poor Communication Kills
Fanindra knew she was about to burst in laughter. It would probably be unpleasant, since spectacled cobras are incapable of laughing and reportedly unable to survive imploding, but she knew it would be worth it.
Ren's seminar about periods had undeniably devolved since the queen of snakes had started eavesdropping. Nested in the arms of a naked Venus, in the hall behind the mahogany door, the giant mystical snake could now hear a seventeenth century Indian prince complain about #YesAllWomen, female academia, middle-aged moms writing woman porn, ethics in game journalism and vlogs getting hijacked by make-up tutorials.
« You should have brought your phone... » she muttered.
Between a dead shrub and two naked cherubs, Nilima's head emerged. From the needlessly complicated hideout, her eyes shot her friend an intrigued glance. Fanindra answered her silent question.
« Imagine making a YouTube channel out of found footage of Ren saying stupid shit... »
Nilima's eyes widened, and she nodded approvingly.
« It would go viral before you're done writing the video description... ».
« And everyone's favorite vid would be that one time Kishan shows up, and he's all Fuck Ren's stupid shit, I'm the one that's actually brain dead ! And then BOOM ! Tigercatfight ! Because they just can't agree on stuff like normal brothers do. And just when they're ripping each other's gutts, Kelsey. Kelsey saying stupid shit about Ren and Kishan fighting over stupid shit they only said because of the stupid shit she said to mess with them in the first place !»
« A human centipede of dumb. »
« Pooping back and forth, forever. »
Nilima's dark eyes merely twinkled, but Fanindra knew that, had her friend not been such a good little soldier, she would have been rolling on the floor, partly thanks to her bad jokes, but mostly because, before she met the snake, she'd been too scared to let herself enjoy her masters' stupidity.
Just as her friend wondered why, a terrible noise shook the hall.
The Venus shivered, and Fanindra lost balance, slipped, and fell headfirst on the pavement. The little she could normally see (four inches over the ground, on her best days) was shrouded in black and random flashes of light.
Spasms shook her and she tried to regain control over her tangled vertebras, powerless as she imagined the White Tiger, having slammed the door open and slowly drawing nearer from her friend.
But it was not the tiger, and it was not that door. Kelsey had left the computer room and joined Ren in the library.
There was no shouting, no fits, no whimpering.
Instead, a tense silence that seemed to last for centuries.
They could hear Ren's voice tremble when he finally asked :
« Are you finished menstruating ? »
There was another long silence.
« Yes » Kelsey said gravely. « I think I am. »
The sound of embrace, and that of long, passionate kisses, the ones that melt one mouth into another and suck all life out of each party, reverberated in the hallway. It was a surprisingly peaceful soundtrack to accompany the return of Fanindra's sight.
« Do you want to go to the pool ? »
« Yes. »
« Then let's go. »
As they walked outside the library, smiling stupidly, Ren stoped.
« Wait, did you turn off the computer ? »
He never gave her enough time to answer.
« Let me do it for you and go take a swim. I 'll be there in a moment. »
Kelsey nodded, smiled, and went.
At the moment she stoped facing Ren, Nilima saw her smile turn to stone. For a second, he watched her walk away with a smug smirk. Then, he rushed into the library.
This was the moment Fanindra chose to turn into an anklet. Nilima jumped out of her hideout, picked her and was about to leave, when a strong arm grabed hers and pulled her into the room.
Ren's stern face and piercing blue eyes were facing her, much closer than she would have liked them to be.
« I know what she's doing. »
« P-pardon me, sir ? »
« She's betraying me, ridiculing me in front of all of you, and together you wonder if I will put an end to it, but I say nothing. Because that is how much I love her. And it is only natural, a lady deserves that love. She deserves to be put above my reputation and my pride. You are not a lady. You do not deserve tears to cry or blood to spill. If you do not help me today, you will wish you had neither. »
He dragged her to the dark room, and closed the door behind her.
Fanindra hissed, but stoped herself when he shot them one of his most threatening glares. She wasn't afraid for herself, but she could feel Nilima's heartbeat racing.
« She sent this short, homely letter through the portable computer. It is but three common sentences, yet she spent ten minutes writing it... How do you think it is possible ?»
Nilima felt cold sweat running from her hairline through her forehead.
« Maybe she went through a lot of re-writes. O-or maybe she attached a file to the mail and download took time ?»
He looked at the ceiling in exasperation, exhaled a long breath, then pointed at the screen.
« No. The key is obviously here. Look at those figures. They're codes. They're taunting me. Laughing at my despair... »
His hands started shaking. He turned away from her look, and she knew tears had welled up in his cobalt eyes.
Before his voice would break, he finally dared to ask :
« Nilima – I want you to teach me emojis. »