shanaya: Thanks a lot for the review! I'm really glad you've liked the story so far! Please do not apologize. And I'm going to continue the story. I've had a more than a 1000 hits and that is enough an incentive for me to continue. But, I'd love to have more people reviewing and I'm really thankful to you for your review!
A slum in Mumbai, India.
She couldn't believe they had discovered her! She collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "Where is he?" she hissed.
She pulled her hood even lower to cover the exposed skin of her face, her eyes frantically searching for a ray of hope, "I hope he is safe!"
She gathered her wits and took to her heels. She couldn't stop, no matter what. They had only discovered her house and they would only find it useless. She knew God was on her side that day, for she was lucky enough to spot a suited up man around the corner of her street, a sight that was a rarity. You don't usually have the presence of such men in a rundown community, mostly inhabited with people below the poverty line. He saw him walk towards the house, rather a shack, at the end of rugged lane. She couldn't see what was going on inside. It can be nothing, she had told herself, while her honed instincts told her otherwise. She pulled the blinds of her window as soon as she saw that the visitor was now accompanied by the shack's resident, guiding him towards her house.
"Damn it!"
She yanked her readily packed bag out the cupboard, grabbed her phone on the desk near the window and made her way out of the backdoor. Fleeing was not new to her; a constant necessity in the past four years. As long as the secret remained guarded with her she will have to keep running. To save the life of an innocent girl and millions of others, she has to run.
However, after two years of exile, she found someone she could trust. She's been working with him for the past two years. Yet, she had to live and move in complete secrecy for her quest wasn't complete. She knew he would help her safeguard the almost ragged diary she'd been safeguarding with her life. When she had told him that the secrets of the diary were to remain unknown, he made a shocking revelation. Two rocks out of the trio have already been discovered and were being experimented on. Though the third rock was yet to be found, two could create enough destruction as it is. He had then assured her that they were in safe hands and the diary would be removed to a secure location relieving her of the burden. Moreover, he pointed out to her that the information of that sort must be handled by professionals and she wouldn't be able to protect it efficiently. She laughed at the prospect initially, but when he told her about the organization funding the experiments and the kind of people who were after her, she changed her mind.
She soon reached the main road, undetected. It was around eight o'clock in the night and the traffic was heavy; heavy enough to prevent any vehicle from following her. She quickly crossed the road, making way through the closely packed traffic, to spot the person she was looking for.
A wave of relief washed over her as the young man, not older than twenty seven, sprinted towards her, "Are you alright, Zoya?"
"That is the last of our concerns Hiro! We must get this to safety," Zoya said holding the diary in front of him. Nearly thirty nine, Zoya hardly looked her age. Passing for a woman in her late twenties or early thirties was something she could do and no one would even notice. That particular trait was put to use several times in the four years she had spent in secrecy, most times pretending to be someone she was not.
Hiro nodded and led her towards a restaurant, a place Zoya had frequented a lot in the past few days. She was now confident that they would escape and the diary would be secured soon.
Hong Kong
"Lee! Here…" Mariah waved at the White Tiger talking to a guy, unknown to Rei. With long flaxen hair tied in with a band, he stood an inch or two taller than Lee and looked a little older than they were.
Lee looked at Rei, a smile appearing on his lips. The two of them walked towards Rei and Mariah. Rei leaned towards her, "Who is he?" Rei noticed a pair of golden orbs, similar to his own, fixed on him. A strange feeling crept into him as he realized that the guy's face had a vague familiarity about it.
"Nice to see you again buddy," Lee said and turned towards Mariah, "Happy?"
"Yup!" Mariah said, blushing.
"She couldn't wait to meet you. She's been preparing gifts for you too…" Lee eyed Mariah suspiciously, stressing on the gift part.
"Really?" Rei looked at Mariah faking excitement, for he knew very well what that 'gift' was.
He then turned towards the stranger in the group, "I guess he's the new recruit?"
"Seiran," the newbie said to Rei.
"Your first time at the championships?" Rei asked, a sudden uncertainty arising in his voice. Seiran, where did I hear that name before? Rei tensed as the name echoed in his ears.
"Rei!" Kenny's voice snapped him out of his trance, "We've got the keys. You're coming?"
Kenny spotted the flaxen haired blader standing with the White Tigers. Must be their fifth member, Kenny guessed.
"We're not gonna steal him away Kenny!" Mariah turned to answer Kenny, "Why the hurry?"
"Oh I know…" Kenny said slinging his bag over his shoulder, "No hurry Rei. #3025 it is; whenever you plan on coming back."
"I'll be there right away," Rei said and then pulled Mariah into a hug, "at 2, the lobby," he whispered into her ear and followed Kenny to the elevator.
"See you in the morning Lee!" Rei parted from them, leaving a perplexed Lee to wonder, "That was quick."
"It is late Lee. I'm sure he's tired, that's it," Mariah said flashing him a smile. Lobby, 2 AM, she reminded herself.
Akira dragged her luggage behind her along the corridor looking for their room.
"Here, I found it," Hillary said pulling Akira to a halt, "#3030" She pointed towards the ebony veneered door at the far end of the corridor. Akira stood outside an identical door, and she turned to see the number on it when the door opened to reveal their captain stepping out. Akira took a step back to avoid a collision, stumbled into her suitcase.
Kai's hand shot out to help her and she pushed it away, balancing herself at the same time, "I don't need your help," she hissed at him.
"But I need you to move out of my way," Kai pointed out.
Akira shot him a glare and walked towards Hillary, who seemed to sense the tension between Kai and Akira.
Kai left the place too, but glancing back at her once, the conversation of the recent phone call playing at the back of his mind. He had asked Andrei to find out about Akira only to make sure she posed no threat to the team. But now? Despite his best efforts he couldn't keep himself from finding out more about her. The name her mother gave in the orphanage was enough to make him all the more curious about her. A part of him wanted to stay away from her while another part of him wished otherwise.
#3030 1:30AM
Akira squinted and then rubbed her eyes. Her hand felt around for her phone on the table beside her bed. Upon finding her phone she checked the time, Isabel must be free by now.
Her eyes darted towards her roommate, fast asleep in her bed, a few feet away from hers. Akira slipped down from her bed and stealthily tiptoed on her way out of the room. She heaved a sigh of relief for having successfully exited the room without waking the brunette up.
The corridor was lit at the center, near the elevator and the steps, while the other wing remained in complete darkness. She strode towards the flight of stairs and settled down on the first step. She dialed Isabel's number and eagerly waited for her to take the call.
"Akira?" Isabel sounded a little worried, "We were contacted by detective Akiyama Toshi. He was asking questions about why we adopted you and so on. Is everything fine dear?"
"Yes Isabel, everything is fine. That detective is sure frustrated that he's not able to pin anything on me!" Akira said sounding irritated. She loathed Akiyama now.
"My, my, you sound so angry! Shiro said he'll make sure that detective doesn't create any trouble, so you don't have to worry…"
"No… ask Shiro to relax. I mean it…"
"Hmmm… alright. So, how are your friends? Most importantly why are you up so late?"
"I wanted to talk to you… and they are not my friends!"
"What has happened Akira? You sound very upset…"
"They don't trust me…" Akira trailed off.
"Did they say that to you?" Isabel asked.
"Kai asked me if they could trust me…"
"Kai? You mean that boy who took care of you when you fainted…?"
"He didn't take care of me…!"
"Now, let's not argue upon that… If they don't trust you, which is quite natural given the situation, earn their trust…" Isabel said.
"Earn their trust…? But…"
"It is entirely my fault dear, letting you coil into that shell of yours. Not even sending you to a normal school, so that you could make friends… That is one of the most important reasons I got convinced when you said you wanted to participate in this championships. I still remember how you used to practice day and night to make yourself better. I remember your courage when you went ahead challenging bladers… I was scared you might hurt yourself… and now I regret that! There is a world for you beyond just the three of us Akira…" Isabel paused and her voice filled an essence of pride and happiness, "Trust me! Shiro was so happy when you qualified for the championships! He wanted come all the way to Hong Kong for the inaugural tournament. But, he had to leave for London…"
"Wait… you're alone in Paris right now?" Akira asked startled by the fact that she wasn't told about Shiro leaving for London.
"Umm… yes. You don't have to worry about me. Now, you heard me, didn't you? I want you make friends! And…"
"What?"
"A boyfriend too if…"
"Isabel!" Akira exclaimed, "That is last thing I want to hear from you…"
"What's wrong in that…?"
"I'm going to get some sleep… Good night!"
"Akira… listen to me…"
Akira cut the call and shook her head in disapproval. She remembered the day she met them for the first time.
"What should I be calling you?" A petite girl, fourteen years old, asked the young couple standing in front of her, their doting gaze upon her.
"Whatever you feel like dear," Isabel knelt down to her and cupped Akira's face, "I'm Isabel."
Akira nodded and turned towards the man standing beside Isabel, "Shiro," he said to her and smiled.
"Isabel and Shiro," Akira repeated, "Can I call you with your names?"
Isabel's face fell in disappointment. Shiro placed his on Isabel's shoulder and nodded reassuringly at her. Isabel's face brightened and she turned to face Akira, "Yes, you can."
Since then Isabel and Shiro have been the most important people in her life. Someone she could trust and rely on. Someone, who would be there for her no matter what! Akira smiled as all those memories she shared with the couple flashed in front of her. That was when she heard a door open. She saw two familiar silhouettes in the corridor. She descended down the stairs and hid herself from their view. Kai and Rei, fortunately for her, decided to take the elevator, while Akira could clearly hear their words as they walked towards it.
"Does Lee know about it?" Kai asked.
"No, he doesn't. I specifically instructed her not to tell him," Rei answered as the elevator doors slid open, "And I called Judy…" were the last words Akira heard before the doors closed.
What is it that they are so secretive about… at this hour of the night? And Lee doesn't know…? Isn't he the captain of the White Tigers? What is going on? A lot of questions popped up in Akira's mind. Her curiosity got the better of her and she headed downstairs to find out the answers.
Aha! Finally, got the chapter done! Sorry for the delay!
This chapter has got a lot of crucial questions.
Who is Zoya? And what is that diary about? Hiro is in India and helping Zoya! Who is Seiran and why does Rei find him familiar? This is something that'll be revealed as the story proceeds.
Mariah has a secret there and so do Kai and Rei, not to forget Judy...
Want to know what that is all about? You'll find out the in the next chapter.
Until then... take care!
And...
Please do leave your review! :)