My work in progress

This is a story which I haven't finished yet. Please note that any number of changes may be made to it at any point of time. In other words, work is still in progress!


I sat, head in my hands, resisting the urge to jump up and slap the wrinkly old man pacing back and forth in front of me. He was saying something, and it might have been important, but I couldn’t hear him through the rush of emotions pounding through my head. Anger, shame, disbelief and bitter resentment coursed through me. Not because of him, though I was mad at him too. I was fuming at me, my life, and the whole world in general.

All of a sudden I would think, ‘being angry isn’t really making things better’. This would give me a brief respite from the storm of my own fury, but it was back within seconds; anger at how stupid I was being, wallowed in my emotions when I could be doing something useful.

Finally Augustin seemed to realize I wasn’t listening, and came over. He asked me something. I raised my head a bit and asked, "What?"

I was surprised at the sound of my own voice. It sounded quite normal, considering the emotions coursing through me. I looked at Augustin, and received another shock. He was grinning in triumph, obviously delighted. "I said, isn’t it brilliant!"

I just stared at him in bewilderment. He shook his head and said, "Snap recap- I’ve found the answer to our problem with the hearing enhancer!"

He paused, probably thinking he was creating a dramatic effect. Instead I just felt exhausted and thoroughly confused. "Yeah… that’s great, Augustin. I’ll just leave you to work on it for now." I said, and I grabbed my laptop from the table and walked out.

Just two steps out of the doorway, I realized that it was pouring buckets. Irritated, I stormed back into the house and demanded an umbrella. After fumbling around in a dark cupboard, Augustin managed to produce a bright red one with yellow polka dots. With a frown and a quick ‘thank you’, I walked down the road in the direction of my home.

Once there, I placed my laptop on my desk and threw myself down onto my bed. Instantly my mind travelled back, relieving the moments that had led to today…

　

I was ten years old again, running through the streets as fast as I could. I had no idea how far behind my pursuers were. I heard the engine of a car behind me, and risked a glance around my shoulder. I was momentarily relieved to see a regular horse-drawn carriage, before I noticed the long black limousine not far behind it.

They were close. I had to hide.

Suddenly I spotted an open gate to my left. I rushed in and discovered an old fashioned house. A set of stairs to my right led to the terrace of the house.

Without pausing to think, I rushed up the stairs, two at a time. It was only once I reached the top that I realised I was trapped. There was no other way down except the way I had come, and to keep moving was essential.

Then I noticed that the railing around the terrace was very low, and that the terrace of the adjoining house was hardly two feet away. It was an easy jump, but if I fell…

Fate decided for me. An old lady walked up the stairs, and screamed when she saw me. I ran and jumped. For a moment I sailed through the air, heard the rattling as bits of gravel I had dislodged skipped off the roof onto the road below. Within moments I was on the roof of the next house. This time I didn’t stop- I ran and jumped again, landing on the next house. So I continued, finally stopping around ten houses away from where I had begun.

I turned in a full circle, making sure I was absolutely alone, before dropping the backpack (which contained all my worldly belongings) and opening my hand to look at the glittering object clenched in my fist.

It was a beautiful golden locket, oval-shaped, about the size of a grape, but flatter. It was studded with tiny, precious stones. And in the middle, engraved in elegant script, was my name: Sara.

Fingers trembling, I opened it. Inside, looking like someone had painstakingly scratched them in, were just two words ‘love you’.

Tears sprang into my eyes. This was it. My last gift from my parents. Throughout my search for this tiny treasure, I had hoped that the locket would contain something more- some clue to my parent’s whereabouts, or some words of advice from them. I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. And yet, at the same time, these two words were perfect- they spread wonderful warmth through me, and I felt better, more confident, less confused. I picked myself up, fastened the locket around my neck and slung the blue backpack onto my shoulders. It was time to leave.

　

A loud ‘crack!" made me zoom back to the present. I looked out of the window. The storm had worked itself up into a gale, and a branch of the tree outside had hit my window. "Looks like nature’s having a day just as bad as mine", I thought as I drew the curtains.

I sat down at my desk and unlocked my computer. Still open on the screen was the message that had caused all my boiling emotions-


The gang has taken Alex. They traced your ‘clue’, and guess what? You were wrong. They found us. It took them some time, but now none of us are safe. Except you, of course. Because that was the whole plan, wasn’t it? Risk our lives while keeping yours perfectly safe. All I want to say is, don’t even consider helping us. We’ll do everything ourselves.

Malviya
I stared at the message numbly. It had been nearly two years since the incident, and I had stopped worrying completely. This had been a sudden and unexpected blow.

Alex… my very best friend. He was one person who had really understood. I had lived in his house for almost a whole year. We were all happy together- the two of us, his parents, and his little brother. Then, I found out about the locket my parents had left me. It was extremely precious and expensive. I managed to track it, and found out that it was in the possession of ‘the gang’.

‘The gang’ was what everyone called a mysterious society that engaged in all kinds of shady activity. It was said that every kidnapper, thief, and lawbreaker in the kingdom was part of, or connected to, the gang. The gang was unbeatable, impossible to penetrate. And if you crossed the gang- well, nothing worse could ever happen to you.

But I, Sara, had broken the rule. I had broken into one of the gang’s headquarters, and stolen something, and I had gotten away with it. That wasn’t allowed. The gang was supposed to be all-powerful. It was a foolish thing to do, but I had to get the necklace. I couldn’t explain why.

Planting a false clue had been Alex’s idea. We argued about it for months. Alex had wanted me to plant a false clue leading to him. He had disagreed when I suggested planting false clues that led to nowhere, saying that wouldn’t be authentic enough. I knew he was right- the gang had the most amazing technology and capabilities. But I still didn’t want Alex to put himself in danger.

In the end, Alex managed to convince me. If traced, there was only a 0.0001% chance that the clue would lead to Alex.

I had stayed in many places after escaping the gang, until now, when I worked as an assistant for Professor Augustin Sigma, an inventor. There had been absolutely no news. We lost contact, but I guess we both assumed that Alex was perfectly safe.

But, like Alex’s mother Malviya said in the message, we were wrong. The gang found Alex. And he was in grave danger.

A grumble from my stomach made me remember that I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. I looked at the time. Eight o’clock p.m. I decided to get some food. I could never think straight on an empty stomach. Alex wasn’t in immediate danger, anyway. They would not recognize him, since he was not the thief, but they would try to force information out of him. But knowing Alex, he would resist as long as he could.

I stood up and walked outside. The rain had slowed to a drizzle. I turned around and locked the door before starting on my way.

As I walked towards a small café down the road, anger, guilt and worry assaulted me continuously, like waves crashing on a rocky shore. One second I was thinking-

"Why? Why doesn’t anyone understand? It wasn’t my idea to put Alex in danger! Who does Malviya think she is…"

Then-

"It’s entirely my fault, I never should have planted that ‘clue’, I was so selfish, obsessed with finding the locket…"

And finally-

"I wonder whether Alex is all right, I’m sure he’s holding on. What if they’re hurting him? Oh God…" and so on.

　

　

　

　

　

　

As the last rays of daylight filtered through the windows, Professor Augustin sat at his desk, writing a report on his newest invention. The inspiration had come to him in the dead of the night before last, and he hadn’t paused work since. Heedless of the hours that had passed, he laboured on, for this was no ordinary invention. It was the result of an amazing discovery that could change the world.

Absorbed in his work, Augustin did not hear the creak of the door; nor did he notice the flash of azure as the weapon raced towards his neck.

The weapon was long, thin as a needle, and studded with tiny blue diamonds. It was enchantingly beautiful- brilliant blue and a hilt studded with obsidian stones.

Death took its cold hold within seconds. A lone figure, shrouded in white, left silently through the window, as the beautiful weapon clattered to the floor, stained a vivid shade of violet. This was no ordinary weapon. It destroyed the person so completely, from deep inside, that there was absolutely nothing to be saved. But that was not the worst of it. It toyed with the person’s brain, making each moment of pain seem a millennium. And this was the terrible fate which had befallen Augustin Sigma.

But more important was the fate of the documents which still lay, unfinished, upon the professor’s desk. As the steady drip, drip of blood marked the destruction of the precious pages, it was something of a marvel that the rest of the world did not realize what was happening.

The destruction of the documents that could decide the fate of the world.
And, more importantly, the destiny of two very special thirteen-year-olds.



　

　
 I woke up biting my lip so hard it was bleeding. I wondered what I had dreamt about. It must have been pretty bad, considering the metallic taste in my mouth. Sighing, I swung my legs out of bed and pulled my long hair up into a bun. I asked myself, for the millionth time, why I even bothered to grow it in the first place. But as always, the answer was the same: it made me look like my mother.


In twenty minutes I was ready for work. I picked up my laptop, grabbed a piece of toast and headed out, carefully locking the door behind me. I munched on my toast as I walked, and let my mind drift to the topic that I had been avoiding all morning. Alex.

He was probably not having a great day. The Gang were not known for their mercy. To them it made no difference whether they were hurting a two-year old or an old woman. A captive was a captive regardless of age or gender. Also, the Gang was known for being deceivingly smart. If they couldn't force the information they wanted out of a captive, they would trick them into telling.

But I wasn't too worried. In fact, it sort of made me feel guilty, but I hardly felt in a hurry to go rescue him. Alex was probably the smartest person I had ever met. The Gang had probably discovered that they couldn't force secrets out of him, so they must have resorted to trickery. I was willing to bet they were going mad, with him foiling their plans over and over again. The thought made me smile.

Finally, I reached Proffessor Augustin's front drive. As I walked up to his front door, I noticed that the window of his study was open. This was strange. Augustin was the kind of man who preferred small, silent, enclosed places to perform his experiments. His house was always lit by extra-bright tube lights. I had never seen him open a window.

I rang the doorbell and twined my fingers together idly, waiting. After a few seconds, I rang the bell again. Wondering whether the bell was out of order, I rapped on the door. I waited a few more minutes, and hten banged harder. To my surprise, the door flew open.

Maybe I was starting to overreact. My hair was standing on end and I was on full alert. But every instinct in me told me that something was very, very wrong. Augustin was no absent-minded professor. He had a memory sharper than an elephant's. He was also a keen observer. I doubted he would have accidentally left the door open.

Silent as a cat, I walked into the house. I stopped for a moment, and listened. Not a sound. I frowned. Augustin was usually hustling around, clinking bottles, adjusting machines and whatnot. Even when he was doing deskwork, you could hear him. The fancy fountain pens he liked to use made a sharp scratching noise against paper.

In the next split second, all my suspicions were confirmed. The horrible stench of blood filled my nostrils and I was running. I was already halfway down the road by the time I realised that I should have checked whether Augustin was all right. Well, I was actually thinking "check if he's still alive".

Wary, I turned back towards the house.

Carefully I stepped into the study. I stared at the floor, scared of the sight that would eet me when I raised my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I looked up. The sight that met me was horrifying.

to be continued...