Aruda met the old woman on his way home from school. Wearing his headphones and listening to his favorite pop song; he didn't give a damn about the world.

He spotted the woman sitting on the sidewalk. She was wearing a pale white dress which had been torn from edges. Her brown skins had so many wrinkles on it that it was impossible to count them.

Considering her a beggar, Aruda placed a five dollar on her feet and walked away. Suddenly, a hand stopped him. He looked back and found the lady grabbing his arms. Annoyed, Aruda removed his headphones.

"What do you want now?" Aruda shouted, "I don't have any more money to give to you."

"I don't want anything from you. Your destiny wants something from you." The lady said in a crackled voice. "I came here to warn you. You're about to lose your old life in the act of doing what you were made to do."

Convinced that the lady was a psycho, Aruda started walking away. He was about to put his headphones on again when the old lady shouted at him.

"Grenetas will rule your world too. Her magic is far too powerful."

Aruda ignored the lady, put on his headphones and walked away.

When Aruda returned home, his mother was cleaning up the house.

"How was your day at school?" His mom asked. She was wearing a purple top over black jeans and had tied her blonde hairs into a ponytail. Despite crossing forties, she still looked younger.

"Yeah it was kinda fine." Aruda replied.

"You got any homework today?" His mother asked.

Aruda had learned from many experiences that when her mother asked her that, it was better to lie.

"Yep, mom. Tons of homework. I don't know why they have to give us so much work." Aruda added the last line to make the lie more believable.

"I was hoping you could help me some chores but that's okay." Her mother replied. "Actually I am quite busy as Aunt Emily will come to our house for dinner today and dad has lots of work to do in office, so he will be late."

"Aunt Emily? Will she bring Jake with her?" Aruda asked, hoping that the answer would be a 'no'.

"Of course he would come."

"Ugh! I hate him!" Aruda muttered.

"I don't know why you hate him. He's such a sweet boy."

"That's because you don't know him very well."

"What wrong has he done except breaking your T-Rex model a few years ago?"

"It's more than that. That kid is rude."

"Alright, there's no point in arguing. Go to your room and hurry up with your homework. I want you to spend time with Jake when he arrives. Conversation ends." She declared.

"Okay, mom." Aruda stormed up the stairs and entered his room which had nothing much besides a bed, a study desk, a wardrobe and of course his bookshelf containing a good collection of mostly Mystery novels.

He tossed his bag on the desk, grabbed a book from the shelf and started reading it.

Time went by faster. He didn't even take a washroom break once he got lost in his book. For three hours, he continued reading stopping for a moment. He even ignored the calls he got from his friends.

However, his mom interrupted him in the middle. She had managed to find some time between her never ending work to make some snacks for Aruda because she thought he was studying hard.

"So you started lying to me like that just so you could avoid the household work?" Her mother gave him a deathly glare.

"But-"

"Fine, just go and continue reading your novel. I don't need anyone's help." Aruda's mother slammed shut the door and walked away.

Aruda hurriedly got out of the room and went to his mother who was working in the kitchen. She refused to talk to him but Aruda started helping her without being told what to do.

With Aruda's help, all the work got finished with an hour to spare before the arrival of Emily. His mother's mood had calmed down too.

"You are a good kid, Aruda. Just don't lie to me like this again, okay?"

"Yeah, mom. Sorry."

She let out a sigh and then said, "If you don't have any homework, go and finish your book before they arrive."

"Thanks mom. Love you." Aruda darted up the stairs and into his room, continuing the book where he had left it.

When only one chapter was left, he got interrupted again. The door opened and Jake entered his room. He was fourteen, two years younger than Aruda. His hairs were messy like always and brown in colour. The braces he had got last year made his face look more ridiculous.

Aruda looked at the time and realized that he had arrived half an hour early.

"Yeah, we arrived early. Couldn't wait to see your ugly face." Jack grumbled. He hated Aruda too.

"Hey! You are younger than me, so I spare but that doesn't mean you can insult me like that." Aruda warned.

"Ugh! Fine, whatever." Jake sat down on Aruda's chair, casually tossing away a novel that was placed on it.

"Hey! You're ruining the book." Aruda shouted.

"Just because the pages are torn a little doesn't mean you can't read it." Jake casually replied.

"Shut up. You won't understand." Aruda wiped away dust from the cover of the novel.

"I don't even understand why you read books. There are brilliant mystery movies too."

"Books are more interesting than movies." Aruda argued.

"I never understand you bookworms. How can you choose a book in which there are just words and no pictures over a movie in which you get to see every scene in front of your eyes."

"In movies, you just see what the director wants you to see but in books you make your own movie in mind and see it."

"I think we will have a better time together if you do your work and I do mine." Jake said, taking out his phone.

"That's the only intelligent thing I have heard from you." Aruda buried his eyes in the novel.



All the hopes Aruda had of spending a better time with Jake had been lost. He silently picked on his food while his mother continued talking with Aunt Emily. Finally, he grew tired of listening the two women argue about different brands and went to his room. Soon after that, Jake entered the room too.

"What do you want now?" Aruda scowled.

"Spending time with you is better than hearing those ladies argue about brands. Just do whatever you want to do." Jake said.

"Fine." Aruda picked up another book from his bookshelf and settled down on his bed, flipping through pages.

"Do you never check your phone at all? No curiosity about seeing if a friend has messaged you or not?" Jake asked.

"My friends don't even care about me unless they need help with something. Just let me read in peace now." Aruda muttered.

The room became quiet for the next half an hour as both Jake and Aruda remained busy in their own world. However, all of a sudden, an earthquake took place.

"What was that?" Aruda asked.

"I don't know." Jake got up from his seat and looked out through the window. There was chaos on the streets. People were running here and there, occasionally bumping in each other.

"Why are they running like that and.... Oh, my gosh!"

Aruda and Jake looked in shock as a house in front of them turned in a patch of forest.

Suddenly, Jake leaned on Aruda's shoulder.

"What happened, Jake?" Aruda demanded.

"I don't know. My head is spinning. I am feeling drowsy and-" Jake collapsed on the ground.

"Are you okay, Jake?" As soon as Aruda's hand touched him, Jake got awake all of a sudden.

"What was that?" Jake shouted.

"What?" Aruda asked.

"That sudden bolt of energy you just gave me which made me wake up."

"I don't know what you are talking about?"

Before Aruda could give it a further though, a bright light blinded both of them. When their eyes opened, they were lying on a forest floor.