After having a quick shower I stumbled out of the shower room. I draped a bath robe around me and walked to my room and sat on my bed still trying to decipher what has gone wrong with me to behave this much dazed and fazed out just in matter of one day.

I towelled my hair slowly rubbing the thick turkey towel on my damp hair still mulling over certain facts.

After having done with my toweling spree I threw my towel over the cloth peg and let myself fall over the bed not minding my half clothed state.

Yeah still I am fully covered then what to bother.I stared up at the canopy which covered my bed beautifully.

After a whole day's running and chaotic frenzy lying on ones soft bed feels like reaching our safe haven or blissful encompassing state of warmth sprawling over me.

How much time passed like this, I never knew. At that moment nothing felt important. Only thing that mattered is romance going on between me and my blank state of being.

Just blankness,no perturbing thoughts,no good memories which will haunt you to death by mocking we are no longer with you. Nothing just complete vacancy.

Emotionally and physically I felt like I was undergoing a state of Nirvana.

But a loud knock tossed me out of the state of complete blankness.

I jerked up at the sudden impact that voice had on me.

It took me a few mts to decipher what is happening around me.

" ( Hey girl! what are you doing there? Are you at the service of - A demon known for sleeping six months at a stretch. Nothing could wake him up at this duration or time spell. So people who sleep with no awareness of what is happening around them is called they are at the service of Kumbakarna.- Do you have any idea who all are in wait for you) I heard Sarah's boisterous voice calling out for me followed by constant knocking on the door with the accompaniment of giggles and chuckles.

I pulled myself out of my dreamy haze and willed myself to stand on my feet.

When I took a look at myself on the mirror it hit me that I am still on my bath robe.

"Kat wait ! I am still in my bath dress. I need to change." I called out while looking at my reflection wearily.

I looked like a jumbled mess inside a bath robe with a tangled raven hair.

"Huh? Really? Seriously,you think we are very much interested in seeing your tangled up state. . ( Just open the door girl instead of fussing over nothing. If you don't open it ,we will burst this door open and will barge inside the room)Sarah declared threateningly.

" ( come Kichu)" I heard Sarah calling out impatiently for me by knocking the door and rattling the door knob with much annoyance.

"If you wanna see a ( ghost) then sure I will open the door right now. What say Lina?" I yelled out those words while tightening the knot around me.

"Yeah ,yeah ,I know how much of a ghost girl you are. Just open the door girl."Sarah yelled from the other side of the room.

I understood that it is a waste to argue with Sarah because she sounded high in her spirits and will do whatever that her unhinged and untamed mind chimed to her.

If I kept her out she won't allow me to get ready peacefully because of her critter crattering of words.

So it is best to let her in than talking sense into her already deaf ears that too with a door between us.

She cease to listen even when we talk face to face so it is impossible a task to resist her standing behind a closed door.

I opened the door with a monotonous expression.

" ( Now you got the peace you wanted) I asked not even for once letting my bored expression falter out of my face.

The look she gave me was priceless. Her hazel eyes seemed like it will any time fall out of the sockets from the way they bulged out like two multi coloured eggs.

She has big oval shaped eyes. Which is one of her beautiful and highlighting features.

"( what is this girl? What is the meaning of standing like this? Oh my God what am I gonna do with this girl? Move from the way girl)Sarah shrieked dramatically flailing her hands up in the air.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her animated expressions. Saffy who stood beside her mirrored my stance with a knowing smile.

"Saffy ( Saffy! If we let her go on her own she won't learn anything by her will. We should do something.)"Sarah mumbled looking at me rubbing her palms together in a scheming manner. Though she was conversing with saffy her ghastly glare was pointed towards me.

""( Hey! Are you done with selecting your dress?)Sarah asked suddenly pointing her index finger at me like she has got a (heavenly insight).

I shook my head to and fro indicating no.

Sarah scrunched up her nose and crinkled her eyebrows together.

"!( Good for nothing)Sarah commented on my procrastinating nature.

She shoved me aside from her way and barged inside the room with Safrina who remained a silent spectator all the time for the show Sarah served before her.

I staggered backwards at the impact of being shoved aside by Sarah. I leaned against wall supporting myself.

I slowly gained my balance and closed the door silently.

Sarah pulled up her Kurti sleeves for some intimidating drama effect and surveyed the room sometime before deciding to invade the closet like an elephant stampeding into a cane plant garden.

Safrina followed her suit while casting a mischievous smile in my direction.

I felt like scowling at her new demeanor which not at all suited her silent and calm nature.

I stood in front of the dressing table and took the body lotion and leisurely sat on my bed squeezing some lotion inside my palm.

I applied the lotion on my legs as they were inside the closet it won't look that awkward.

I did my job silently while taking occasional glances towards the closet from where some terrific noises of clanking of hangers and crashing of some boxes could be heard intermittently.

I spread the lotion on my hands and sat their rubbing on my arms like a granny rubbing her Ayurvedic oil for cramps on her affected area.

Why I feel this weird, I dunno. But nowadays I feel too old a bloc to find romantic and blissful scenario in the placed situation ,I am in ,other than such funny comparisons.

After what I felt like a whole eternity Sarah and safrin came out of the closet like triumphant warriors who had won the quest.

Sarah held a gorgeous outfit in her hand whilst Saffy held a box which contained matching accessories to this attire.

We Indian girls get dolled up in colourful and vibrant dresses if that girl is so much enthused in dressing herself like the beautiful doll she is. In my case it is a great and grand yay!! When it comes to getting dolled up.

I keep my accessories neatly inside different boxes which goes with different chudidhars.

So it makes my dressing up easy. Half of my time is saved because of this fact.

"You will wear this. Come fast and get dressed up."Sarah declared urging me to make it fast with getting dressed up.

Sarah and saffy sat on the couch and bed respectively discussing something regarding the reception they were planning for the guest whilst I walked towards my closet wondering why this family is so important to us.

My eyes widened when I saw the pathetic state,my once gorgeous walk-in closet has got transformed into after Sarah took control over the place temporarily.

My once neatly aligned chudidhars lay scattered and scrambled hither and tither like fallen warriors of panipat.

My accessories were thrown out like the boxes beholding them has got some diarrhoea or vomiting spree.

? ( What have you done Lina. Have your senses gone for a long vacation that you did all this?)" I yelled at Sarah storming out of my closet like a possessed banshee.

Sarah was talking and was laughing at something. When she saw my wired up state her smile faltered from her lips and frown overtook a fair share of her face.

I kept my hands on my hips and stared down at her with brooding anger at the thought of spending a whole night clearing the place and retrieving its lost glory.

"Do you have any idea how much time I had spend on sorting my accessories and dress neatly into a glorious look. Now for all the help you have done I will sit here the whole night and rot by restoring it into its previous position. What is the bloody need for you to rummage my dresses like you have gone crazy? For receiving whom we are dressing up like the fools we are? I don't understand the logic behind all that is happening here? You guys have just gone nuts for doing so." I unleashed my bubbling anger and frustration upon Sarah callously not even for once thinking how my words will affect her.

Safrina was trying her best to keep my mouth at check by keeping her finger on her lips indicating me to keep quiet. But I conveniently chose to ignore her pleading looks.

Sarah's face hardened and she remained silent not even for once blinking away her glaring at me.

"I thought you to be my sister and everything related to you as mine. So with that authority I did that. Sorry I never knew that you thought otherwise about me. .( It is entirely my fault)."Sarah said not even for once losing her calm composure yet a sharp hidden dagger of accusation jabbed my being when she said those words.

Her eyes held a pained look. After she came to our home as Ahaan's wife I never made her feel or look out of place or someone out of our family.

We always were careful to acknowledge her feelings before whatever stuff we do.

I understood that my hasty and nasty words had managed to inflict pain upon Sarah .

Remorse flushed over me when I realized What I had done to Lina with my mean and selfish words. I felt ashamed of my action. I tried to cover up my behaviour with smooth talk with her.

"I didn't mean that Kat. You are my sister. I never thought it otherwise. Please! Don't mistake my edgy behaviour for something ,I am just tired of everything. Sorry if my words did hurt you" I apologized while taking her hands in my hands.

She simply looked at my torn face and in a blink her face transformed into a sly smile while her eyes gleaming of mischief within it gloriously.

I felt a bit baffled by her sudden flip of demeanor.

She flared up her nostrils with a mischievous smirk and signalling something at saffy with a side glance she pulled me down towards her side.

I fell next to her on my bed still clueless of what her screwed up mind was up to.

But for sure nothing good will ever come out of her in my favour but mischief and pull up stunts.

"" ( what do you think of yourself Rani Mangamma? Only you are capable of acting talents here? We too know darling how to showcase our talents in a flawless way.Saffy dont you think this girl is going overboard fussing over nothing for quite sometime ? I have a remedy for her this nature. So shall we start with our treatment sis-in-law?)"Sarah said all this wiggling her eyebrows menacingly enough to scare good living lights out of me.

"What?" I snapped at her indignantly while scooting towards the bedpost.

"Just laugh Pearl. It is gonna be a long time since we had seen you laugh whole heartedly. You always seemed to be in some thoughts or the other which apparently brings out the unseen smoke curls from your skull. Please leave that stupidity and laugh with a happy heart. Just for our sake"Sarah said explaining all this while holding my cheek with her hand and her features softening a bit.

"She is right Pearl. You need to laugh and smile more often. I don't like this complete serious side of yours. I miss that innocent smiling Kichu of our family who will never cease to bring a happy smile on anyone with her soft childish ways. Come back Pearl. We need that pearl. Not this serious looking gran. There is still time for you to wear such expressions when you grow old but now it is your time to enjoy life rather than enduring the burdens life offers." Saffy backed Sarah's statement with a feeble smile crackled out of her face.

I held a defeated stance when I heard this from my sisters. I, in all honesty have no idea where that happy kichu has gone. It is not like I was always happy and contended with the way my life moved.

Still there was always a room for chirpiness within me. I used to wear the masquerade of a happy go lucky girl before my cousins.

But now I forget to serve that purpose of making my cousins happy with my tomfoolery ways.

"See, I am in no mood to laugh or smile. First off so many things are happening around me with me as a silent spectator forced to do things which I am not at all in favour of or comfortable with. That is not the way I chose to live my life. Also Steeve is not behaving himself lately when he is around Kanjan and that gives me creeps and willies beyond anyone's wildest dreams. So I can't just sit and laugh like an idiot because things are not at all turning out in my favour." I said pressing my temples thoughtfully. Even I could feel how contradictory and hollow my statement came out to be.

Actually I hid a major portion of my worry over the food poisoning issue as Jayashankar uncle warned me to keep my mouth shut against spilling a word to anyone regarding today's interrogation and also anything related to kids there.

So I just scraped out and served Steeve's part before them which I very help fully kept buried with in me.

It did worry me to some extend till I made sure that Kanjan is getting acclimatized to Steeve's company. Apart from instinctive skepticism I don't feel it as a precarious problem to be sat before a round table just to discuss and worry over it.

Sarah just regarded me briefly for a moment before voicing her thoughts.

" You are just making ado of nothing Pearl. I think you are just picking on to your mind and inflicting pain upon you just for the sake of worrying. I don't find any of the reason you dished out before as genuine or ample for a girl of your age to worry. If Steeve finds happiness in Kanjan's company what is it for you. He is a young boy and such attractions are prone to happen. Also Kanjan is a beauty of a girl.Any man will easily fall for her and fight the world for being friends with her. So why cant Steeve do that. You are just exaggerating things so you can worry over and have a small pity party in your mind's darkest corner."Sarah chided me in a rather accusing tone while aligning each and everything I told her as a reason for my worry.

She also let me know that it was she who entrusted Steeve with the job of befriending Kanjan. She wanted Kanjan to get over her phobia for being around men. So there was no other better option than starting the music class with the soft fragile string that is our Steeve. He is really good and possesses immense patience around ladies especially a girl like Kanjan.

And things are very much turning out in our favour as well. Kanjan responds positively around Steeve and that is a good sign.

I nodded simply still mopping over other stuff.

"It is a waste to talk some sense into her. She won't come our way. So it is action time now.Have it your way pearl."Sarah said with an evil smirk on her face while wiggling her fingers towards me mischievously and my innards did a dangerous flip flop at her this demeanor.

"No! Kat ! It wont do that good if you dare to tickle me okay" I yelled while tumbling myself like a curled up ball and stumbling out of the other side of the bed swiftly within seconds .

I held out my hand before me shielding myself and preventing Regelina and saffy from attacking me with their tickling frenzy.

"Today you won't escape from us sweetie!"Sarah said scratching her cheek with her thump like a villain in movies and walking towards me with slow and intimidating steps.

I took the shelter behind the bed post with a screech.

Saffy giggled seeing my plaintive condition.