Alex:

"Bloody hell! Did you read this?" Jordan suddenly shouted to Matthew who wasn't even in the room. He had yesterday's newspaper in hands and was staring at it with his mouth agape. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he would have nearly fell down if it was not for his hands clutching the sheets tightly. I wonder why he was reading about yesterday's paper and not today's...he was weird like that.

I buttoned my shirt up and turned towards him, "If I remember correctly, Matthew went to bathe just five minutes ago."

Jordan looked at me and gave me a look. He then thrust his hand forward with the newspaper held out to me. I raised my eybrow but took the newspaper from him. There, on the front page of the newspaper, in big bold Italic letters, it was written, A huge article followed the headline, but I didn't have time to read it.

I handed the newspaper back to him, as Jordan looked up at me expectantly. "Should we be worried?" I said without looking up at him. I purposely emphasised "we".

His mouth fell open and he stared at me like I was joking. He shut his mouth quickly and a fierce look crossed his deep brown eyes. "How can you be so cold in time of a crisis like this?"

I stared at him with disbelief. "Since when did the things that the government does with these Indians had been a crisis for us?"

"Since...since..." Jordan tried to form a meaningful sentence but then stopped. A look of confusion passed his face and then he shook his head with force. "Never."

Well that was utterly...not normal. I slipped my coat on and stared at my reflection in the shiny mirror. Why did Jordan look so uncomfortable and more importantly, why should we be worried? It wasn't--

Ah...how can I forget? The answer came to me without even asking him.

That Indian creature of a woman was the reason. And why was Jordan worried? Not because of the tax, not because of the woman...it was because of Matthew.

Matthew. That crazy young man who fantasies that Indian woman. I nearly snorted at the fact but held it back in time.

That fellow fell for an outsider withing a week. This crazy little fantasy which was seriously taken out of some popular novel. Those books have seriously corrupted Matt's brain. He has no sense left at all. He's read so many fantasies that his own life has become a fantasy right in front of him.

An Indian girl and him? His brain had been knocked off his head, I was sure of that.

"Uh...Alex? I think the daggers which your eyes are sending to the mirror can be collected. We can sell them and gain money. Nice thought, no?" Jordan joked, breaking my thoughts.

Then what he said sunk in. My head snapped towards him and I narrowed my eyes. Before I could make any snide comment, the door opened and in came Matthew. A look of clear distraught was visible on his face as he walked towards the chair and grabbed his coat.

Jordan opened his mouth to say something, probably to tell him about the news, but Matthew beat him at it. "I know! I know what happened, alright?"

I was stunned to the core. He-he never talked like this unless and until he was very upset. Since when did Matthew become so...rude? Jordan's eyes widened and his jaw unhinged.

Silence followed after that until, he collected his cool and shook his head at the crazed fool.

Without another word, Matt left the room with a loud bang of the door. Jordan looked at me for an explanation, but I just shrugged to him.

To him.

But I knew the explanation quite clearly. He was seriously worried over that creature. That Indian woman had literally clouded his brain.

The idea of him and that creature was so absurd that it was actually funny.

"Alex, let's go downstairs. We're already late for college." Jordan told me as he grabbed his tail coat. He had a smug look on his face which implied that he was none too pleased about his friend's behaviour.

I nodded at him and grabbed my work case, in which I kept the necessary college related items.

Jordan left the room without saying another word. As I locked the door, I heard a faint sound of people shouting.

Walking down the stairs, I realized that there was a crowd of people standing in front of the office building, next to the apartments.

When I looked at the people, I stopped dead in my tracks. My mouth fell open and there was nothing that described what I felt.

A group of shabby and poor looking Indians were screaming on top of their lungs in some Indian language. They looked like they were protesting because they repeated their words every single time.

And standing in front of the crowd, was none other than the infamous, Anvesha Anand.

Draped in a green cloth (I think it is called sari, but I'm not so sure) and a bag hanging from her left shoulder, she looked fierce. Her deep black eyes glared at the huge building with coldness and immense hatred. She had her arms crossed in front of her and her stature showed how confident she was about what she was doing.

In that very moment, for the first time ever, I felt intimidated. That Indian woman intimidated me, Alexander James Stewart.

I caught my jaw and closed it before a fly decided to nest in my mouth. I had to move. I'll miss college. I couldn't wait here and see what happened to these people who were allegedly protesting. The reason was clear; yesterday's tax increase. What else could it be? This was the only thing that could have troubled these Indians.

I knew only one thing, the end of this strike won't be very good. I gulped and with last lingering look at the croud, I to walk off to the alternate gate.

I didn't even wall two steps when another voice spoke. My feet froze to the ground. I heard the sound of him. Sound of Matthew asking everyone to maintain silence.

I turned around and saw him. He was standing with his hands held up to shut everyone and a stoic, yet worried expression on is face. Everything changed when he looked towards her. Anvesha. His face softened all at once and he lowered his hands. I didn't know why, but at that exact moment my mood crumpled.

Matthew reached her and his mouth opened to say something. But he was cut off by her. She silenced him with her hand, just like he did moments ago. She began talking, or rather shouting although I couldn't make out what she was saying.

I knew I couldn't just bare to stand here, so instead of leaving I walk towards them. With my case on hand, I slowly neared them.

Of course, where there's trouble, the presence of the Alex Stewart is absolutely required.

"...take our rights away from us, do you understand me? This is our country, our country!" Anvesha shouted at the poor Matthew. The people behind followed and shouted something like"Hamara buharat" in chorus.

Matthew flinched and I saw something flash in his eyes before it disappeared. How can this woman insult my friend, who was only trying to her? It was appalling.

I think it was time I intervened.

"Geez, woman. Calm down, will ya'?" I said smoothly.

Her face snapped towards me. It was as if something struck her, because her whole body stiffened. I'm not so sure what it was, but I am sure that I saw an indecipherable emotion flash in her widened eyes. But it was gone before I could find a meaning of it, because then her eyes became hard and stoic. Cold vibes seemed to be radiating off her.

She looked away. "I don't have time for you all." She said venomously, yet silently.

And I didn't say anything. Yes, I, Alexander Stewart, had my tongue bit off and fed to the unknown, because I didn't even try to argue. I was shocked at my own self.

She turned towards the group of about fifty to hundred and said something. They nodded to her and began chorousing their chants.

Anvesha completely ignored me and Matthew after that. I looked away from her possessive stature and turned towards Mat. I was about to say something snarky about Matthew's "courage" to go up to a group of wild protesters, but I held it back when I saw him.

Matthew looked broken. His shoulders were slumped and a crestfallen expression convered his face. Those eyes were filled with sadness.

I growled silently.

Foolish, imbecile young man!

Anger flooded through me at his blindness. I grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out with me. He followed without even protesting.

Once we reached our drive, I turned around and shook him. "Why are you being so gullible, for Jesu's sake?!" I shouted at him.

At that moment, he snapped out of his reverie and looked up. Hollow blue depths stared back at me. He looked like a lost child. I turned around to see a smirking Jordan sitting comfortably in the car. I narrowed my eyes at him and his smirk slipped off his face.

Then all of a sudden, Matthew opened his mouth. "I know what to do." He said silently, his hands clutched by his side.

With the last look towards me, he turned around and marched off with an apparent authority, towards the office building. I tried to reach out to him, but he wasn't paying attention.

I rushed after him without saying another word. I heard a car door shut behind us, and within a minute, Jordan was beside me.

"What do you think he is going to do?" Jordan asked me, concerned.

I gave him a look, as if he had just asked me the most bonkers question of the century. "Something bizarre, obviously."

Jordan shook his head at me. Matthew passed the protesters without even a second glance. And that's when the reality of what the lunatic was trying to do sunk in.

The guards let us in. Matthew strode past them without a greeting.

The fool was going to get himself in trouble and I was sure of that.

And what did he plan on doing? Matthew was trying to reach his father on this matter.

Jordan must have realized the same because then he fastened his pace and grabbed Matthew by his arm. His death grip didn't go unnoticed. The impatient man frowned at his friend. "Do you realize what you are going to do?!"

Matthew was ferocious. He glared coldly at Jordan and said, "Leave me. I know what I'm doing! Don't you dare tell me, you cowards."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Shock flooded through me. "Cowards" ?! We?

Jordan's grip on his arm loosened. For a moment, hurt flashed in his widened eyes. Matthew saw this. He hesitated and then pulled his arm out of Jordan's arm.

"You know you can't do anything, right?" I said silently, although the anger in my voice was hardly hidden. "Some things are not in our hand; they are bound to happen. Our fathers' may be in the council, but that doesn't mean that they would be able to change anything. Crisis like these have been going on for years, you think that by your outburst in front of your father would change anything? No, my friend. It would worsen everything. Tell me, when your father gets to know about your fantasy-" I scoffed "-what would he do?"

Matthew stared at me, his anger visibly gone. He opened and closed his mouth to speak, but he was left speechless. His eyes filled up with immense helplessness as his conscience soaked the truth. Guilt spread through me for saying the unspoken facts aloud. He looked away and then walked towards the alternate gate. His shoulders were slumped.

We followed him silently to our car.

I groaned at this situaton and asked Matthew to sit in the car. He followed my instructions, still looking like a swollen duck.

I peeked from the parking lot at the protesting group. Guards had finally come to action. Anvesha and a British guard seemed to be in a heated argument.

Something withing me said that I should go there, that I should help those people...but then a thought came into my mind and I realized what Matthew must be feeling right now.

But why should I care? These people are under our rule, so they should learn to deal with the changes in society.

Right.