Alexander:

I watched as the British sailors, officers and some women and children as they walked through the stairway joining the ship. Some had a dazed aura around them, and some looked disgusted as well as curious, don't know where they were setting their feet.

Jordon thumped his right foot on the ground impatiently, as his eyes searched the hordes of people for his own mother and ours.

I turned to look away from when when I suddenly caught sight of a woman dressed in subtle colours. It could only be...

Mother!

The child within me urged my body to reach out to my mother and embrace her with all the longing that had filled my heart for the time I was away from her, but I didn't as I felt the gaze of my father on me.

My mother's green eyes searched the crowd for us, and when she finally located us, I saw her eyes shine brightly, some tears at the edges.

My heart thudded in my heart as she approached us with her short, careful steps on the deck, an escort carrying her luggage behind her.

I didn't even pay attention to the other women following her lead, probably my friend's mothers as my eyes were only on my own mother whose eyes were gradually threatening to spill the tears they held.

"Mother." I greeted her. But that was not the only thing I wanted to do. I wanted to jump in her arms, enveloped by her floral scent and loving arms.

"My dear son, you've grown!" My mother wondered as her eyes searched my face. I watched as she clutched her arms to her side, not wanting to disappoint my father as he was not a great fan of display of affection in public.

I couldn't keep it anymore so I bent forward and pulled her in my arms, feeling my father's eyes bore in my head. My mother let out a surprised squeal before she hugging me back.

"You've not changed a bit, my boy." Mother whispered with humour in in my ear, referring to my habit of disobeying father.

"In that matter, I won't ever change." I whispered back to her

"I have a surprise for you." I pulled back from her as I was suddenly filled with a childish excitement.

My mother said nothing, but I heard a slight clearing of someone's throat behind me. I turned around to face whoever interrupted us when I came face to face with my best friend.

Amelia!

Her lips turned into a shy smile and she curtsied. "Alexander". From her golden hair, to hear beautiful grey eyes to the dimples on her cheeks, she was exactly the same like I'd last seen her.

My heart felt like it would burst any second from the joy I was feeling at this moment. I bowed and muttered a greeting to her, but in reality I just wanted to pull her in my arms. It had been so long since I'd heard from her. The letters never reached me at correct times and neither her.

My mother feeling the need to meet other people, left us both at the edge of the dock.

"How have you been, Alexander?" She asked my as she played with the edge of her glove.

"What is this with all the formality, Amelia? Or is this not the same Amy I'm talking to?" I joked to her, but felt a slight confused when I saw her cheeks dust with a red which wasn't there before.

"I-I just--" Amelia was abruptly cut off when her hand was grabbed by a dazed Jordan.

My eyes widened slightly at this and his appearance which was totally dishevelled. Dear Lord, the boy was even breathless.

Amelia giggled slightly and politely taking her hand away from him, she curtsied.

Jordan shook his head as if clearing away the daze and spoke casually. "Amelia, it's been a long time."

"It has. You haven't changed a bit." She answered him, as she seemed to be studying something behind him. The exchange between them, even if short, seemed tense to me. Like it held some sort of unsaid truth.

I have no reason why, but I always felt that Jordon liked Amelia, romantically. Maybe it was because he always let Amelia cheat in games when we were small or maybe it was the stolen glances at her I noticed him take, when we all were on the brink of coming out of teenage.

Instead of saying anything, I left them to greet each other or whatever Jordan seemed to be itching to say and walked towards Mrs. Amanda Wedlock and Mrs. Lena Hemmings.

***

Anvesha:

My eyes snapped open when I heard a rustling sound beside me. I searched the area, as a little squirrel rushed away from me. God knows how much the little creature scared me at this point at night.

I was sitting somewhere in the forest behind my home. It was a quite holiday time and I was reading my new novel by a Bengali writer when I had fallen asleep.

I got up from the floor and picked the blanket I had laid onto the floor. It was getting colder and colder as the days of October flew by, November paving it's way slowly. My birth day fell on the departure of November; none too soon, none too far.

I wondered if father would be home by now, seeing as it was already past evening and into the night. I really shouldn't be here, as much as I loved the trees and the nature, a night in the forests was just not desirable for me.

I hurriedly started moving towards my house, not looking sideways, scared of what I might see.

There wasn't anything to "see" actually, but the fears of the mind controlled the human heart.

I reached my house in a matter of minutes. I walked into the unlit house and took a lantern from the door. I lit it up with a matchstick and set it in the middle of the veranda, hoping it would light the whole house. It didn't.

I heard some shuffling outside the house and soon after, heard my father's voice. He seemed to be talking to his driver.

I quickly went into the kitchen and poured some water in a steel glass. Then I heated the food I made earlier and took both of the things outside. My father came in soon after and greeted, asking me about my day.

One thing I noticed was a change in my father's demeanor. He wasn't looking at me in the eye and was keeping his replies, short and to the point.

It bothered me.

"Papa, is something bothering you?" I asked him slowly, not wanting to get him upset if there was something there already to do that.

My father stopped eating and stilled. He then moved to the other side of the courtyard to wash his hands. The food was barely eaten.

I didn't speak further as I waited for my father. He came and sat down on the charpai.

"I met Roy today."

How could I not know that the man would be behind this...I thought as I sighed and stared at the floor as I waited for my father to continue.

"The man told me that his son was ready to marry you and we should call on a pandit to get a good date for both of yours marriage."

All Bengali, Hindi and even English curses I knew seemed to be coming at the tip of my tongue, but I bit it from saying something I regret.

Why wouldn't that man understand that WE WERE JUST NOT INTERESTED?!

Even my father made it clear that he wanted nothing to with that man anymore!

"What did you say to him, Papa?" I asked calmly, even if it was anything but calm I was feeling.

My father brought his hand forward as he rubbed his eyes, his hand pressing down on the middle of his nose.

"I said nothing Shona. I was caught by surprise that the man was still thinking about that, I was rendered speechless. Then before I could say anything, he excused himself and left."

The urge to hit that man with my chappal was overwhelming, but neither the man was here nor would I be able to do that anyway.

"So, Mr. Roy thinks that I'm marrying his son?" I spoke with clear venom in my voice.

"I'm afraid."

I wanted to run away and scream as loudly as I can. Frustration was clawing at my chest.

My father said nothing more and I excused myself.

I entered my room and changed into my night clothes. I slipped into my bed and stared out of the window, thinking of ways I would be able to get out of this situation.

My father would not be able to say a clear "no" now because that man would think that we were leading them on and he would spill this to other people, mostly the people who worked with papa. That would cause problem in my father's trade and I would not want that.

I didn't want to think anymore. I shifted my eyes to the table next to my bed when the journal of Gayatri Devi caught my eyes.

The book strangely seemed to remind me of Alexander, which was not so strange because he gave it to me but the fact that it reminded me of him. Yes, that was very strange.

For a slight moment, I thought about what Alexander might be doing right now. And as soon as the thought came to my mind, it went away, leaving me with a slight fluttering in my heart which scared me and a sense of astonishment that I would actually think that.

Why was I thinking about him in the first place?

I shook my head which felt light and shut my eyes tightly, clearing any thoughts of him as possible.

This was so wrong at so many levels.

For the second time today, I sighed with frustration, but this time with a totally different reason.

***

A/N-