“I have lived two lives, separated by a dark rift that stretched down to the abyss. Days I do not wish to return to under any circumstances. My time in the dark did many things. None was more impactful than the rift it created between my two identities. When I finally crawled my way out, I finally found myself at peace. But the world hadn’t forgotten who I was before, nor did it want me to forget. I am Monica, a simple naïve town girl, and I am also Arora, the Lady in White, whose well-intended actions have left behind a disgraceful legacy.”

***

August was coming to an end, yet the monsoon rain didn’t seem to be done quite yet. It had been raining on and off for weeks making lives for everyone a bit more difficult. The atmosphere had changed similarly with clouds covering more of the day, leaving the city sinking in dull grey gloom while everything around was drowning in rainwater. But Monica liked it. She sat up on her bed, which lay right beside the window in the hall and looked out at the world outside. Nothing had changed. It was raining as it had for weeks, and the city that she could see from atop the hill on which her house stood looked like a painting painted entirely in shades of grey.

Monica shared a small yet cosy house with two roommates. It sat on the second floor of a three-story building, owned by a strict traditionalist family. It consisted of a small hall with two single beds, each other lining two adjacent walls, a kitchen with just enough cookery to get a day by, a single bedroom which was occupied a mattress on the floor and was pretty much the dumping ground for the girls’ belongings, and a bathroom, despite its small size, was neatly organized and well maintained. Meanwhile, the two roommates she shared the house with were unsurprisingly the same ones with whom she shared her office cubicle.

Her name was Geetha. She hailed from the eastern city of Badri. A town girl since birth, she shared a lot in common with Monica. From a more conservative outlook in life to a proper traditional appearance, one can easily tell that she is not a city girl. She boasted a dark complexion and short brunette hair to match. At five foot three, she was just an inch taller than Monica but was much chubbier. Despite her reserved appearance, if there was one thing that stood out about Geetha, it was her attitude. Monica is and always has been an introvert but occasionally is willing to put her neck out and see the world outside. What is occasional for Monica, is daily life for Geetha. She learnt a valuable lesson early in life, if you want to be taken seriously, you have to make them do it. Nobody ever underestimates her and those who do always pay for their mistake.

On the other end of the spectrum was Aarathi. If Geetha was a traditionalist, Aarathi was westernized. A city girl who hailed from the metropolitan of Raibhar; on the surface, Aarathi was everything Geetha wasn’t. A few words that are used to describe her would be bold, confident, and ambitious, all fitting names but in actuality, she shared an attitude very much like Geetha. She too had a dark complexion like Geetha but was much slimmer, or rather fitter. Aarathi skipped no steps to make herself stand out, including pretty-ing herself. She hit the gym every day, not to be healthy, but to make sure her shape never waned. The room was flooded with beauty products much of which belonged to Aarathi. While many women in her office wore modest clothing, Aarathi always sported a formal shirt and skirt which were tight enough to flaunt her curves. Even the boxy glasses with a thick frame only bolstered her appearance. But at heart, she was no different than Geetha which is why despite their differences, she never had any trouble living under the same roof.

Monica had gotten her morning routine down to the teeth. It never changed, whether it was a weekday or a weekend. Her peers found it endearing except for one, who found it exceptionally annoying. It wasn’t even seven and the house was flooded with the aroma of coffee. While Monica used an alarm to get up every day, she used the smell of coffee to wake her roommates up. Usually, this would happen after seven when she would return from a daily round of jogging or in her case sprinting. But with rain making the jog wet and uncomfortable, she had to make do with a round of daily exercises.

“Screw you Mon…” said Geetha still huddled up in her blanket. Monica quietly smiled at the comment as she continued with her exercise.

The girls generally rotated their chance to occupy the room. This week it was Aarathi; which meant Geetha, and Monica slept on the beds in the hall. Monica would be more than happy to take the bed next to the door for herself, but she learnt it is better to follow the rules of others at times to keep everyone happy.

***

“It is not going to stop raining. We will need to book an auto,” said Monica.

“Alright…” Aarathi replied. She pulled out her phone and began typing away on the screen, “I will book it.”

They stood on the balcony watching the rain trickle down the roof above as they waited for their auto to arrive. Monica leaned over the parapet, quietly absorbing the sombre mood before Aarathi cut in as she rested her arms on the parapet. “So… in a few days, it will be six months. How has the journey been?” she asked.

Monica smiled softly and thought for a few seconds before replying, “it’s been good. When I first arrived, I had no idea what to expect. So, in a way I walked into this job blindly and that turned out be a good thing.”

An auto appeared at the opening of the road. They watched it huff and puff its way to their house. As soon as it stopped before their home, Aarathi’s phone buzzed. “That is ours,” she commented. Before long, they were on their short journey to the office. Memories flooded Monica as she quietly sat in the auto. She remembered her first few days in the city in vivid detail.

***

She had lived most of her life in a small town which sat on the highway that connected two big cities, one of which was the metropolitan city of Bombay or what Monica now calls home. She was used to big streets and heavy traffic being allocated to one side of the town. However, when she arrived, all she could see were roads and vehicles everywhere. Even when she reached the outskirts, the suburban area where one expects the city life to slow down, seemed to be alive night and day. Never had she seen so many people of different races and cultures mix and mingle the way they did in the city.

She had come with a proper plan, the first step of which was to find a place to stay temporarily. She had no relatives to speak of and thus had to search for a hotel to stay in. It spooked her just thinking about it. For someone who lived a relatively closed-off life, being thrown out into the world can be an overwhelming experience and for Monica, it sure was. Yet, she had grown a lot over the last two years and ever-changing life is something she had gotten used to. The one constant she had in her life was a familiar place to live in. But when an opportunity to leave presented itself before her, she took it without a second thought. She wasn’t entirely sure why. No, it wasn’t that she wanted to cut ties, but perhaps to loosen their grip on her. Whatever may have been the reason, she was looking for a new place to call home.

Her first ride took her around the city, through the ring road where the industrial sector, or more commonly called Rajeshwari Nagar, was located. The name comes from the founder of the famous Degree College, Mata Rajeshwari. She saw the enormous campus as she entered the sector. She had once applied to complete her degree in computer science, but with a rank of five thousand, she never stood a chance. The vast empty plains of the city outskirt were quickly replaced by large stretches of concrete buildings. As they got closer and closer to the destination, the taxi weaved through the matrix of roadways, cutting the city up into blocks. She had arrived at, what was going to be her new workplace. She took a good look at it as they passed by, an enormous white block of a building.

They drove on for another two blocks before stopping in front of a small lodging. ‘Anand’s Lodging’ was the name on the board that sat atop the entrance. It was a narrow, five-story building that was neatly tucked between two other lookalikes buildings. She took some time to do her homework before arriving and this was one of the places that popped up on her search and with good reviews. It was all she could depend on right now. The outside was mostly tinted glass and it looked well maintained. She paid the taxi driver, who drove off after dropping her luggage at the reception. A woman sat at the counter where Monica was to check-in. As the receptionist took her time to book a room, Monica took a few seconds to look around and inspect the lobby. It was small as expected but well arranged. A sofa set was placed just before the receptionist with a red carpet covering the ground beneath it. To its right were two elevators while the left housed the stairs.

The receptionist handed her the key to room two-zero-five, a room on the second floor. She quickly made her way up through the elevator and into the room. Along the way, she caught glimpse of the maid tidying up a room on the same floor. She took a sneak peek at her room, through the half-open door, before entering. She sighed in relief as she looked around the small yet comfy room. It was lit by a dull white florescent light. The walls were painted in a shade of tan while the wardrobe that stood just by the entry was covered in dark brown wood tile. The single bed was tucked to the right of the room where it hugged the wall. There was a small table sitting right next to the bed and a window above it, but it was blocked by the adjacent building making it practically useless as a source of light. The bathroom, much like the room, was tiny but decent. It was a bit cramped but nothing she couldn’t adjust to. In the end, she was satisfied with the place that she would call home for the next few weeks.

She had three days before she was to first visit her office. This extra time, she gave herself, was to be spent exploring the city, adjusting to the new place, and more important look for a new place to live at. While she got around to exploring the city, the other two tasks weren’t completed successfully. As an introvert who constantly suffered from homesickness, Monica never thought a day would come where she would voluntarily choose to leave home and move far away. Yet here she was. Far from home, in a foreign city. She had spent the day travelling, checking into a hotel, and exploring the neighbourhood, trying to create a sense of excitement to suppress the constant anxiety. She looked for places she could visit repeatedly, places that would become a new familiar for her. It wasn’t a very successful endeavour. Familiarity takes time, it cannot be forced upon. This was something she had failed to understand.

When the first day came to end, she sat on the bed quiet as a mouse. ‘It is… something,’ she told herself. Her heart had sunk into her chest and its void was filled by something cold. The longer she stayed still, the more unwanted thoughts made their way into her mind. In response, she quickly fell back onto the bed and decided to sleep through her feelings. But it did not work. It was not the feeling of new that disturbed her, but it was the thought of not being able to go back that pricked her in her heart. The mixed feeling of sadness and anxiety kept her awake. There were many moments when sadness overwhelmed her. With all her might, she held it back. It was something she was used to. She had faced many such inner conflicts. Some days she won, the other days, they won. Tonight, was yet another victory for her inner thoughts as she felt herself drown in the ocean of sadness which ultimately poured out of her through her tears. She tried to contain them; this was such a silly reason to do so. Yet, she couldn’t help, so she let it go. She let all her emotions show and they were ugly. Though she hid them from the world, it was enough for her to accept them. It wasn’t long after that that she slipped into slumber.

It was morning when she awoke up again. Her eyes had swollen up and her face felt a bit sweaty. Her throat had dried up and she felt extremely thirsty. Her body ached as she tried to get up, yet despite all that, she sat on the bed with a soft smile on her face. Her heart felt lighter, and her mind was clear of any thoughts. Her heart was finally at peace.

***

The office building was a huge white cuboid, about four stories tall and one twenty feet long. It was surrounded by a strip of asphalt pavement which was thicker on the westside which was also the docking area. Trucks entered and exited the warehouse through the west gate where the workers worked twenty-four-seven loading and unloading the cargo. While the east of the building housed a small section of office space for the management and its employees. The section was separated from the warehouse cargo area by tall rustic walls. These walls also made sure to not let any noise from the machinery on the other side disturb the computer and paper workers. A small door sat at the west corner which led to a common area that housed a small canteen for employees from both sides. The office space itself was divided into two with a layout of glass-walled cabins occupying the space at the entrance. A narrow hallway cut through them before opening up into an array of cubicles.

The bitter taste of the coffee lingered still on her tongue as she settled down at her seat. Aarathi much like their manager, Dinesh, got her own cabin, while Monica shared with three others. Usually, the entire space would be well lit by the morning sun, but the cloudy weather forced the occupants to turn on their white lights even during the day. Monica hated this more than anything about rainy days. Everything felt artificial and turned off her mood instantly. Even the taste of morning coffee didn’t help in this case.

She quickly went through her mails, only to find herself free of any work at the moment. Much of the new mails were junk while the logs she submitted yesterday are yet to be reviewed. The office was only just filling up with people and Dinesh wouldn’t arrive for another half an hour. She could quickly hop over to Aarathi and get the logs reviewed, but as much studious of a person people believed Monica to be, she was equally lazy and willing to take the opportunity to skip work. She leaned back on the backrest and popped open her phone. Browsing the apps, she quickly opened up a sudoku puzzle and quietly began whiling away her time with it.

***

Eleven rolled in by the blink of an eye and Monica found herself drowning in work yet again. All four corners of cubicle were now occupied. Monica took the corner next to the entry which faced the outer wall that had a giant paned window. Geetha sat on the other side of the entry while the two boys, Pritham and Rahul, occupied the corners in the back. The whole place seemed to have quieted down as people got busy with their work. It seemed like it was going to be like any other mundane day at work, that was until someone tapped on her right shoulder. She turned around to see Pritham with his office chair right behind her.

“Wassup?” Monica greeted.

Pritham quietly handed Monica a large book which she took posing a curious look on her face. She took a good look at the front cover and quickly recognized the lady on the cover. “Is this…?”

“Yeah,” Pritham interrupted, “The lady in white.”

“Where? Who? So many questions!” Monica exclaimed softly.

“Even I was shocked when I saw it. I was just pursuing through the store when I saw it,” he explained.

She felt butterflies in her stomach while her heart sank a little. She felt a flurry of emotions that overwhelmed her momentarily. All Pritham saw was a big smile on her face as she flipped through the pages.

“Crazy, right?” Pritham asked.

“Yeah…,” she responded.

“You know much about her?” he asked.

“Not a lot. Only from news.”

“Come on. From what I remember, she first appeared in your town.”

This wasn’t entirely right. Monica hailed from Kollam, a town that was surrounded with four other smaller towns. It was true that the lady was first spotted in these towns, but no one can confirm where exactly.

“Not really. But I stayed in my room most of the time. So…” Monica replied.

Pritham remained quiet for a moment before saying, “you can keep it.”

Monica quickly grew suspicious, “What? Why?”

“I didn’t plan on buying it for myself. Thought it was something you would enjoy.”

“Oh, man. What is the price?” she asked.

“There is no need. I already read through it,” he replied before getting back to his computer.

Monica snorted. “Well thanks. Will return it once I am done.”

“No problem,” he replied without looking back.

She took a good look at the lady, or whom she knew as Arora. The illustrated seemed to have got almost all the features right. From her white matte outfit with dull black accents to her short hair that flowed down to her shoulders. There were, however, some creative liberties taken. Monica distinctly remembered her outfit looking more like armour while this version seemed to have been made of spandex. However, the change that annoyed her the most was the height. She always dreamed of being tall and looking imposing. Naturally, seeing a five-foot ten-inch model in her place should have made her day. Instead, she found herself feeling upset for she felt like an imposter had taken her place.

***

Lunch usually started around one in the afternoon. All the workers from the warehouse and the office employees would flood the canteen, bringing whole place alive. Which is why Monica and her gang delayed the lunch until everyone else wrapped up and got back to work. This usually took around half an hour to an hour and they had adjusted their schedule accordingly. Most of the days it was just the five of them occupying one of the bigger tables at the canteen. Some days Dinesh would join them too, but today he was preoccupied with meetings.

The girls and Rahul bought home-cooked meals. Before Monica arrived, Geetha and Aarathi had no experience nor any interest in preparing their own food. Monica on the other hand always preferred home-cooked meals. It took some effort on Monica’s part to convince the others, but so far, they had no complaints. Rahul, meanwhile, had his wife cook for him.

Pritham walked back to the table holding a plate overflowing with food. He set it on the table carefully before taking a seat beside Monica. He noticed how she seemed to have been absorbed into the book. “Man, you can’t put that down, can you?” he commented.

Monica didn’t reply but it caught the attention of others who had already taken notice of it but didn’t comment. “What book is that?” Rahul asked first.

“It is a comic book. About the lady in white,” Pritham answered.

“Seriously? Her?” said Aarathi a little annoyed.

“Why are you so irritated?” Pritham asked.

“Not irritated. Straight up angry.”

All three were taken aback by her answer. “Angry? For what?” Pritham asked again.

“For bailing on us. You know the three months she was around, things changed, were changing. It looked as those everything was going to be okay.”

“And that was followed by a week of unspeakable violence,” Geetha added.

“Peesh,” Aarathi snorted, “fanatics. They didn’t care about her. They only pretended. Just to create havoc. And seeing them, she ran away. I will always hate her for that.”

“Ran away or…” Geetha added.

“You really think she died?” she Aarathi.

Geetha simply twisted her lips and became quiet. Monica, meanwhile, didn’t look away from the book but her ears were squarely focused on the conversion happening outside. She held the right half of the book in the air with the left half sitting comfortably on the table. Suddenly a knock appeared from behind the right side of the book. Even though she sensed it coming, it made her jump a little. She set the other half to see Pritham looking at her. “Can’t take your eyes off it for even a second?” he asked.

“Yeah… it is really interesting. Art is really good!” Monica explained.

“You should have seen her, right?” Rahul asked.

Before Monica could even utter a word, Pritham interrupted, “Oh no. They are from complete different towns.” She could make out the hint of sarcasm in his answer but nonetheless kept quiet.

“So, what is it about? Any real-life incident?” Aarathi asked chewing away at the roti (Indian bread).

“Not really. Unless we had an incident with a supervillain who can project illusions. Great story though!”

Monica’s short stint as the Lady was filled with adventures enough to make a book. But she couldn’t take her eyes off the alternate version on the pages. It felt so different reading about her and looking at things from the other side. She felt warmth and a feeling of relief like she was going to save the day no matter what. That feeling slowly turned to coldness as she wondered if she herself really made anyone feel that way. Aarathi’s words confused her more than anything. She could understand why she was so upset but felt helpless as she could not answer those questions.

“Excuse me,” Monica said and quietly stood up and walked back to her table.

“What is up with her?” Aarathi asked.

“Maybe she wanted to finish the book in peace?” Pritham replied.