ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇꜱ | Republished ✓

18. Oopss! Sorry!

Escaping is an art. The art that is rarely learnt!

Karna was still suspicious. His instincts were telling him that someone was here who was watching him.

Advika noticed his expressions which were changing from confusion to suspicion. To a stranger he would look at ease, but to her he seemed tensed. No, not tensed...stressed. He was stressed. His eyes had slight crinkles around them and his jaw was tensed. Advika wondered what was the reason, behind this sudden stress. He was at ease when they were shopping for vegetables.

" Why are you so stressed suddenly?" asked Advika, all of a sudden.

" I still think we are being followed or rather someone is following me!" replied Karna.

Karna was not shocked that Advika had picked up his stress. She had been his friends for years, so she can read him pretty well. He can read her just as well.

Arjuna was the one who was near the couple. No one wanted Jyesht to recognize their elder brother Yuddhisthira. So as a precaution they had changed places. Which turned out to be a good thing, as he watched Jyesht and the lady turn away from the crowd. They were going in a different path than the one they followed today. He followed them and signaled the same to his brothers, who were all keeping a distance.

Arjuna thought about what he heard. The lady apparently knew their Jyesht very well, as she had picked up on their eldest brother's stress. And his brother was one very experienced and commendable warrior as he picked up on being watched a lot of times. They have narrowly escaped each of the times. None of them still knows what their names were though.

He wondered what the couple would be doing now.

"Ab kaha ja rahe hai ye log? (Where are they going now?) " asked Bhima, irritated. He was very hungry.

" Haa, that's enough for today! We should go back now!" said Yuddhisthira.

" But..!!"protested the twins and Arjuna.

"No. We already know that Jyesht is an exemplary warrior. He has experience, which shows as we have had narrow escapes from the morning. I nearly got caught. I am not following the plan anymore! We can get to know him after he wins the Kala pradarshan. " said Yuddhisthira sternly.

"Parantu bhrata hum to unka nam bhi nehi jante! (But brother, we don't even know his name!) How sad is it that we don't even know our Jyesht's name." complained Nakula, with Sahadeva and Arjuna nodding along.

Yuddhisthira sighed at the troublesome trio. Can't they not give him a headache, once in a while? Then he realized he has an elder brother, who will deal with the troublesome trio..in the future! He smiled happily. His mood turning positive again.

"Bhrata? " asked Arjuna, a bit confused at Yuddhisthira mood swings. He was scolding them a few minutes ago and now he is smiling!

Yuddhisthira looked at them and scowled.

"Thik hai! (Alright)If you get caught don't blame me. But be back by sandhya kal! Bhima, are you coming?" grumbled Yuddhisthira.

Bhima nodded at Yuddhisthira. He was rather hungry, so he will return to the palace with his elder brother.

"Be careful! Don't get caught!" cautioned Bhima, before both the brothers left.

Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva looked at each other and grinned. They turned back, following the path that their eldest brother and his lady friend took.

They followed the path to a forested area, near a temple. All three blinked.

"Ab kya kare? " asked Sahadev.