(Book 2) Hayden Mackay and The Tears of the Maiden

21. Good Bye, My friend

The very night I wasn't able to sleep. First I presumed it was just because of we were sleeping in a new place (guest room of Sharad's court) we weren't accustomed to but then on thinking deeply it was regarding the promise that doctor had given to Pruthvi, the promise to help him bring back his sister. I turned around and looked at him. He was right next to me, sleeping soundlessly and looked rather relaxed. I was happy for him that he might get his sister back now that doctor decided to help him, but somewhere there was a twinge of jealousy creeping upon me.

My heart ached even on thinking that I was related to Shashi, but it didn't seem to be a matter to Doctor at all. Had he not seen my anxiety? Wasn't it his responsibility to sooth me and make me contented? May be I was expecting too much out of him. Whatever might be the reason, he behaved as if my feelings didn't matter to him at all.

I love my mother, I don't deny it but I was angry on her too. She had been lying to me all those years. Which son doesn't even know his mother's full name? Now I wondered if atleast my father knew anything about her. All those times of the day we had spent together in our gym, talking all rubbish we couldn't talk before my mother, never ever it occurred to him that he should tell me something important that I was so required to know. I turned around my head again, now looking at the ceiling hidden in the dark.

Frustrated, rubbing back of my neck, I got down the bed and quickly walked outside the room. It was so chilly even inside the court. I did not forget to take my jacket with me. I was walking down the hall carefully as it was dimly lit. I passed Princess Lithika's room where she, Celina and Leena were sleeping. I wanted to talk to someone, but there was no one I could settle to. My brain was so disturbed that I thought to use my stone to see the girl again and if possible pour my heart on to her. But she wasn't even real. She was just imaginary.

As I walked down the lane towards the main entrance I heard low sniffing sound beside one of the pillars. I alerted myself before I took a look. Thinking about my stone I carefully walked over, only to find out that it was Leena who was sitting on the floor beside the fireplace, her head placed upon her knees.

"Leena," I called, "Are you okay?"

She quickly sat straight and wiped all of her tears before she turned towards me. "Hayden, what are doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I asked her back, "All alone in the dark? Are you... crying?"

"No, of course not."

"And you should not. Your tears are precious, aren't they?"

She smiled forlornly. I sighed. May be the person I needed to talk to was her. I pulled my jeans up and sat down beside her, placing my back against the pillar.

"I never imagined my tears can actually cure some dangerous virus. Dhanunjay was right- there are many things in this world we don't know about."

"True," I said even though I didn't know when Dhanunjay had said that, "We didn't even know anything about our parents. How can we expect to know anything else?"

Her features hardened and she looked away. I know this was a sensitive topic, but I still went on watching her wiping her cheeks.

"Did you have a chat with Lithika?" I asked her.

She nodded. "She is more devastated than I am. Atleast I was given an opportunity to stay with my parents for few years."

I swallowed, nodding to what she said.

"How can they do this to me, to Lithika?" she continued, "I am not saying King Aghasthya did anything on purpose, but he shouldn't have separated our family."