Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel (11 page)

“It‟s over now, dude.” Neel said quietly, hugging him back. “And I really just want to
forget about it.”

 

“Right, let‟s forget about it.” Aryan agreed, clapping him on his back as they finally
stepped into the house.

 

They went into the living room, where Neel‟s mother sat flipping idly through the
channels.

 

“I was wondering when you were going to visit.” she said, smiling up at the two boys as
they entered. “Hello, Aryan.”

 

“Good evening, Auntie.” Aryan replied with a smile. “I wanted to come yesterday, but
dad said I should let him rest.”

 

“Well,I‟m glad you‟re here now. Neel was so bored sitting in the house all day he went
out alone to the bridge today.” his mother said.

 

“It wasn‟t that bad.” Neel said quickly, and then changed the subject hurriedly. “Let‟s go
see how Priyanka‟s doing.”

The two made their way to the terrace. The sky had darkened and the street lamp on the
corner of the street was turned on, allowing a solitary spot of light on the street in front of the
house. The two made their way to the ledge separating the house from the one next to it.

“Priyanka!” Aryan called out to the other side of the terrace.

 

A few minutes passed, and then Priyanka appeared at the door of her terrace.

 

“See, Aryan?” she called out as she came towards them. “I told you Neel was fine now.”

“
I know, I was just telling him, two days in the hospital and he comes out looking he‟s
been on a holiday.” Aryan said, shaking his head in wonder as he seated himself on the ledge
between the two terraces. “Even after being taken to the hospital in an ambulance and
everything. And all those bandages!”

“Precaution, just precautions.” Neel repeated firmly. “They were just making sure I was
completely all right. And I am.”

 

“Right.” Aryan swung his leg over the ledge and sat balancing himself on top of it. “And
now he‟s getting a week‟s holiday because of it.”

 

“I know, I told him,I‟d be so bored if I had to stay at home for a week.” Priyanka said.
“Not having anything to do but watch TV.”

 

“I‟ll be doing plenty more than that.” Neel said absent mindedly.

 

“Like what?” Aryan asked him, his eyebrows raised.

Neel was silent for a moment as he stared into the distant horizon. Aryan and Priyanka
were the two people he told everything to, even some things his mother did not know about.
Now he had a secret that was not his to tell. He could not tell them the truth about the
accident. He could not tell them about Project Alpha, or about Doctor Fahim and the others.
He could not tell them what he had seen and done that day. For a moment he felt a return of
the loneliness he had felt yesterday.

“I meantI‟ll probably study a little on my own too.” he said finally.

 

“Of course you will.” Aryan said, patting his shoulder sympathetically. “That‟s what I
tell myself every time I stay home from school, too.” Neel grinned.

“And
of course, we know Priyanka has been programmed by her teachers to fall in love
with her school.” Aryan continued, grinning at her as she rolled her eyes.“She‟ll probably
marry it when she gets older.”

“Honestly,I can‟t understand why you two don‟t like school.” Priyanka protested.
“Don‟t you ever have any fun their? I have tons in mine.”

 

“Oh, we have fun.” Aryan said matter of factly. “But we also have Ticolo.”

 

“And Mam Awasthi.” Neel added.

 

“And lessons.”

 

“And those stupid guest lectures Mr. Ojhakeeps putting up.”

“Basically, we‟d love school if it only involved meeting up with friends and playing in
the field.” Aryan said. “It‟s when the teachers expect you to pay attention in class that we feel
they begin to expect too much.”

“Well, the lessons are hard, but I‟d go insane if I stayed in the house all day.” Priyanka
said fervently. Neel and Aryan knew why. Priyanka‟s mother was a kind woman, but she was
also a hard taskmaster, and Priyanka had to work alongside her every day on chores around
the house.

“You shouldn‟t grudge yourself a littlework.” Aryan said sagely. “Exercise is better
than that crazydiet you‟re on.”

“Oh
, come on!” Neel groaned “Again? What kind of a silly diet is it this time?”
Priyanka had been a chubby little infant, and her round, dimpled face still had her convinced
she was fat. Several times a year she started some form of a diet, and abandoned it almost as
quickly, her will not strong enough to withstand her mother‟s cooking.

“Just cutting back on my food portions a bit.” Priyanka said quickly. “It‟ll help me get in
shape. And you‟re no one to talk about silly.” she added with sudden spirit. “At least I don‟t
cry all the time.”

“Hey!” Neel said, stung.

 

“It‟s true.” Aryan said with a sad shake of his head. “I welcomed him back with a hug
just now, and he started bawling his head off.”

“I
did not!” Neel said, aiming a punch at Aryan which he dodged, grinning. Ever since
his infancy Neel had been teased about the fact that he cried too easily, with Aryan and
Priyanka frequently calling him a crybaby. On more than one occasion Neel had opposed the
nickname vehemently, bursting into tears in the process, which had unfortunately
strengthened their argument.

“At least I don‟t flirt with every girl I meet.” Neel said, and Aryan‟s grin faded.

 

“I don‟t flirt.” he said, blushing as he jumped off the wall.

 

“Tell that to Priyanka‟s friends.”

“Payal and Maya still ask about you, you know.” Priyanka said with a sigh. “It‟s so
romantic, the love they have for you.” she continued, while Aryan‟s blush deepened steadily.
“Like Archie and Betty and Veronica.” Two of Priyanka‟s friends from school had long
cherished a crush on Aryan, a fact that flattered and unsettled him at the same time. It was
one of the few situations where his ready wit deserted him, and he frequently adopted the
policy of keeping someone else close by and slinking away as soon as possible whenever he
came into contact with them.

“Look, I never even talked to them.” Aryan said defensively while
Neel and Priyanka
smirked at each other. “I just met them at thatparty on Priyanka‟s birthday. Payal had lost her
mobile and I helped them look for it. It‟s not like I wrote them poems or anything. I‟m not
Nitin.”

“I can see the scene now.” Neel said to Priyanka with a grin. “Aryan
, looking dashing in
his jacket. Payal sees him for the first time. Their eyes meet, and just for a moment they stop
breathing.”

“Do you want me to kick you?” Aryan asked politely. “I‟ll do it, too.I don‟t care how
sickyou are.”

“They come towards each other.” Neel said, jumping over to Priyanka‟s terrace. “He
whispers her name, which he knows because he‟s been following her like crazy on facebook.
The music grows loud, and the background dancers suddenly appear as they prepare for a
dance number, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai style.” Priyanka laughed as she leaned against the wall.
Aryan made a grab for Neel over the railing which he dodged.

“They come together again
after the dancers fade away.” Neel shouted, moving away
rapidly. “A fake, giant flower appears before their faces, and what goes on behind the flower
is only for them to know about.”

“At least I‟m tall enough to reach the flower.” Aryan remarked.

 

“Hey!” Neel said, stung for a second time. Aryan had touched unerringly on the spot he
was most sensitive about.

 

“That‟s true.” Priyanka said, laughing harder. “You wouldn‟t even reach her head,
Neel.”

“I‟m
been growing.” Neel said defensively, leaping back over the wall and standing
straight next to Aryan. Aryan was easily five inches taller than him. “Never mind.” he sighed,
drawing away again.“At least I‟m taller than Priyanka.”

“Actually, I think she‟s grown about an inch taller than you.” Aryan said mildly.

 

“No way.” Neel said in alarm. He jumped over to Priyanka‟s roof and stood next to her,
craning his neck as much as possible.

 

“Yeah, definitely an inch at least.” Aryan said, looking at them critically.

“She‟s got to be wearing heels inside her feet or something.” Neel said.
A sudden
suspicion came to him. Could the serum possibly have decreased his height? Of all the stupid,
ridiculous side effects…

The laughter gradually ceased and they fell silent as they sat together on the rooftop, as
they had done countless times before. It was a very cool and pleasant place to spend an
evening.

“Plum‟s not coming this year.” Aryan remarked. “He sent me a message on facebook.”

 

“That sucks.” Neel said. Again they relapsed into a lazy silence.

Aryan sighed,
leaning back and watching the moon above them. “You know, all jokes
aside, sometimes everything seems like such a drag. I was going over my mind trying to think
of somethinginteresting to tell Neel about school when I was coming over, but I don‟t have
anything. Just one boring day after another.”

“I know what you mean.” Priyanka agreed. “Summer term is always slow at school.
And the heat is horrible.”

 

Neel nodded, but he could not honestly agree. The last word he could use to describe
his life right now was boring.

But sitting in silence with his two best friends on the dark terrace was even less boring.
He could not believe he was realizing only now how much he had missed them. He had not
laughed so hard for days.It did not even matter so much now that he couldn‟t tell them
everything. They were still his friends, and the mere fact of their presence, teasing and
laughing, soothed him more than he could have put into words.

Neel picked up a loose piece of gravel. “I bet you can‟t hit the top of the telephone
post.” he said, handing the rock to Priyanka. She had extraordinarily good aim, a fact that
Neel and Aryan had learned the hard way in the past when they had played with marbles.

Priyanka grinned, taking the rock. “You
childrennever learn.‟ she said with a mock
sorrowful shake of her head. Holding the rock up she took careful aim, and a second later the
telephone pole rung as a tiny rock hit it dead centre on its top.

CHAPTER 5: Pushing the Limits

To a certain extent, the next day followed the routine of the earlier day. Neel arrived at
the pre-arranged spot in front of the government building, where the car with the tinted
glasses appeared, and he was again taken to the fire station by Captain Shukla. Another ride
at breakneck speed through the underground tunnels, and Neel found himself back at Swan
Labs. The two made their way to the main building, and were soon standing in front of
DoctorFahim‟s room.

“Good afternoon, Neel.” Doctor Fahim said, laying down the report he had been
reading as Neel entered the room with the Captain behind him.“I hope I find you well?”

 

“Yes, sir.” Neel came to stand in front of the desk.

 

“Well, we made good progress yesterday.” Doctor Fahim said.“We now have a much
more accurate idea of what you are capable of, and we can plan your training accordingly.”

He gestured to the C
aptain. “Captain Shukla will be in charge of your training, along
with Negi and Premi. They will work with you every day, and we should soon see some
progress in your skills. Do you have any questions?” Neel shook his head.

“Good
.” DoctorFahim said. “Then you should go to the training hall now to get
started. Divya will be observing your training sessions in case you run into any problems.
Best of luck, Neel.”

“Thank you, sir.” Neel nodded, and left with Captain Shukla. The two made their way
to the hall.

 

“How long will my training take beforeI‟m ready?” Neel asked the man striding
silently next to him.

“That will depend
upon you.” Captain Shukla said. “Some people pick it up more
quickly than others. If you pay attention, work hard, and keep on practicing what we teach
you, you should soon see a marked difference in your skills.”

“So, what exactly are you
going to teach me, Captain Shukla sir?” Neel asked him. He
felt that this form of address was distinctly a mouthful, but he could not think of anything
better.

“You can call me Arjun.” t
he Captain offered. Neel looked at him in surprise. The
Captain saw his expression, and the corners of hislips turned up in a small smile. “I can
assure you,Neel, I‟m almost as much at sea inthis business as you are. I‟ve had experience
in a wide field in my time of duty, but training a teenage Meta human is far removed from
anything I‟ve attempted till now.” He gazedseriously at Neel. “I‟ll try to help you learn in
every way I can, but I‟ll need your total trust and cooperation if we are going to make this
work. Can you give me that?”

The dark eyes were grave and earnest, and the young boy nodded slowly. “I‟ll try my
best…. Arjun.”

“Good.” Arjun opened
the door of the gymnasium. The instruments that had been in
the centre yesterday had all been pushed to one side, leaving a large space in the middle
empty, on which a practice mat had been placed. Negi and Premi were waiting for them on
the mat, both wearing loose exercise clothes.

“Good to see you again, Neel.”
Negi said with a smile, shaking his hand when they
reached thetwo. “I hope you can handle a little vigorous exercise. Now is the time to put
your abilitiesto work.”

“But don‟t let the
training intimidate you.” Premi said. His manner was still reserved,
but he gave Neel a small smileas he shook his hand. “This is just the beginning, and that is
always the hardest part.”

“
Doctor Fahim and Miss Divya Nayak will be observing our training sessions from
there.” Arjun told Neel, pointing towards a window at the top end of the hall. The window
was painted white and Neel could not see through it.“Just to check your progress, and to see
if there are any new developments in your capabilities.”

“Is that likely
to happen?” Neel asked, feeling slightly apprehensive. All the talk of
training was making him nervous. Even with all the exciting things that had happened
yesterday, he could remember that he had fallen down a lot, and though his physical prowess
had been impressive, his movements had not been marked by grace or agility. The matter of
fact way everyone was talking about developing hisskills couldn‟t hide the fact that he didn‟t
have any. Negi and Premi glanced at each other when he asked the question.