Neel Dervin and the Dark Angel by Neeraj Chand Page B

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