techniques. I got the strong feeling that Tara wanted to make sure I didn’t cut of my own or anybody else’s parts while flailing around. I didn’t blame her but I would have liked to have learned some actual fighting.
Later that day Shiv came to get me and Tara and we met up with his parents at the main house, where dinner was waiting. Vikram asked me if I would like to shower and change before dinner and I gladly accepted. Tara took me upstairs and showed me to a bedroom. It was luxuriously decorated in deep purple and gold, a bit too rich for my taste, but beautiful nonetheless. There was an adjoining bathroom and I marveled at the huge shower as I stood under a jet stream of hot water. A bit later I rejoined the others downstairs, wearing my own clothes and feeling refreshed and ravenous. Dinner was a feast, with spicy, fragrant biryani, fried fish, assorted vegetable and a sumptuous dessert of rasmalai . I would have happily skipped the main course for the deliciously soft, sweet balls of milky dough swimming in clotted cream.
During dinner Vikram casually asked me questions about my childhood, the nightmares and everything that had happened afterwards. I couldn’t help but feel he was not entirely sure I was the real deal. I didn’t blame him. I was still struggling with this new reality. I felt as if my old life had been replaced with this new one where everything was unfamiliar and everyone was a stranger. I missed Ben and all the fun we had together. I missed my parents. But most of all I missed feeling that I had control over my life. I hadn’t felt this out of control since I’d first started having the nightmares. But I had built a new life after that, found my tribe and was comfortable again. And then all this happened. And I had no choice but to deal with it. I forced myself to come back to the moment. Vikram was asking me something about my father.
“I’m sorry...I’m exhausted.” I really did not want to answer any more questions, but I also didn’t want to be rude, especially since Vikram was being such a gracious host. Luckily, Dev saved me from having to answer.
“Vikram, I think Callie has had a very long day. Maybe Shiv should take her home so she can get some rest.”
I could tell that Vikram wanted to continue, but he couldn’t really say anything without appearing insensitive.
“Of course, you must be well rested for tomorrow, Callie. You have much work ahead of you. Dev and Nina, I will have a car take you home later.” I thanked Vikram, said my goodbyes and then waited at the front of the house while Shiv pulled the car around.
Chapter Seven
The next afternoon I was looking at the sword in my hand as I stood in the huge training grounds of the Academy. It backed onto a green belt, so there was no chance of anybody seeing us. We’d been training for only a couple of hours and already I was exhausted. Tara watched me expectantly. Did she really think that I would just magically know how to swing the sword around? The thing was heavy.
“Callie, you have to focus. Watch me, remember the stances we went over, and follow my steps.” I watched as she jumped around the field, expertly wielding her sword as if it were a feather. I stepped forward, imitating the stance Tara had started with. I held the sword straight in front of me as she had shown me umpteen times then sliced a clockwise arc through the air. That didn’t seem too bad. I tried again. This time I stepped into it at the same time. Unfortunately, my hand forgot that it had to hold onto the sword while I was doing the fancy footwork and it slid out and into the air, straight toward Tara, who’d been watching me with a bored look. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid having her nose cut off.
“Callie, you have to hold on tighter. And you have to concentrate.” She was exasperated, as was I. We’d been working on this particular set for hours and I wanted nothing more than to rest my aching
Later that day Shiv came to get me and Tara and we met up with his parents at the main house, where dinner was waiting. Vikram asked me if I would like to shower and change before dinner and I gladly accepted. Tara took me upstairs and showed me to a bedroom. It was luxuriously decorated in deep purple and gold, a bit too rich for my taste, but beautiful nonetheless. There was an adjoining bathroom and I marveled at the huge shower as I stood under a jet stream of hot water. A bit later I rejoined the others downstairs, wearing my own clothes and feeling refreshed and ravenous. Dinner was a feast, with spicy, fragrant biryani, fried fish, assorted vegetable and a sumptuous dessert of rasmalai . I would have happily skipped the main course for the deliciously soft, sweet balls of milky dough swimming in clotted cream.
During dinner Vikram casually asked me questions about my childhood, the nightmares and everything that had happened afterwards. I couldn’t help but feel he was not entirely sure I was the real deal. I didn’t blame him. I was still struggling with this new reality. I felt as if my old life had been replaced with this new one where everything was unfamiliar and everyone was a stranger. I missed Ben and all the fun we had together. I missed my parents. But most of all I missed feeling that I had control over my life. I hadn’t felt this out of control since I’d first started having the nightmares. But I had built a new life after that, found my tribe and was comfortable again. And then all this happened. And I had no choice but to deal with it. I forced myself to come back to the moment. Vikram was asking me something about my father.
“I’m sorry...I’m exhausted.” I really did not want to answer any more questions, but I also didn’t want to be rude, especially since Vikram was being such a gracious host. Luckily, Dev saved me from having to answer.
“Vikram, I think Callie has had a very long day. Maybe Shiv should take her home so she can get some rest.”
I could tell that Vikram wanted to continue, but he couldn’t really say anything without appearing insensitive.
“Of course, you must be well rested for tomorrow, Callie. You have much work ahead of you. Dev and Nina, I will have a car take you home later.” I thanked Vikram, said my goodbyes and then waited at the front of the house while Shiv pulled the car around.
Chapter Seven
The next afternoon I was looking at the sword in my hand as I stood in the huge training grounds of the Academy. It backed onto a green belt, so there was no chance of anybody seeing us. We’d been training for only a couple of hours and already I was exhausted. Tara watched me expectantly. Did she really think that I would just magically know how to swing the sword around? The thing was heavy.
“Callie, you have to focus. Watch me, remember the stances we went over, and follow my steps.” I watched as she jumped around the field, expertly wielding her sword as if it were a feather. I stepped forward, imitating the stance Tara had started with. I held the sword straight in front of me as she had shown me umpteen times then sliced a clockwise arc through the air. That didn’t seem too bad. I tried again. This time I stepped into it at the same time. Unfortunately, my hand forgot that it had to hold onto the sword while I was doing the fancy footwork and it slid out and into the air, straight toward Tara, who’d been watching me with a bored look. She jumped out of the way just in time to avoid having her nose cut off.
“Callie, you have to hold on tighter. And you have to concentrate.” She was exasperated, as was I. We’d been working on this particular set for hours and I wanted nothing more than to rest my aching
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