The Search for Amairah - Prologue

I have been getting requests from readers for the sequel to "A Game of Chess." So here it is!

For new readers, the correct chronological order of the events in the stories is such:

The Story of Meera > The Girl Next Door > A Game of Chess > The Search for Amairah

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Meera tried to open her eyes. Her vision was hazy. She was naked, but she felt warm, like someone was holding her. She saw Kabir's face. His eyes were tearful. And the next moment, everything looked blurred. Meera was disoriented, but she could feel the warmth of Kabir's body, she could hear his heartbeat as he held her in his arms.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," a woman said.

"I am sorry Fatima," Kabir said, "I never wanted this to happen."

"I am not the one who needs your apology," the woman said, "Look what you did to her."

Meera felt his grip tighten and he held her closer. A tear fell from his eye onto her cheek. But Meera was still too drowsy to open her eyes or to speak.

"I'll...I'll do something...I'll fix everything...everything will be alright..." he said in a breaking voice.

"You have no idea about what they did to her," the woman said, "She is only alive because I've sedated her. Once she comes back to her senses, and learns the truth, I am afraid she will break to a point of no return."

"She is going to be okay," Kabir said desperately showering Meera with kisses, "I'm going to fix everything, I'm going to take her away...I'm going to take her home where she belongs, I will make sure, she is happy...I'll take care of her like a flower...I'll take her away from this hell..."

"Do you realize what that will cost you?" the woman said.

"I'll have to make sacrifices to atone for my sins," Kabir said tearfully.

"And what about her?" she asked.

"I'll make her forget," Kabir said, holding Meera close, "I'll make her forget all the bad things..."

Meera felt a needle prick her skin and a cold fluid rush into her veins, carrying her into a dark void.

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Meera suddenly woke up from her dream. She was sweating and her heart was beating fast. She took her prescription medications to calm her nerves.

She entered the bathroom and turned on a cold shower. She wept silently as the cold water ran over her skin. But the chill was nothing compared to what she was feeling after the dream. Was it a dream? Or another memory?

As she stepped out of her bathroom, she heard her phone ringing.

"It's over. He's found her. Alex is dead," Aryan said over the phone.

Meera hung up without saying a word. She knew this day would come. She knew Armaan is going to come to her house any moment now. She grabbed a pen and wrote him a note.

She opened her safe to the cash and valuables she owned, along with a hard disc and a pen drive. She packed all of these things into a bag and drove straight to Mithila's house.

She called up Mithila.

Mithila answered the phone. She didn't have Meera's new number and couldn't identify the caller. "Yes? Who is this?" she asked.

"Mithila it is me, Meera," she said, "I'm waiting outside your house. I need to see you urgently."

"What do you want?" Mithila said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Meet me, and I'll tell you," Meera said.

"I want nothing to do with you," Mithila said in a cold stern voice.

"One last time," Meera implored, "Please..."

Mithila was really upset with Meera. But she considered her request and walked down the stairs.

Meera was standing in front of the door, but she didn't ring the bell as she didn't want to disturb Anshul.

Mithila opened the door but didn't invite Meera in.

"I won't be here long, Mithila," Meera said, "Just wanted to talk about something important."

"So, talk," Mithila said.

"I'm leaving," Meera said, "I just came to meet you one last time."

"Leaving?" Mithila said, "Good for you."

"Armaan's found Pankhudi," Meera said calmly, "Now he'll be coming after me."

Mithila's mind was now suddenly clouded with fear. Her anxiety was clearly showing on her face.

"He might come after you too...which is why I need you to meet Armaan and give him this," Meera said, handing over a pen drive to Mithila.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A video confession from Alisha. This evidence will help reduce Neil's sentence or perhaps set him free," Meera said, "Trade it with Armaan in exchange for a promise to never harm you or Anshul. You'll find him at the City Hospital where Pankhudi is currently admitted."

Mithila was terrified at the thought of meeting Armaan. She knew how furious he was about Pankhudi and now there was nothing to hold him back.

"What if he takes it and still hurts us?" Mithila asked.

"Armaan is a man of his word. If he makes a promise, he will stand by it. And Neil wants to be with his daughters more than anything now, he too wouldn't harm a person who is helping prove his innocence," Meera said.

"What about Reyansh?" Mithila asked, "He is the one who is after my blood."

"That one is a remorseless character. He won't listen. But he will be dealt with. You don't worry about him. You'll never hear from him again," Meera assured.

Mithila just looked into Meera's eyes with a blank expression.

"I really don't think it will come to this," Meera said, handing over the hard disc to Mithila, "But if the men try to trouble you in any way, use this as the last resort."

"What is this?" Mithila asked.

"A huge collection of Pankhudi's videos," Meera said, "This is the only remaining copy. No one else has it. The content is explicit. If these are released, Pankhudi will never be able to live a normal life."

"Meera, you are such a bitch!" Mithila screamed as she suddenly became very tearful, "Enough is enough!"

"You don't have to do anything, as long as Armaan keeps his word," Meera said, "Like I said, this would be your last resort. Look Mithila, I am only trying to protect you."

"Go to hell Meera!" Mithila screamed, "How do you even sleep at night after the monstrosity you did to that innocent girl? You know what, take that filth with you back to whatever hell you came from and don't ever show me your face again!"

Mithila slammed the door on Meera's face. Meera felt deeply hurt, but she had no one to blame but herself. She looked at the hard disc in her hand that had the power to ruin a life. A tear rolled down her cheek. She slowly walked back to her car with a heavy heart.

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Meera got into her car and drove off. She dialed Suhail.

"I am sending you a photo and an address," she said, "The guy's name is Reyansh. Although he doesn't actually look like the older photo anymore, but you'll know him when you see him. He's got a skin condition."

"Alright," Suhail answered, "What do you want me to do with him?"

"Make him disappear," Meera said, "Along with his laptop, phone, hard discs or any other kind of tech that he may be having. Interrogate him regarding the videos of a woman named Mithila and make sure he hasn't got any backup anywhere. I just want all of that gone!"

"Consider it done," Suhail said.

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Next Meera called up Aryan.

"Meet at the exit point," she said.

She kept driving for a while and reached the specified location. It was a secluded warehouse. He was carrying two large bags in his hands.

He put the bags in the car's boot and got into the passenger's seat as Meera waited in the driver's seat.

"Sure no one is following?" Aryan asked.

Meera shook her head. "No tails, no trackers, I checked," she said.

Aryan noticed that Meera was tearful.

"You OK, Meera?" he asked.

"Mithila is mad at me," Meera said wiping her tears, "she said, she doesn't want to see me ever again. She says I am a monster because I hurt Pankhudi."

"Hey Meera," Aryan said, hugging her, "It's alright now."

"Even you told me not to hurt her, but I did anyway," Meera said, "Mithila hates me...I feel like I'm such a horrible person. But there was no other way I could get to Armaan...do you hate me too, Aryan?"

"No Meera," he said tightly hugging the weeping woman, "Like I said earlier, this was your fight, and I have no right to judge you."

Meera wept for quite some time. Aryan comforted her.

"That's your money right there," Aryan said referring to the bags in the car's boot, "You got enough to last a lifetime. You can now start fresh Meera."

"That's all of it?" Meera asked.

"No there's more, a friend is holding it," Aryan said, "Let's go and pick up the rest of it."

"So where are we headed?" she asked.

"Keep driving straight for 30km and then take a left," Aryan said, "We pick up the rest of your money and then we drive to a dock where a boat is waiting for you. It will take you to a safehouse and you will stay there for a few days till I arrange for you to leave the country."

"Alright," Meera said as she started driving.

"Meera," he said trying to cheer her up, "I might have some good news for you. It's just a tip, I am yet to confirm it, so don't get your hopes too high...but we have a lead."

"What is it Aryan?" she asked.

"That place you told me, Lahbab," he said, "Around 50 miles from that place, there is an orphanage named "Blessed Angels". If I remember correctly, in the vision you had about the child, the old woman, she kept saying, 'your daughter is a blessed angel'. I've asked my contact to find out about any hazel eyed girl child who lives there."

"Find my baby, Aryan. Then I am gonna go get her," Meera said, "She won't have to live in an orphanage much longer, her mother is coming for her."

"And mommy is one badass wildcat," Aryan said, smiling fondly at Meera.

Meera smiled back. "I really don't know about her father though," she said, "Her eyes looked so much like Kabir's, but I really don't know why he never mentioned anything about the child."

"Well," Aryan said, "Once we find her, you can always confirm with a DNA match."

Meera's eyes were tearful. She whispered a little prayer to God. "I can't wait for the day I'm gonna hold my little girl, my sweet Amairah," she said.

Aryan lovingly ran a hand through her hair and said, "I'll do everything I can to find her Meera."

"I want to know about Kabir too," Meera said, her eyes getting tearful, "I had this dream about him just before your call. It was so disturbing...there are so many things I want to know Aryan...like what exactly happened when I was a slave, what's the story behind Amairah's birth, why did Kabir help me escape, why did he leave his homeland for me, and who was he really?"

Aryan didn't respond. He didn't have any answer to her questions either.

"I am going to find out Aryan," Meera said, "I need to know."

"Are you sure it is worth digging up the skeletons of Meera?" Aryan asked, "Kabir just wanted you to be happy."

"He sacrificed a lot to help me escape," Meera said, "And he died trying to save me. I need to know about him Aryan, I need to know who he really was."

Aryan was quiet for a moment. He was thinking something.

"Did Kabir ever strike you as a medical professional?" Aryan asked Meera.

"He...was intelligent," Meera said, "And he did know his first aid well. But...I don't know, are you saying he was a doctor?"

"I don't know Meera," Aryan said, "My interaction with him was brief, and he wasn't from around here so there was no way I could find out. But when I went looking for Saloni and met Kabir's contacts in Dubai, they referred to him very respectfully, like he was some kind of a doctor...I don't know."

"Then why was he working as a bar waiter with me?" Meera asked, her eyes wide open with surprise.

"I don't know Meera..." Aryan said, "Perhaps he was trying to keep a low profile to avoid attention."

Meera continued driving through the quiet night. It was dark, and they had a long way to go. But Meera was feeling safe to have Aryan by her side. She knew he had planned a safe exit for her. She quickly glanced at him and smiled. But she noticed something strange about his expression. It was as if there were a lot of thoughts in his head.

"You OK Aryan?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine..." Aryan said, "I'm just thinking, how did Armaan find Pankhudi? Did you mention her location to anyone?"

"No, no, never," Meera said, "Only Alex knew, and the guys from our trusted circle."

"Did anyone enter your house? I mean did anyone put any bugs anywhere?" Aryan asked.

"No, I watched the cameras all the time," Meera said, "Even when Armaan himself was at my place, I had searched him thoroughly, no bugs."

"Why was Armaan at your place?" Aryan asked with a raised eyebrow, "And how did he get there?"

"I drove him to my place...I just wanted to...hurt him..." Meera said.

"You drove him to your house...you mean Armaan was in 'this' car?" Aryan asked.

"Yes..." Meera said, "Why? What happened Aryan?"

"When was this?" Aryan asked.

"Two nights ago," Meera said.

Aryan suddenly realized something and his eyes shot wide open.

"Meera," he said calmly, "Could you pull over for a moment?"

"Could you at least tell me..." she protested.

"Just stop the damn car!" Aryan ordered.

Meera pulled over the car and Aryan placed a finger over his lips signalling her to keep quiet. Aryan started searching the car.

"Aryan...what happened?" she asked.

"Shhhhhh!" Aryan said, placing a finger over his lips and shooting her a sharp look as he continued searching her car.

Finally, he found the audio bug under the passenger's seat. It was still active. Meera was horrified to see the bug. Aryan dropped the bug on the road and crushed it under his boot.

"Get in and drive," Aryan said with a sense of urgency, "Quick!"

"The bug was still active," Aryan said, "If someone was listening, they probably heard everything we've been talking till now."

"Fuck!" Meera said, realizing what her carelessness had cost her.

"Do you realize what this means, Meera?" Aryan said calculating the gravity of the situation, "You need to find Amairah before they do."

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The prologue ends here.

It could be quite some time before I return with the entire series. This series will go into the details of Meera's life when she was a slave. I hope to answer all questions regarding Kabir, Meera's child, and her escape.

Meanwhile, I'd like inputs from readers regarding any specific things that you'd want included in this story. If you have any particular fate for any particular character in your mind, do let me know.

The prequels have presented quite a moral dilemma, let me know your verdict.