The Dance

The school day went by like normal, well, the new normal, that is. Me alone and casted out from the group that I called friends and then giving me suspicious glances, now and then, every few minutes.

As I sat on the bus, dread began to fill my heart at the thought of going back there, back to him. Suddenly my thoughts came to a stop, as the girl with the Sweater, which is what I have decided to call her, sat beside me once again. It was just a moment of peace, before the wheel of thoughts started spinning on e more, making up speculations and theories about the reason for the sweater.

I knew that if I wanted to get any information, the time was now. After all, her stop came after me.

I decided a normal, typical small talk conversation should be the start.

Taking a deep breath and wishing myself luck, I started.

"Hey, I've never seen you before. Are you new?"

The girl with the Sweater looked at me oddly, as if I had said the strangest thing ever. She cleared her throat, and replied, in a voice I thought too gentle for her tall stature.

"No, I have just changed buses."

"What is your name?"

"It's Mohini"

"Nice to meet you, Mohini. I am Amba."

She looked a bit surprised at that.

"Oh, we are both names after gods."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Anyway, I had a question. Why did you change buses?"

"That is none of your business."

Now, I was truly curious. The reason has to be strange for her to not tell me. But if I wanted something, I would get it.

"Oh, but aren't we friends?"

"In what world do you live in? This is literally our first conversation."

"But look, our outfits match, without even planning beforehand, isn't that a sign that we are meant to be friends?"

"As if I wear this of my own accord."

She went quiet after having said that, almost as if she had said something wrong.

I was about to enquire further but exactly at that moment we reached my stop.

I got off the bus and walked the thin road leading to my house, almost in a daze.

What did she mean, 'not of her own accord '? Did someone force her? If so, who?

Boggled by her words, I entered the house, still pondering about the possibilities.

I took off my shoes and went to my room.

I started taking off my clothes when, all of a sudden, it struck me, the silence in the house.

Wearing home wear as quickly as possible, I raced to the living room and he was nowhere to be found.

And after confirming that fact, I couldn't resist.

I did a happy little dance, right at that spot.

And then couldn't help but feel guilty, my ma took her last breath here and I am dancing.

My mind turned itself on me and started scolding, telling me that I deserved the torture because my behaviour was absolutely disgusting.

But I knew, it wasn't true. I knew if my ma could see me then she would be happy to see the dance and would definitely forgive me for doing it at the spot of her death.

I went back to my room and to my my brain down something good, started on my maths homework.

As I was completing the last problem, the door banged open.

I jumped in my seat at the sudden loud noise and then froze. He was back. And he seemed to be in a very bad mood, given that door slam.

I couldn't breathe, my hands were shaking.

The air really had disappeared this time.

I tried to take deep breaths, to get oxygen in any way, but I couldn't no matter how hard I tried. My copy was becoming darker and the world was tilting.

I suddenly realised I was on the floor instead of on the chair, as the it chilled my cheek.

I still couldn't breathe and the world kept on getting darker. I couldn't move. He was going to hurt me. Someone help me.

The last thing I heard was a strange sound that I had never heard before, and then all I knew was darkness.

Pain was all I could feel, as he kicked me in the stomach, right where the bruise lay.

"Get up, you stupid bitch."

Another kick.

"Drooling on the floor, making it fucking dirty"

He grabbed my hair, and physically lifted me off the floor from it.

My head felt like it was splitting open, and maybe it was, I wouldn't know.

He dragged me all the way from my room to the living room.

Then threw me exactly on the spot where my ma had been killed brutally by him.

"You really like dancing, huh?"

All I could think was oh no he knows, how did he know? How could he possibly know?

That's when something glinted at the corner of my eye.

A blue light.

A CCTV camera. In the living room. Installed by him.

He installed a CCTV camera in the living room!

I couldn't believe the measures he had taken to make sure I couldn't escape ever.

The sound of glass shattering on the floor caught my attention.

I looked up at him, as he broke another empty bottle into sharp shards on the floor.

My mind worked faster than a bullet to understand what he was doing, and the result that came up, sent horror seeping into each of my pores. I was terrified to the very core.

He couldn't be serious.

"Since you like dancing so much, dance for me, why don't you?"

I couldn't believe it, this has to be a nightmare.

"I said, Dance Now"

With my entire body trembling, I got up.

He played some music from my ma's phone.

He didn't have one.

'Haan jab tak hai jaan jaane jahan'

I started swaying on the spot.

'Main nachungi'

"Dance properly, damnit."

I started swaying a bit more.

'Main nachungi'

He walked through the glass with his boots.

He pulled my hand and then I only knew pain.

"Dance now"

I swayed, the glass cutting my feet.

' Main nachungi'

I was slipping on my own blood, but I couldn't stop dancing, not as long as he was watching.

' Main nachungi'

I could feel each shard going into my foot, creating a new wound. The pain was indescribable.

'Pyaar kabhi bhi Marta nahin'

That sick bastard was smiling like this was the best performance he had ever seen.

' Maut se bhi yeh darta nahin'

Finally I could not longer take it, I fell to the ground. The glass cutting my hands and stomach, but I couldn't move anymore.

"Did I say you could stop, you useless girl?"

I heard him taking off his belt, and then I was engulfed in a familiar pain.

Lashes on my back, no longer made me flinch.

I lay there, listening to my ma's favourite song.

'Pyaar kabhi bhi Marta nahin,

Maut se yeh darta nahin'

I closed my eyes and while I could still feel the blood starting to pool under me, I focused on the melody and I could almost hear her singing along.

'Lut jayenge, Mit jayenge, Mar jayenge hum,

Zinda rahegi hamari dastaan'

And then I started singing, lost in my imagination.

'Oh Haan, jab tak hai jaan jaane jahan,

Main nachungi'

I could feel the sound of the belt striking off my flesh stop. I knew he was surprised, but I couldn't care less.

'Toot jaaye payal toh kya'

I could hear him retreat. Heard him close the front door after himself.

And I kept singing.

'Paon ho jaaye ghayal toh kya'