Days passed, and their hunt continued, but they couldn't find her.
They decided to check the CCTV cameras, hoping for any clue. The footage showed the last time Maya and Tara were talking—and Natasha was behind them, wearing an annoyed expression. That was when suspicion fell on her. They saw her in canteen.
They confronted her.
"Where is Maya?"
Natasha laughed, taking it as a joke. "You should search in a forest… or in the ocean," she said mockingly. Then she smirked. "Or maybe at a funeral."
Tara's blood ran cold.
For a second, she didn't breathe. Then her hands started shaking.
"What did you say?" she whispered.
Natasha shrugged, still wearing that careless look. "Relax. I was just joking—"
That was it.
Tara snapped.
She stepped forward so fast Natasha barely had time to react. "JOKING?" Tara screamed. "MY FRIEND IS MISSING!".
"She was walking beside me. She was laughing. And now she's gone."
Tara let out a cold, broken laugh.
"Haha… is this funny to you?"
She stepped closer.
"Go on, Natasha," she said quietly. "Hahaha. Laugh now." "You think you can joke about forests and funerals when she could be—". Have u got any shame.
Natasha stepped back, fear flashing across her face.
Tara raised her hand.
For a terrifying second, it looked like she really would hit her.
"ENOUGH."
Vedh's voice cut through the chaos. He stepped between them, not touching Tara, but blocking her path.
"Tara," he said firmly. "Look at me."
Her chest heaved. She was shaking, crying, burning with rage.
"She deserves it," Tara sobbed. "She deserves every bit of it."
Vedh didn't argue. He only said quietly, "Hurting her won't bring Maya back."
That stopped her.
Tara's raised hand slowly fell. She turned away, breaking down, her rage collapsing into helpless grief.
Behind them, Natasha stood frozen—no smirk, no jokes—just fear.
Because she had seen it.
Tara hadn't been pretending. Leave now! Tara yelled at Natasha.
Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair, then sat into a chair. "Ooo, good!" she muttered, slamming the table. Vedh flinched at the impact.
After a moment, she stood. "Let's go, Vedh."
He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't eaten anything. I'm hungry. Let's eat, okay?"
"Arghhh!" Tara groaned and sat back into the chair. Vedh gave her an innocent, puppy-dog look. Vedh had ordered her favorite food. She hadn't eaten anything for the past two days, stubbornly denying it—but she won't stop anyone else from eating. So Vedh pulled this move hoping she would eat atleast now.
The food arrived, and Tara peeked cautiously at the dishes.
"Do you want to share?" Vedh asked.
Tara shook her head slightly.
"Oh, never mind," Vedh said with a small smile. "You won't eat until your friend is found, right?"
He handed her a tissue.
"For… what?" Tara asked, looking confused.
Vedh pointed to her mouth. Water was dripping slightly. Soo I thought you meant need it. Tara rolled her eyes and grabbed the tissue. "Whatever," she muttered, and rested her head on the table.
After a while, she woke up a little and peeked at the food again. Slowly, she noticed Vedh staring at her, smiling.
"Why aren't you eating?" she asked.
Vedh yawned. "I forgot… actually, I already ate," he lied. Then he glanced at the food. "Now I don't know what to do with it…" he said, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Mmmm," she murmured, giving in to temptation.
Finally, she slowly got up and grabbed the food quickly. "Okay… I'll have it," she said, starting to munch happily.
She couldn't resist—every dish was her favorites. Vedh let out a soft chuckle, seeing her in a hoodie and slurping noodles. She looked like a tiny, adorable baby and he couldn't help but smile—but the worry for Maya still sat heavy in his chest.
Tara was eating when a little bit of food fell on her clothes. She didn't notice, but Vedh let out a small sigh.
"Shh," he said softly.
Vedh quickly offered him a tissue.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"I'm I drooling again ushhh!!" she said, puffing her cheeks with full of food and takes the tissue.
Vedh facepalmed and laughed. How could someone be so cute and funny at the same time dude!!
Tara gave him a confused "Huh?" look.
"Your dress," Vedh said teasingly.
"Oops! Didn't notice," Tara replied innocently. well clearly said Vedh
"Heyyy, shhh stop!" she said as Vedh continued teasing.
"Okay, okay, go on," he said, laughing. "And thank you so much for finishing the food, Tara. I don't know what I would do without you." While chewing, Tara raised her hand and gave him a mock blessing. "Bless you, my child!" she said in a funny, dramatic way.
After a pause, Tara looked at Vedh. "By the way… Vedh, what happened to Lav? He's nowhere around college. I tried contacting him, but no reply. Did he tell you anything?"
Vedh shook his head. "Well… I don't know. I called him too. I was just waiting for him to come to college and help find Maya with us, but he's nowhere. I even visited his home, but he wasn't there either."
Tara frowned, processing the information. And then a question crept into her mind. Did he ... no. No, he won't he's a nice guy she reassured herself silently. They began searching again. This time, they were pasting missing posters of Maya, including their contact numbers in case anyone spotted her. The posters also mentioned that anyone who helped find her would be rewarded generously. After pasting posters on streets and walls, they were tired, but they didn't give up.
They decided to take a short break and sat down. From afar, Vedh noticed a man who caught his attention. Maybe he knew something, he thought, and approached with a small hope.
The flickering streetlights made it hard to see him clearly. His back was facing Vedh. Dressed entirely in black, a tall, muscular figure, he was smoking near a car and speaking on the call.
As Vedh got closer, he could hear the man's words more clearly—he was cursing someone on the call. Vedh slowed, trying to catch every word.
Hearing footsteps, the man suddenly turned and gave Vedh a sharp, piercing look before shifting his gaze away. He could see Vedh clearly, Vedh was standing under proper light, fully exposed.
"…You fucking people can't even take care of a teenager. What for? You're all so useless, such bastards!"
Vedh's suspicion grew instantly. Could this be the person who had kidnapped Maya? He quickened his pace, determined to reach him.
But before Vedh could get close, the man slid into his car and drove off, disappearing into the night.
Vedh ran after the car. "Stop! Stop! Hey, stop!" he shouted.
Through the side mirrors, the man smirked and press the accelerator and drove fast. Vedh got frustrated and stopped.
Before he could react further, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
"What?!" he yelled, but there was no response.
"Are you going to speak today? Oo gosh… come on, speak up!" he muttered, turning around.
Only to see Tara, the anger in his eyes faded the moment he saw Tara, it was replaced by a gentle softness.
"Hey, I'm… sorry, Tara, I was a little frustrated—" Vedh began, but his words cut off.
Behind Tara, a figure appeared. Vedh pushed Tara slightly aside—and there she was Maya.
She looked utterly exhausted. Her white, long-sleeved gown was messy, and she held a bouquet of flowers tightly.
Maya tried to speak, struggling for breath. Finally, she managed two words: "Save me…" and then fainted.
Vedh and Tara caught her just in time before she hit the ground.