Page 124 of Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality
Aru frowned. “Mini? Brynne? I think you should come read this.” She looked around the room. “Where are the twins?”
“Gunky and Funky took them to get ice cream,” said Rudy.
“There’s no way I’m coming out there to watch you guys makeeyesat each other for five minutes straight!” shouted Brynne from the kitchen.
“We don’t do that!” said Aru.
You do, said Mini through their mind link.
Aiden pretended to be very preoccupied with Shadowfax.
It seemed silly to call Aiden her boyfriend when he’d started off as Wifey, so Aru had stuck with the latter. Her mom had laughed her head off at the notion of Aru and Aiden “going out.”
“Going outwhere?” Krithika asked with a cackle. “With whose money? You’re too young to have a boyfriend.”
Aru had glared and crossed her arms. “But not too young to be reincarnated? Or to fight a battle? Or literallyenterthis existence with someone who,thousands of years ago,was my actualwife?”
Krithika scowled.
“What?” said Aru, feigning innocence. “You said we should be more honest with each other. I’m telling nothing but the truth.”
“It’s a little too much truth for ten a.m.,” her mother had responded.
They had settled on a truce—supervised interaction. As in, no door closed at any time, absolutely no being “alonealone,” but most importantly…
“Just talk to me,” her mother had said. “Don’t hide things.”
Aru had smiled. “I won’t.”
She and her mom were getting pretty good at that. Maybe a littletoogood, considering the conversations her mother had been trying to have with her lately.
Aru opened the envelope. As she read the letter, she started to laugh. Brynne stomped out of the kitchen and grabbed the note from her. Mini hopped out of her chair, abandoning her standardized test practice session to read over Brynne’s shoulder.
I have come to collect my debt.
Did you think I would forget?
The time is now, the debt is called!
Ignore me and I will be appalled….
–V
***
A few hours later, the Potatoes exited the nearest portal and entered a dark forest. It was instantly familiar to Aru, even though she’d only been there once, years ago. She waited by the trunk of an oak tree until she caught sight of a line of ants.
This way, they seemed to say.
They followed the ants deep into the trees, where the great poet Valmiki was waiting for them. He looked just like he had when Aru and Mini first met him and ended up granting him the right to tell their story. Valmiki glared as they came into sight. He adjusted the huge scarf around his neck and lowered his reading glasses.
“First things first,” said Aru, lifting her hand. “Icannotspeak to you in iambic pentameter. I’m in high school. And I’m in Otherworld training. So, I’ve got, like, three brain cells left, and it would take at least four for me to come up with rhymes.”
Brynne snorted. “I think you’re being generous about the three, Shah.”
Mini mumbled about the anatomical absurdity of Aru’s statement. “You’re literally born with billions of brain cells, and they’re all linked through millions of synapses—”
Valmiki sighed. “Fine, fine. Tell me your tale! I was always curious about whether good or evil would prevail….Do be mindful of the plot! Otherwise the entire story shall be shot!”
Aru eased herself onto the ground and stretched her neck from side to side. “All right, I’ll start,” she said, in her most dramatic voice. “It was a dark andstormynight—”
Mini frowned. “Wasn’t it four p.m. on a Monday?”
“And you were still in your Spider-Man pajamas?” added Brynne, laughing.
“I hope you don’t have those anymore,” said Nikita. “That’s horrific.”
“Iwant Spider-Man pajamas,” said Sheela, pouting.
“Shhh!Stahhhhp,” said Aru, fighting back a laugh. “It’s my story. I’ll tell it however I want.”
