She sighed, shaking her head, trying to brush the thought away before it got too heavy. And that was exactly when Sid's voice floated back in her mind, playful and annoyingly clear.
"Don't get lost on your way there, Lonely Bird," he had teased, right before she left the library.
It had started with Riya's casual invitation that morning. Something about a "Sunday group meet" and "finally dragging you out of your cave." Aarya had hesitated she always did but the truth was, her weekends were painfully predictable, and the thought of spending another one cooped up with nothing but books and her overthinking wasn't exactly thrilling. So here she was, Riya's address saved in her phone, cycling across town because, for once, she'd decided not to say no.
The sun was glaring as she cycled down the narrow street. Riya had texted her an address that looked simple enough until she actually tried to follow it.
'It's right in front of the shop that sells those really good samosas, but not the main shop, the smaller one that used to be a tailor shop, opposite the milk booth, next to that uncle's house with the blue gate, you'll see a neem tree there.'
Aarya groaned aloud. "Right. Because apparently Google Maps is too mainstream."
She pedaled slowly, scanning for the neem tree. She found one, only to realize there were three neem trees on the same lane. One of them had a milk booth opposite it, but was this the milk booth or the other milk booth? She was half convinced Riya's directions were part of some secret initiation test.
Still, after a few wrong turns and a near run-in with a stray goat, she spotted what matched the mental puzzle in her head a small house with a faded blue gate and the smell of samosas wafting from somewhere nearby.
She parked her cycle by the gate and called Riya.
"Okay, I think I'm here," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Blue gate, neem tree, milk booth across"
"Yep, stay there," Riya's cheerful voice came through. "I'll send someone to get you."
Before Aarya could ask who, she felt a tug on the side of her dress
She looked down to see a five-year-old boy, round-cheeked, still sucking on a lollipop. His big brown eyes looked her up and down with the kind of judgment only small children and very old ladies could pull off.
"Hey, Lonely Bird," he said matter-of-factly. "Come on, follow me."
"…What?"
She frowned at the memory. Was there some secret trend going around where calling girls "bird" was the new way to flirt? Even little kids seemed to be in on it these days. "Do I look like a Lonely Bird?" she muttered to herself, glancing at her reflection in a shop window as if it might give her an honest answer.
"I'll give you a lollipop if you follow me. One whole piece," he added, holding up another candy like it was some rare treasure.
Aarya's phone was still at her ear. "Uh, Riya, I think your kidnapper has arrived."
On the other end, Riya laughed. "Oh, you met him? That's my brother."
"Well," Aarya said, eyeing the pint-sized negotiator, "your brother is currently leading me away like a mafia boss with candy."
The boy grabbed her hand without hesitation and tugged her toward the house. "Come on. Sun's hot. You'll melt. I'm saving you."
When they reached the door, he bellowed, "Mom! Look who I brought! Another Lonely Bird!"
From the kitchen, a calm voice called back, "Alright, Purab, bring her in." It had the tone of someone who had experienced this many times before.
Aarya stood awkwardly in the doorway, debating whether she should be concerned that this clearly wasn't the first "Lonely Bird" delivery.
Just then, Riya appeared from the hallway, grinning. "Mom, this time it's not Purab. I got her kidnapped."
"Riya, you too?" their mother sighed, emerging from the kitchen with a ladle still in her hand. "Do I have to start locking the gate?"
"She's my new friend," Riya said, puffing up proudly. "Today's Sunday. Group meeting day. She's the newest member of the Legendary Society of People Who Are Cooler Than Everyone Else."
Aarya blinked. "…That's the actual name?"
Purab nodded solemnly. "LSPWACTEE. It's a secret society. Don't tell anyone."
"Trust me," Aarya said, "I couldn't repeat that even if I tried."
"Hello, aunty. I'm Aarya," she said politely.
"Hello, beta. Sit down. I'll bring something to drink," aunty smiled, then turned to Purab. "And you stop bringing strangers home."
"But she's not a stranger. She's a Lonely Bird. Plus, I gave her candy."
"You bribed her," aunty corrected.
"Details," Purab shrugged.
He marched over to Aarya and pressed a pineapple-flavored candy into her palm. "Here. You followed me, so I do what I promised. See? I'm a man of my word."
Aarya couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, little… sprinkler?"
Purab's eyes sparkled. "You can call me Purab. But 'Little Sprinkler' is fine too. I like watering people with charm."
From behind them, Riya groaned. "Purab! Stop charming your way into people's lives. And stop kidnapping!"
"You're welcome," Purab said smugly. "I found her and saved her from the harsh sun. You should be thanking me. I even gave her my favorite pineapple flavor."
"You gave me your favorite?" Aarya asked.
"Yeah. I have another one hidden in my pocket, but that's not the point."
"Now go watch TV," Riya ordered.
"Fine," Purab muttered, trudging toward the living room. "Teen Titans is on."
"Let me guess," Aarya said, raising an eyebrow. "Your favorite character is the charming, smooth-talking one who flirts with everyone?"
Purab spun around dramatically. "Beast Boy. Obviously."
Riya smirked. "You guessed it right."
"Well," Riya said, turning back to Aarya, "you're actually on time. Everyone else I invite shows up at least half an hour late. Come on, let's go upstairs."
As they climbed the stairs, Riya explained, "I share my room with Purab. I'm older, but he's already demanding privacy like he owns the place. So our group meets on the terrace."
When Aarya stepped onto the terrace, she stopped in her tracks.
It wasn't just a terrace. It was a little kingdom.
The walls were painted with hand-drawn doodles stick figures, cartoon clouds, a badly drawn but clearly loved attempt at the Hogwarts crest. Fairy lights were strung in a zigzag pattern overhead. In one corner, there was a small wooden table covered in mismatched chairs and beanbags. A few potted plants leaned lazily toward the sun.
And then there was the wall.
Pinned to it were photos dozens of them some faded, some freshly printed. Group selfies, blurry shots of people mid-laugh, pictures of what looked like messy experiments with water balloons and chalk art. Right in the center was a big, bold hand-painted sign:
"The Legendary Society of People Who Are Cooler Than Everyone Else"
Aarya stared, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You guys… actually have a headquarters."
"Yep," Riya said, coming to stand beside her. "You caught it this is our little hideout. No parents allowed. No boring people allowed. And now… no lonely birds allowed either."
For a moment, Aarya felt something warm settle in her chest. She didn't say it out loud, but she thought maybe this wasn't such a bad kidnapping after all.