The Mumbai air was fresh after the rain, carrying the scent of earth and a light buzz of car horns from the street. Arohi and Shruti hurried away from Malhotra Villa, their footsteps quickening with every meter they put between themselves and familial uproar. Above them, sunlight flickered through dripping gulmohar branches, dappling the pavement in patches of gold.
They caught an auto a few blocks away, squeezing in side by side, Shruti's laughter bubbling out as the engine sputtered to life.
Shruti (still breathless): "We actually got away! They'll probably send your photo to every temple in the city now."
Arohi (grinning): "Unless temples have WiFi, we're safe till lunch."
Arohi pulled her raincoat tighter, delighted by its perfect fit—cheerful sunflower yellow, stylish and crisp, another not-so-minor perk from her system. She pressed a sleek card (today's sign-in travel voucher) into the driver's hand.
Auto Driver (curious): "You girls going to college?"
Arohi: "Today, uncle, we're professors of skipping duty."
Shruti giggled, the driver gave a wise nod, and the city zipped past—the shimmer of puddles, sidewalks crowded with vendors, a school bus tilting around a corner. The mood was intoxicating; the world felt huge and permissive.
Chaat Stalls & Secrets
They hopped out near Chowpatty beach, where scents of fried food and sea salt mingled. Dozens of street carts beckoned: pav bhaji, bhel puri, mango kulfi on ice.
Shruti: "If my mom saw me here in this dress, she'd faint."
Arohi (teasing): "Better finish your bhel before anyone revives her."
Biting into spicy, tangy chaat, Arohi felt a joy she hadn't known since waking up in this strange universe. She observed, with a new kind of hunger, women haggling over bangles, elderly men discussing cricket scores, teenagers posing for selfies—each person wrapped up in their own small, defiant story.
A faint mental prompt flickered:
[System Inventory — New Skill Suggestion: Street Photography. Install? Y/N]
Arohi nearly choked on her bhel, stifling laughter.
Arohi (to herself): "As if I needed more reasons to avoid family functions…"
She accepted the skill, feeling a curious tingle—suddenly, the angles and colors of the world were sharper, every moment a possible frame for something beautiful or absurd.
Shruti snapped a photo of them, both grinning, wind-tousled.
Arohi (posing): "Send that to Mini. Caption: 'Rebelling, but fashionably so.'"
News from the Villa
Meanwhile, back at the Malhotra Villa, the air was tense, swirling with blame.
In the drawing room:
Savita Chachi (clutching pearls): "We should have called the astrologer for a better date! This is all very inauspicious."
Bhushan's Mother (snarling): "Your daughter has shamed us. Who runs from marriage in such clothes? Jeans—on a roka?"
Dad (trying to soothe):"She's young. Maybe just…overwhelmed."
Kavita Bua (muttering to an uncle): "What next—maybe she'll open a shop or run away to another city!"
Mini, standing in a hallway, sent silent prayers of good luck toward her cousin on the run.
Mini (to herself): "Go, Arohi di. Show them what being brave looks like."
Plans & Promises
By afternoon, Arohi and Shruti had wandered through a book market, sampled pani puri, and bought matching friendship bracelets from a stall.
They sat on a low wall, toes sand-dusted, watching distant waves shimmer.
Shruti (quiet, touched): "You really aren't scared of anyone, are you?"
Arohi (softly, but with her usual edge): "Everyone's scared of something. I just hide it with sunglasses."
They shared a burst of laughter.
Arohi's phone buzzed again—not with a family message, but from her system.
[Tomorrow's Sign-In Preview: High-End Spa Day or Private Martial Arts Lesson. Please select.]
She looked at Shruti, her mind swirling with possibility.
**Arohi:** "Pick one: spa or dojo?"
Shruti (eyeing a bruise from her sari-fighting squad): "Dojo. Let's learn to kick more than just tradition."
They exchanged a secret high-five. Neither noticed the headline flashing across a kiosk screen:
**"Malhotra Heir Missing Before Roka!"**
But Arohi wasn't missing. She was exactly where she wanted to be—one step ahead, tasting freedom, making memories, and quietly becoming strong enough for whatever tomorrow asked her to fight.