The Brightest Fell: A Science Fiction Political Thriller by Nupur Chowdhury

Author:Nupur Chowdhury [Chowdhury, Nupur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-02T06:00:00+00:00

The door to the balcony clicked open. “Dessert will be ready in a few minutes,” Lyani said. Smiling, she reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Rito’s ear. “Don’t keep us waiting, okay?”

“I won’t,” she nodded as her mother withdrew. The sounds of laughter and cheering floated in from the dining room.

Her family’s obsession with cricket had annoyed Rito for as long as she could remember. It was the only thing that drew their attention away from her. And Rito had never dealt well with not being the center of attention.

But in that moment, she couldn’t think of a sweeter sound in the universe.

Papa was…well, it wouldn’t be accurate to say he was just like before. This wasn’t before. This was now. And he was getting better. He was laughing again, arguing with Abhi, cheering for some random team in some random cricket match.

The doctors said he was sleeping better too. The shadows under his eyes had begun to fade. And if she was completely honest with herself she’d have to admit that, even before his resignation, she didn’t remember the last time she’d seen her father so relaxed, so carefree.

Her fingers itched for a cigarette. She sighed. One of the drawbacks of living at home – no smoking.

In the drawing room, Rajat whistled. This was followed by a groan from Abhijat and a laugh from Lyani. The game was over, and from the looks of it, her brother had lost his bet with their father.

Reaching into her pocket, she wrapped her fingers around her phone. She tipped her head back and drank in the cool winter air. No more procrastinating. It was time.

Four missed calls. Four missed calls from the soon-to-be chief minister of Eraon. She closed her eyes, half hoping it would all disappear when she opened them once again.

No such luck. Still four missed calls, flashing on her screen in angry red. Sucking in a deep breath, Rito pressed ‘return call’.

“You know, for a moment there, I almost thought you were ignoring me,” Rinisa’s saccharine voice cooed over the line. Rito forced herself not to throw the phone out of the balcony. No point in making herself poorer just to spite the psychotic bitch.

“What do you want from me?” she snapped instead.

“You’ve got a temper, I see. Runs in the family, doesn’t it? Still, there’s no need for such...hostility. I just need you to do me one little favor.”

“Yeah? Blackmailing my friends, threatening innocent kids…that your idea of asking for a favor?”

Rinisa sighed theatrically; Rito’s hands itched to punch her. “There there, you shouldn’t hold grudges, my dear Miss Shian. It’s not good for the skin.”

“Creepy and psychotic. The list just keeps growing, doesn’t it?”

“Why you fucking–” Rinisa hissed. Then, that saccharine tone was back. “I can understand, of course, why you would be upset. It’s very natural. But here’s the thing, Miss Shian – can I call you Rito? I gather that’s what your friends call you. And I really do hope we can be friends.

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