CHAPTER NINE

Two more weeks passed and then a third. By then I had pretty much settled into my new life. I’d explored every corner of the house and had begun to build up a special bond with every member of the family, especially Gunjan and Shreya. Gunjan was so sweet and silly. She reminded me so much of my Kavya.

Shreya and I quickly became the best of friends. We would eat chocolates together, we laughed together constantly, and we played together every day from kitchen set to hide and seek. After the first week, she would come to me in the evenings and just sit next to me while she did her homework. After a couple days I found myself helping her, answering questions when she had them. We quickly fell into a routine, and I looked forward to homework time each day.

Arnav was different from his family members. Unlike everyone in the house, he didn’t talk much and he was always involved in his work. The man was a workaholic through and through. At night he never just rel