Anamika was very frustrated and furious at the moment, she wanted to kill Ananth right there when he raised his hand but then Rajveer will again come to her, expecting her to let go matters so that it doesn't get stretched and Ananth won't be encouraged to do anything further.

Anamika lets out a deep breath as she parks her car before a bungalow cum laboratory which belongs to her professor whom people call insane because of his ongoing experiment that is - - The Time Machine!!

Except Anamika none of his students, friends or other professors show any interest or support to his experiment. They find it baseless and crazy to even think of any such kind. They believe one can never time travel, it's impossible. How can you travel to somewhere in the future which doesn't exist at all and how can one go to a past which has already passed by?

The question makes very much sense but the professor seems adamant at his point and with the support of Anamika he's able to make a machine which will help one to teleport in the past or future but what lacks is the accurate formula.

The professor, Ranveer Singh, has tried his best, scribbling out formulas day and night and still something is missing. Few numbers don't match the exact calculation and there he remains unsuccessful.

Anamika headed to the bungalow, she knocked on the door and entered inside. A pungent smell and dust welcomes her, she coughs and immediately reaches for her handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth. Her stomach tying knots, feeling hard around her chest as if her breakfast wants to jump out of her stomach.

''Sir!!" She called out to the professor.

''I'm here!!" A voice came from behind the bookshelf.

Anamika reaches out there only to find him boiling some chemicals, the smell hits harder now.

''Sir ye kya kar rahe hai aap?" She manages to question, her mouth suddenly opens up to throw out, she immediately presses hard on her mouth.

''Nothing!! Kal kuch padh raha tha toh ye chemical reaction dikha, i'm just trying to see if it's correct or not. I mean, theory mei sab possible hai but practical ke time pata chalta hai chijen hoti hai ya nahi.'' He explains while Anamika wonders what's the need to waste time this way when they still have to finish their task.

''But sir hum toh calculation karne wale the na? I mean aapne bola tha hum aaj apne calculation ko check karenge!!" She reminds him, Ranveer shook his head.

He pulled her by hand and made her stand before the burner where the chemical was still boiling, producing an intolerable smell.

''Tum isko dekho, when the liquid turns blue, shift it into a florence flask and let it cool. After cooling if the liquid doesn't turn to green then boil it again adding some sulphuric acid in it. I haven't taken the bath yet, tum isko dekho i'll get fresh and join you in a moment.'' He almost orders and takes his leave without waiting for her response.

Anamika finds it hard to stand as the boiling liquid produces an intolerable smell. She held on her breath and moved a little back to help herself. She waits for the color to turn which happens in no time, she immediately turns off the burner and shifts the liquid in another flask. Unfortunately it doesn't change to green even after cooling. Anamika let out a groan, she shifted the liquid in the beaker and again kept it on the burner. The liquid again shows bubbles, the sign of boiling producing the smell harder.

Anamika again moves back when she realizes that she hasn't added the sulphuric acid in the liquid. She stamped her foot and moved to the burner, torturing her nose. She added the sulphuric acid in the boiling liquid which immediately produced a huge amount of smoke in the room making it difficult for her to see around. Maybe she had to add the acid before boiling it.

Anamika coughs, her eyes burn as if she had touched it after mashing chillies. Anamika tries to locate the gate so that she can run out but hits herself with something, probably a table and falls over another table, hitting on her head very hard such that she falls unconscious therein.

...

7 P.M

Naina was getting impatient as Anamika hadn't turned up yet, she tried to connect with her over the call but the cell was out of the coverage area. Left with no other choice she calls Rajveer.

When Rajveer enters the house, he finds a worried Naina pacing in the hall.

''Kya hua Naina, itni achanak kyun bula liya mujhe? Meri meeting hai abhi kuch der mei, mujhe jana bhi hai. Kya hua hai?" He questions her as he heads towards her.

''Raj, Ana aab tak ghar nahi aai hai, usko phone bhi nahi laag raha hai. Meine bahut koshish ki par wo out of coverage area bata raha hai, meine uske college mei bhi call kiya tha par aaj wo college hi nahi gayi hai. Mujhe bahut tension ho rahi hai Raj, jaane woh kahan gayi.'' Naina tells him, her voice shaking while she continuously squeezes her hand in nervousness.

''Kissi friend ke ghar gayi hogi, aa jaayegi!" Rajveer says, trying to calm her.

''Meine sabko call kiya, kissi ko nahi pata wo kahan hai. Saumya se bhi pucha meine, usne kaha Ana ne uss se baat ki toh disturb laag rahi thi shayad gusse mei bhi thi. Pata nahi ye ladki kahan gayi fir, mujhe toh kuch nahi samajh aa raha hai.'' Naina seemed uncontrollable, she was panicking.

''Shayad kissi library mei ho? I mean, wo aksar pass wali library mei baithi rehti hai, I guess wahin hogi. Chalo dekhte hai!" Rajveer suggested and they left the house.

In around 20 minutes they reach the nearby library, when they inquired about Anamika they got to know that Anamika hadn't visited them for a week. This worried both Rajveer and Naina, as time was passing. It's already 8 now and Anamika hasn't returned yet.

Now, Rajveer was more tense than Naina, he was sweating badly, already shivering with thousands of un - desirable thoughts. And in every thought, everything ends over Ananth who slapped her.

She must be furious, angry and uncontrollable. They shouldn't have let her go in the morning.

Rajveer doesn't want to think a few things but his mind only halts to that. What if she ends up  doing the same as his younger sister did? What if she never returns to them? No no, it shouldn't happen, it can't happen!! He has never let her feel she's less than any person in the universe, he has given her everything and loved her unconditionally, she won't even think of leaving him, never. He's not like his father who never loved his sister and she ultimately met with the saddest fate.

Rajveer's heart beat vigorously in his chest as he remained standing at a place while Naina was searching around the other bookstores but was left empty handed. At last, dejectedly she asks him to return home but he refuses.

''Nahi, hum police station jaayenge. Wo jarur dhundh lenge usse!!" He exclaims and runs to his car without waiting for her. Naina rushes behind and takes her seat, she asks him to calm down a little and drive slowly to avoid any new problem,  Rajveer though shook his head but did what he wanted to. His mind was fully occupied with negative thoughts and he didn't want anything to come true at any cost for it will cost him his daughter.

....

To be continued…