Aru stepped out of the stone elephant’s mouth and onto the floor of the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture. It was 7:00 p.m., so all the visitorshad left and Aru could take a moment to breathe deep, closing her eyes. She smelled the polished bronze of the statues, the ink that the museum’s head of security, Sherrilyn, used to stamp guests’ hands as they entered, and even the candied fennel seeds in brass bowls that her mom had left out for visitors. It smelled like home.
But lately it hadn’t felt very homey.
When Aru opened her eyesto the lobby, she saw the memory of her battle against the Sleeper, her …dad. It was still too weird to process. Sometimes when she slept, their epic fight replayed in her mind. And yet the worst nightmare of all wasn’t how awful he was then … but how kind he’d been long ago. In the Kingdom of Death, she’d seen a vision of him in the hospital when she was born, his T-shirt readingI’M A DAD!He must have held her when she was a baby. He must have once, even if only for a second, loved her.
“You okay?”
Aru shook herself. She’d almost forgotten that Mini had asked to come over.
“Yup!” she said with false cheer.
“Need help packing?”
“Not really?”
“Okay, but what about a first-aid kit? Or I could help your mom around the house? Or—”
Aru crossed her arms. “Why are you avoiding yourown home?”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“D2—” Mini broke off with a grumble. “I hate when you do that.”
“Just tell me,” said Aru.
Mini sighed. “I love my parents, and I know they love me, but they’re …”
“Putting a ton of pressure on you?” asked Aru.
“A bit, yeah.”
She’d been over to Mini’s house loads of times, and “a bit” of pressure was an understatement. Mini’s parents had a full-blown Pandavaregimen for her—Run two miles a day! All the vitamins! No Internet after 8:00 p.m.!—on top of a five-year schedule to get her into a top college and a top medical school.
“They’re going to freak out once they hear that we could be banished,” said Mini.
“That’s not your fault.”
“Might as well be,” said Mini. “I know what they’ll think…. If mybrotherwas the Pandava, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Aru shook her head. “If they get mad, just tell them it’s notlikeyou gambled away your whole kingdom and got everyone exiled to the forest for a bajillion years.”
Mini frowned. “What are you taking about?”
“That’s something Yudhistira—akayoua bajillion years ago—did. He set the bar pretty high for mistake-making, so don’t worry so much.”
Aru’s mom had told her the story a while ago. Theeldest Pandava brother, who had a reputation for being morally upright, lost a game of dice, and his family was kicked out of the palace and into the forest as a result. Imagine having to explain that during a family meeting.So … good news and bad news. First, who likes camping?
If Mini’s parents honestly thought a guy would’ve made a better Pandava, this story might raise some doubts. But insteadof laughing, Mini’s face paled and she walked back to the elephant statue.
“Hey!” said Aru. “Where’re you going?”
“Home,” huffed Mini. “I got the message, Aru. Ifhemade a mistake like that, imagine all the thingsImight do wrong. I gotta go and get ready.”
Now Aru felt ridiculously guilty. “Mini, that’s not what I meant….”
“I’ll see you at the warehouse.” And with that, Mini disappearedinto the portal.
