Avni pulled a phone out of her bag. Calling it a phone was a stretch; it looked like an ancient relic unearthed from the excavations of Mohenjodaro. It was a basic keypad phone with buttons so worn out that the numbers had vanished. The screen bore two or three deep cracks, and the black body had chipped away in places, revealing patches of white. If that wasn't enough to show it was hanging onto life by a thread, the entire device was held together by a rubber band.

After struggling and pressing down hard on each button, Avni finally managed to find her friend's number.

She quickly dialed. After a few moments, her friend picked up, her voice thick and drowsy with sleep. "Hello..."

"Hello Pinky, it’s Avni speaking," Avni said chirpsily. "Are you still sleeping? Did I disturb you?"

"Avni who? Don't you know I sleep during the day? Why are you bothering me?" Pinky’s sleep-deprived voice startled Avni. She realized Pinky was so deep in sleep that she hadn't recognized her.

Avni spoke louder, "Pinky, it’s me, Avni! Your friend. Your friend from Kanpur."

Pinky finally woke up fully, recognizing Avni’s voice. She stretched and let out a long yawn. "Yeah Avni, I recognize you now. Why are you shouting? Man, you woke me up from a deep sleep. You know I sleep during the day because I have to work at night."

"I know, Pinky, that you work at night and sleep during the day. But I needed to talk to you. Actually, I’ve come to Mumbai. You told me once that I could get a job where you work, right?"

The moment Avni said this, Pinky’s sleep vanished instantly. She was stunned. "You’ve actually come to Mumbai? Or are you joking? Avni, have you lost your mind? How could you just come to Mumbai like this?"

Avni was distraught. Expressing her desperation, she said, "What else could I do, Pinky? I had no other choice. I have to find Vivek Bhai too. And you know very well what Ma’s condition is like. In such a situation, I need a job. Please help me a little. Get me work somewhere. I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life."

Pinky sighed deeply. "Look, please don't talk about 'favors.' Fine, I'll talk to my manager. He’ll definitely find some job or the other for you. But are you sure you can work where I do? You don't really know what kind of work I do, do you?"

"Any kind of work, I'll do it," Avni blurted out immediately.

Pinky tried to explain, "Avni, listen to me. If you need a job, you’ll get one. But where I work... I don't think you can handle it. You can see for yourself, I work at night."

But Avni replied instantly, "Well, that’s a good thing, isn't it? I’ll work at night with you and search for Vivek Bhai during the day. Please, Pinky, help me." Avni was truly distressed and desperate for help.

Pinky sighed again. "Fine. I’ll send you an address; come there today. I’ll talk to my manager beforehand. If they find you suitable, they’ll hire you. And yeah, if you have something Western to wear, put that on. Don't show up in a salwar suit like some village girl. Because where I work, they won't even let you enter in those clothes."

Taking this advice very casually, Avni said, "Okay, I have a pair of jeans kept with me. I’ll wear those. Don't worry. I’ll be there on time."

After hanging up, Avni smiled and folded her hands in a prayer of thanks to the Almighty. She had found a job almost as soon as she arrived in the city. Now, she just had to find her brother, Vivek, who had been missing for the last two years.

Four years ago, Vivek had come to Mumbai with a job appointment letter in his hand. Everything was fine for the first two years; he sent money home regularly and called often. Vivek even used to visit home during his holidays.

But for the past two years, Vivek hadn't spoken to anyone, and there was no trace of him. Everyone was shocked by his sudden disappearance. Even after checking where he used to live, there was no information. When they couldn't find him despite a long search, Vivek’s uncle finally filed a missing person's complaint.

That complaint file is still gathering dust among stacks of other files today. Do the police ever truly bother to put in the effort to find someone?

Mumbai Highway...

A bike race was underway. On one side, several people sat on their bikes, their hands gripped tightly on the handlebars as if ready to gallop like horses. Their faces were hidden behind black helmets, and they looked filled with passion to win the trophy.

The excitement in the crowd was reaching a fever pitch. Everyone was cheering for their favorite racer. While the names of other racers could be heard occasionally, there was one name that echoed continuously through the air.

"Akshita! Akshita! Akshita!"

Just then, a black racing bike surged into the middle of the pack. A girl was riding it. Between her black jacket over a crop top and her jeans, her slim waist was visible, and her long hair fluttered in the wind from beneath her helmet.

The visor of the girl's helmet was open, revealing her brown eyes to everyone. The other boys present there were glaring at her with resentment. The girl looked at a racer standing next to her, winked, and snapped her visor shut.

The next moment, the race began. As soon as the starting flag waved in the air, all the racers sped forward. But Akshita was dominating everyone, overtaking every bike as she surged ahead. Suddenly, four or five bikes lost their balance on the way and crashed to the ground.

"This race, which started with ten people, is now down to just five..."

The bikes sped further ahead. Two more bikes developed problems with their rear tires and lost balance.

Now, only three bikes remained racing on the track.

A little further along, the brakes failed on the remaining two bikes, and they veered off in another direction. A devilish smile appeared on Akshita's face because she was now alone in the lead—but then her eyes widened in shock. She saw another bike appearing from a different route. That bike pulled up right alongside Akshita and began to race her.

Akshita glared at the bike in anger. But the racer on that bike had a playful smile on his face. Both of them skillfully maneuvered their bikes toward the finish line. In the blink of an eye, both bikes crossed the finish line at the exact same time.

But since two bikes reached the final point together, who was the winner?

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Akshita took off her helmet in a rage, threw it to the ground, and walked over to the black bike. "You can't always do this! What was the need for you to interfere?"

The man on the bike took off his helmet and looked at Akshita with a smile. "I didn't interfere. I arrived before you. I’m your elder brother. Give me some respect."

Akshita angrily snatched the helmet from Advik’s hands and snapped at him, "You’re five minutes older than me! You want respect for five minutes? Wait, I’ll show you."

Saying this, Akshita sat down by his bike’s tire and began to let the air out. Seeing this, Advik burst out laughing. No matter how much Akshita grew up, her childishness would never fade when she was with Advik.