Tanvi had read enough fairy tales to know the nagini was asking to spirit her away to a magical world where she could have everything she’d ever imagined. She also knew this invitation would only come once.

And besides, a spiteful little voice pointed out, the other girls would just die if they knew.

Tanvi held out her own hand, the rubber ring spattered with mud. “Let’s go.”

33

Watching Tanvi gulp down the chandini had been hard enough, but seeing her now made Venkat feel so nervous he thought he might be sick. His heart was a frenzied moth beating its wings against the glass prison binding it.

She rocked back and forth on the floor, her eyes closed. He wanted more than anything to go to her. Instead, he swapped worried glances with Asha. Had they done the right thing?

Urvashi continued puttering around the bar, perfectly untroubled. She didn’t offer them anything to drink, and Venkat was glad. He might have taken it, and Tanvi needed him sober.

Tanvi shot upright. She blinked a few times, looking as shell-shocked as Venkat felt, and let out a little cry, a kind of gasp of despair.

Now Venkat did rush to her side. “What happened?” He was dying to take her hand, to hug her and brush back her hair.

Asha undulated over and put her arms around Tanvi. Her usual bubbly expression was nowhere to be seen. “You are trembling. Tell me what you saw.”

Venkat held out his hand, just in case. He couldn’t believe it when Tanvi took it and squeezed tight.

“I saw—” A shudder ran through her. “Everything. Every memory. I saw my parents. I saw my friends. I saw the day I ran away.” She wriggled around in Asha’s embrace to face her. “I saw you steal me away!”

Asha at least had the grace to look embarrassed.

“How do you feel?” Venkat asked. “It must be a lot, suddenly remembering your entire life.”

“Horrible. Shaky? Like I wish I hadn’t done it, but also really glad I did?” Tanvi pressed her lips together. “I . . . I remember everything. Everything! How I used to hide goldfish crackers in my room. How Nitya and I were always fighting over books. How—” Her face filled with pain. “I remember the initiation.”

Venkat felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach. He’d stood by and let her entire memory be erased and her heart be silenced. How could he have ever thought that was okay?

“My heart—it won’t slow down.” Tanvi touched her free hand to her chest. “I can’t breathe.”

“Shh, shh,” he soothed. “Hold your breath.” Tanvi did. “Now breathe out.”

They repeated that for a few minutes until Tanvi’s hand in his stopped quivering. “What do I do now?” she asked, leaning against Asha, who stroked her hair. “I don’t know what to do. It’s so much. Too much.”