Page 31 of Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

“Why don’t you stop while you’re ahead, Mini,” said Brynne, steering her toward Aiden, and leaving Aru and Kara alone together.

“Thank you,” Kara said to Aru.

Aru’s gaze jerked to hers. “What?”

“Thank you for getting us out of there. And I need to thank Brynne for transforming, and Mini for shielding us, and Aiden for, well—”

“Aiden was pretty useless,” said Aru.

“I heard that!” shouted Aiden.

Aru grinned and shouted back, “For the most part, you’re a great wifey!”

Aiden grumbled in the distance.

“Wifey?” asked Kara.

“Long story,” said Aru before sighing loudly. “Listen, about what I said to you earlier…That wasn’t fair.”

“But it was true,” said Kara. She looked helpless. “When I look at it from your perspective, I get it—I really do. I thought maybe if I proved that I could be helpful, you guys would give me a chance, but I keep doing things wrong. I promise I’m trying—”

Aru groaned. She hated feeling guilty. It was like someone had held a lit match to her insides.

“You’re not doing anything wrong,” she said reluctantly. “If anything, you’re doing everythingtooright. Like,creepilyperfect. Not that you’re creepy—”

“I used to watch you sleep,” said Kara, twisting her golden ring.

“Welp, I take back what I said.”

Kara laughed a little. “When Dad—I mean, the Sleeper, brought you to the cave, he kept you unconscious for almost two months.”

She paused, staring down at her feet. “Every day he told me ‘watch over your sister.’ I loved that word…sister. The whole time, I couldn’t wait for him to wake you up, Aru. I couldn’t wait to be your sister. I know I’m not a Pandava, but I guess I just thought…I don’t know…that it would be different or something. That’s all.”

Kara didn’t look up. Aru stood there, shocked. Usually, she never ran out of things to say, but this time, she stayed quiet. Kara as a sister felt like something that could’ve been but never would be, like the Sleeper being her dad. But then again, maybe, like everything else in Aru’s life, sisterhood didn’t have a clear-cut definition….

“I know it’s not how you thought it would be, but maybe we can figure out our own…version?” tried Aru.

Kara looked up. “Really?”

Aru nodded.

“I’d like that,” said Kara. After a moment of silence, she sighed. “Do you ever wish you were someone else?”

“What, with this face and hair and while I’m clearly living my best life?” joked Aru, gesturing at her dirty strands, grime-streaked cheeks, and the dark forest around them. “Nope.”

Kara laughed. “Looks like we’ve got something in common after all.”

Not too far away from them, Aru heard Mini say, “Finally.” Brynne shook an empty chip bag and asked, “Are we out of food?” while the familiarclickandwhirof Aiden’s camera merged with the sounds of the jungle.

“I’m sure we can eat once we get to Kubera’s palace in Lanka,” said Aiden, putting away Shadowfax. “Which way do we go?”

Brynne licked her finger and stuck it in the air before pointing straight ahead. “Thataway.”

They’d only just started walking through the trees when a branch snapped loudly and tumbled to the ground by their feet. All five of them froze as laughter rang through the banyan forest.

Aru, Mini, and Brynne turned to one another and, without speaking, prepared to activate their weapons. Aru had only begun to adjust her grip on Vajra when the canopy above them shook.

“GOTCHA!” shouted a voice from on high.