Spotlight – The Itsy bitsy Spyder by Apeksha Rao @apekshar #YA #shortstory
Synopsis
What do you do when your mother feels that you don’t trust her?
If you’re Samira Joshi, and your mother is an elite spy who works for RAW, the first thing you do is … hide the knives.
After that, you go straight to the therapist that she has chosen.
For, when your mother knows seventeen different ways to kill a man, you don’t argue with her. Much.
Unless she’s trying to destroy your dreams.
Then, you fight dirty. Like a spy.
Samira is sweet, sassy, and almost seventeen. She dreams of becoming a badass spy like her parents.
And, why not?
That’s exactly what her parents have trained her to be.
So, why is her mother suddenly acting like a typical Indian mom and pushing her to be a doctor?
Samira can swear on her stack of covert operative manuals that it has something to with her mother’s last mission.
Her therapist disagrees. She feels the key to the mystery lies in Samira’s childhood.
Between her mother’s drama, a trouble-making grandmother, and a confused therapist, Samira’s life is spinning out of control.
What’s a good spy to do when her dreams are in danger?
Meet Samira Joshi
Samira is smart, sassy, and seventeen – with a difference.
While other teenagers dream of the latest trending hunk, Samira dreams of spies.
She wants to lead missions, run agents in the field, evade exploding napalm. In short, she wants to be a spy!
And why not? Spying runs in the Joshi genes.
If you look closely, her family tree is littered with all sort of spies.
Her great grandmother was the nosiest person in Ratnagiri – the village repository of gossip … er … information.
Her grandmother was the toast of the Hindu Colony Bhajan Mandal for her Miss Marple-like skills. She could solve any problem, whether it
was a missing servant, an errant husband, or a stolen diamond bangle.
And, her parents are elite intelligence agents for RAW … also known as … spies!
They trained Samira to be a spy. So, why did they suddenly change their mind? Why are they pushing her to be a doctor instead of a spy?
They’re up to something, and Samira wants to know what that is.
Like her father says, curiosity is her besetting sin.
But her mother doesn’t think so.
According to her, Sam’s main problem is the fact that trouble follows her like a drone to its homing beacon.
What does a good spy do when her dreams are in danger?
She fights dirty. Like a spy!
About the Author
Apeksha Rao is a multi-genre author from Bangalore.
She is the author of Along Came A Spyder, which is the story of a seventeen year old girl who wants to be a spy.
Apeksha has written many short stories based on the same series, The Spyders, which are available on this blog.
She is a voracious reader and a foodie.
Apeksha’s current works in progress: A middle-grade book, a chick-lit featuring a detective, and a horror novel (the writing of which is giving her sleepless nights).
