"Look! Look!" a girl shouted, holding a newspaper in the school hallway. Her friends gathered around her, all reading with excitement.
The headline said:
"Mysterious Masked Detective Solves Another Case!"
"Who is this person?"
"No one knows ther name!"
"She wear a white mask and disappear after solving the case!"
Everyone was talking about it. But one person stood quietly, not joining the group.
It was Aaradhya. She was 17 years old, a class 11 student at Silverlake High School. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and wore glasses. She didn't talk much, and most of the students ignored her.
Even though she was smart and always did well in her studies, many students didn't treat her kindly. Aaradhya grew up in an orphanage with her brother, so some people thought she was strange.
After school, she walked home quietly. Her brother Amit was at home, lying on the couch with his phone.
"How was school?" he asked, still looking at the screen.
"Same as usual," Aaradhya replied and placed her bag on the chair.
She looked at him and said, "Don't be lazy. Please help and make dinner today."
"You know I'm not good at cooking," Amit smiled.
Still, dinner was simple. They ate rumali roti and watery dal, sitting together. After dinner, they went to their small room. Aaradhya lay down on her bed, feeling tired.
She looked out of the window before closing her eyes.
For a moment, she thought someone was there, standing quietly.
She sat up and looked again.
No one.
Just the night breeze moving the curtains slowly.
She laid back down. "Maybe I'm just imagining things," she whispered to herself.
Meanwhile...
In another part of the city, two police officers were sitting in their office, talking about a missing person report.