Monday, 14th August – Devgarh School Campus
The week after Rakshabandhan drifted by in a haze of early morning extra classes, scooter rides from Nandanpur, and sleepy mock test discussions.
Somehow, in the midst of the routine, something began to shift.
The nine friends had never been closer. But for two of them, the world was quietly beginning to change.
🔥🌀 Sparks and Stillness
That morning in the science lab, the school's electricity flickered. Just for a second. Barely noticeable.
But Ishanvi felt it—her palms warming instinctively, her heartbeat syncing with the strange current in the air.
Across the room, Abhay sat hunched over his notebook. His water bottle trembled slightly.
He looked up—straight at her.
No one else noticed. But they did.
They always did.
"Again?" she whispered across the table.
Abhay gave a subtle nod.
"Every time there's tension… it reacts."
They didn't need to explain what it was.
They'd stopped pretending it wasn't real.
🔴 Simran's Growing Curiosity
After class, Simran walked beside them, humming cheerfully and swinging her bag.
"Why do you two always go into your private 'parallel universe' together?" she teased. "Is this a psychic twin thing? Or are you just hiding your super-secret romance?"
Ishanvi laughed it off. Abhay choked on his reply.
But Simran's teasing smile faded slightly.
She had seen something that day during the fire. Something that didn't make sense.
🌫️ The Memory That Wouldn't Leave
The night before, lying in her bed in Devgarh, Simran had stared at the ceiling.
The fire. Meera's scream. The rising panic.
And then—a wall of water. Shielding them.
And Ishanvi… walking through flames.
She'd buried the memory for days. But now, it returned like smoke under a locked door.
At school the next day, between conversations, she blurted it out:
"Ishanvi… do you ever feel like you're not exactly… normal?"
Ishanvi stiffened.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Simran shrugged, half-joking.
"Like something… inside you feels bigger than it should be. Stronger. Not human, maybe?"
Before Ishanvi could reply, Abhay called from ahead.
"Let's go! If we're late again, Sumanth Sir will make us run laps!"
Grateful for the escape, Ishanvi turned quickly.
Simran stayed back, watching them disappear down the hallway, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
🌩️ Elsewhere: Strange Signs
Near the old chemistry storeroom, a janitor paused, staring into his mop bucket.
The water was spinning. Slowly. Deliberately.
There was no fan. No breeze.
And far away in Nandanpur, beneath layers of time and earth, a cracked brick in an abandoned well glowed faintly red. Just for a second.
Then it went dark again.
🌙 That Evening
Simran stood quietly at the school gate, eyes tracing the dusky sky, hand over her chest.
"I know what I saw," she whispered.
"And I will find out what you're hiding, Ishanvi.
You too, Abhay."
Her words weren't filled with fear.
They were filled with something else—curiosity.
And maybe... hope.