Goa Resort - Poolside, Late Night
The resort had long gone quiet. No music, no staff bustling in hallways-just the whisper of palm fronds and the distant hush of waves kissing the shore. The pool shimmered under moonlight, its still surface reflecting stars like glass.
Maira sat at its edge, her feet immersed in the cool water. Her hair, loose and damp from the salty air, cascaded down her back, untamed. She looked up, eyes vacant, lost in thoughts she couldn't quite name. Her pendant still glowed faintly at her collarbone-a warning she didn't yet understand.
Behind her, a sliding glass door whispered open.
Mihir stepped out.
His shirt hung open, half-buttoned after being hastily thrown on. The sharp scent of expensive cologne still clung faintly to him, but beneath it was something heavier-heat, intimacy, a moment just shared behind those walls with Urvi.
He hadn't expected anyone by the pool.
Least of all her.
His steps paused.
Maira turned at the sound. The moment she recognized him, she stood quickly, pulling her legs from the water and straightening her posture.
"Sir," she said with poise, brushing a damp strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't realize anyone else would be out here."
Mihir studied her. "Neither did I."
She hesitated, unsure of whether to excuse herself or stay.
"I wasn't disturbing anyone," she added. "Just needed a little air before tomorrow's shoot."
"Are you nervous?" he asked, his voice unreadable.
She gave a small shrug. "A little. It's my first on-location assignment. I want to meet expectations."
"You're not the only one being watched," Mihir said, glancing toward the silent rooms above. "Even the stars are performing for someone."
Maira looked up at the sky, surprised by the poetic comment. "Still... I don't want to disappoint."
"You're trying too hard," he said. "Relax."
She nodded, then added softly, "Good night, sir."
Maira took a step to leave-but her foot, still wet from the pool, slipped against the smooth tile.
A small gasp escaped her lips.
In a flash, Mihir lunged forward to catch her, but the motion was too fast, too uncoordinated. His hand caught her wrist, but her weight pulled him with her-
And the two of them tumbled into the pool.
SPLASH.
The water erupted in a silvery wave, drenching them both. The world went still.
For a moment, neither moved.
Maira blinked rapidly, sputtering as her arms flailed to steady herself. Mihir's arm had landed behind her back, holding her close. Their bodies floated in slow motion, limbs entangled, soaked clothes clinging tight. His face was inches from hers, his hair wet and wild, his gaze locked on hers with a startled intensity.
Maira froze.
Time seemed to still.
Their breath mingled in the humid air between them.
Unseen by them, from the balcony above, a camera clicked.
A flashless shutter.
Someone was watching.
Someone who had just captured the moment-the rockstar and his assistant, drenched, tangled, dangerously close.
Down below, Maira finally found her voice.
"I'm so sorry-are you alright, sir?"
Mihir blinked, realization dawning. "You slipped. I tried to-"
"I didn't mean to-" she stammered, her cheeks flushing hot despite the cool water.
He slowly pulled back, helping her to the edge. Both of them climbed out, soaked from head to toe. Maira tried to squeeze the water out of her long hair while Mihir ran a hand over his face, still trying to register what just happened.
The moment was over.
But the photo had been taken.
And tomorrow, everything would change.
Goa Resort - Poolside, Moments Later
Water dripped from Maira's clothes, the hem of her salwar clinging to her ankles as she gathered herself. She avoided Mihir's gaze, focusing instead on straightening the collar of her kurta and wringing the water from the ends of her hair.
"Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience, sir," she said stiffly, still breathless from the shock. Her voice was back to its professional calm, but a faint tremor lingered beneath the surface.
Mihir gave no reply-just stared.
Maira glanced at him once more, nodded politely, and turned away, her soaked sandals squeaking softly as she walked back inside the resort, disappearing down the corridor toward her room.
The moonlight reflected on the still-rippling pool behind him.
Mihir remained rooted there, droplets trickling down his temple, the wet fabric of his pajama shirt clinging to his chest.
His eyes darkened-not from the cold.
But from something else.
As the last of her footsteps faded, Mihir's lips curled slowly... deliberately... into a crooked smirk.
Not amused.
Satisfied.
Calculated.
Like a chess player who had just moved his queen.
He reached into his pocket, feeling the shape of the lost earring still hidden there.
"Now that," he murmured to himself, "was... interesting."
Behind him, the pool rippled again-as if something deeper stirred just beneath its surface.
East Valley Girls' Hostel - Teju's Room - Late Night
The room was quiet except for the soft scratch of Teju's pen against her notebook. Her brows were furrowed in concentration as she flipped through anatomy diagrams, lips moving in silent repetition. A warm cup of tea steamed beside her, mostly forgotten.
Outside, the wind whispered faintly through the corridor grills.
Teju reached for her highlighter-
And froze.
A voice.
Faint. Soft. Almost melodic.
"Teju..."
She blinked, her pen hovering mid-air. Her head jerked toward the door.
Silence.
She shook her head. Must be the wind. Or the stress. She hadn't slept well the last few nights.
She turned back to her book.
Again, the voice.
Closer this time.
"Teju..."
A whisper-not from within the room. From just beyond it.
This time, Teju stood.
Her breath hitched ever so slightly as she opened the door and peered into the quiet corridor. Rows of closed doors lined the hallway. A few night bulbs flickered overhead. Not a soul in sight.
She stepped out barefoot, hugging her shawl closer, trying to suppress the chill crawling up her spine.
"Hello?" she called softly, scanning the emptiness.
No reply.
Yet the voice had been so clear.
She took a few hesitant steps forward, looking left and right, brows knitted in confusion.
Unseen by her, something moved behind the pillar just adjacent to her room-not walked... slithered.
Sunehri, her limbs pressed unnaturally to the wall in a gecko-like crouch, clung to the vertical surface of the pillar. Her eyes glowed a faint red as she observed her prey. A smile danced across her cracked lips.
Teju was standing just below her.
Naïve. Unaware. Unawakened.
Perfect.
Sunehri's fingers twitched. The air around her shimmered faintly, charged with malevolent intent.
But she didn't strike yet.
No.
She wanted Teju to wander further. Away from the rooms. Away from safety.
Her whisper echoed once again, softer, deeper this time-inside Teju's mind.
"Come... Teju..."
Teju's brows furrowed.
Something wasn't right.
She turned abruptly and began walking down the corridor, trying to follow the sound.
And behind her, in the shadows of the pillar-
Sunehri leapt silently from wall to ceiling, following above like a phantom predator.
East Valley Hostel Corridor - Moments Later
Teju's footsteps echoed softly as she walked down the dimly lit corridor, her instincts screaming that something was wrong. Every flicker of the overhead bulb made her flinch slightly. The whisper... it had felt like it came from inside her head.
She paused.
Her heart skipped a beat.
A shadow moved behind her-swift, slithering, impossible to pin down.
She turned sharply.
Nothing.
But the feeling didn't leave her. She wasn't alone. That certainty crawled up her spine like ice.
Suddenly, a hand tapped her shoulder.
She gasped, spinning around, breath caught in her throat.
Only to find Savi, her roommate, standing behind her in a loose nightshirt, her brow furrowed in concern.
"Teju? What are you doing out here?" Savi asked, her voice half-groggy. "You scared me."
Teju blinked, her pulse still racing. "I... I thought I heard someone call my name. Twice. It sounded close."
Savi gave a quick glance around the empty corridor, then looked back at her. "Teju, this place is weird at night. Don't walk around like this-it's not safe. Come on, let's go back in."
Still unsettled, Teju nodded. "Yeah. You're right."
The two girls turned and walked back toward their room, their slippers brushing softly against the tile.
Unseen above them, Sunehri clung to the ceiling, her sharp nails embedded into the plaster like hooks. Her eyes burned crimson as she watched the pair disappear into the room, the door clicking shut.
Frustration twisted her face.
"So close," she hissed under her breath. "One second later and her blood would have been mine."
Her braid coiled around her waist like a snake, twitching with restrained rage.
"But no matter..."
She dropped noiselessly to the floor, her silhouette melting back into the darkness of the corridor.
"Next time, Bishwa... even your stars won't save you."
Goa Resort - Maira's Room, Late Night
The steady whir of the ceiling fan hummed overhead as Maira stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, her skin still warm from the shower. The faint scent of ocean breeze mixed with lavender soap clung to the air.
She moved toward the dresser where a large mirror stood, water droplets still glistening at the ends of her dark hair. Sitting before it, she picked up the towel and began to gently dry her hair, staring at her own reflection without really seeing it.
Her mind wandered-despite her best efforts-to the pool.
That moment.
The sudden slip.
The fall.
Mihir catching her.
The splash.
And then, his eyes-intense, unreadable-as they fell into the water, landing too close, too entangled for comfort. The silence that had followed, heavy and charged, as water clung to their clothes, their skin, and their thoughts.
Maira shook her head sharply and muttered under her breath, "Stop it, Maira."
She scrubbed harder at her hair, willing the memory to vanish. "He's your boss. And probably the most arrogant man you've ever met," she added, her voice low but firm.
Still, her cheeks warmed. Not from the heat, but from the residual flutter in her chest she didn't want to acknowledge.
She stood up, tossing the towel aside, and reached for her pajamas. As she slipped into them, she glanced once more at the mirror-at the reflection of a girl who had come here with a mission, not to get distracted by brooding rockstars or stolen moments by the pool.
Straightening her spine, Maira clicked off the lamp beside the mirror and turned away.
Tomorrow was a new day.
A job to do.
And a dark truth to uncover.