Sashi was watching Mitra through the live feed of the surveillance video from her room.
She was lying listless on the floor. He wasn't sure if he should be worried about her. She deserved being broken down.
He then switched to the previous recorded CCTV footages, rewound, and watched the clips of
Mitra breaking the window in her room and scraping the wall where the links to her chains were strongly cemented. She looked so fierce it was almost cathartic to him.
Mitra and walls was a combination that wasn't new to him. It refreshed a very old memory he had of her. They had both painted a street wall once, or rather she was the one painting and he was the one watching her. When she turned and offered a brush for him to try as well, he was so struck by her smile. It was killing him that she didn't remember it.
A story down in the basement, Mitra lay on the floor, still trying to get a reign over her ragged breath. Her head was pounding, and she felt like puking. There was not an ounce of energy left in her, not to fight, not to think straight, not to even live. Slowly, she closed her eyes, her memories flashing and rolling ahead.
###
Thirteen years ago
June 2006
D V P School Administrative Office
Ronadurgam, a small town near Karnataka – Andhra Pradesh border
Mitra was standing awkwardly, observing the Admissions Officer talking to her parents.
She wasn't exactly happy about the situation. It was a new school, in a small town and her parents weren't going to live with her. The fear of being a stranger amongst a class of students who had all grown up together was gripping her. She knew the town very well and the kind of people living there; new residents and kids rarely moved into that place. She was going to have a tough time making friends and adjusting to life there.
Lightly oiled and braided hair, tidy uniform and a heavy bag full of books, given that she didn't know the schedule of classes yet, Mitra tried her best to look good and confident.
As she studied the office and the staff, a boy much taller than her, with deep brown eyes, lush black hair and looking prim in a visibly new uniform entered the room with his parents. He was holding himself up more confidently than she did, yet she could see the speck of nervousness peeking through his eyes.
The Admissions Officer greeted the boy and his parents and made the introductions to the quietly observing Mitra.
"That's Mitra. She's also starting school here today," the officer informed the boy, pointing at Mitra.
Mitra gave him a wide grin hiding her nervousness and officiated a bright, "Hi!"
"Hello," the boy greeted her back, a smile stuck between willingness and doubt. "Vishal," he introduced himself.
The two sets of parents had a small talk full of smiles, introductions, and pleasant exchanges as the noise outside the room increased exponentially, indicating that the students were filing into classes after wrapping up the morning assembly.
"I will take you both to your class," one of the office staff offered the two new kids.
Mitra looked woefully at her parents. Her mother inched closer to her, leaned forward and assured, "It's okay. We will come over to pick you up in the evening. Don't be nervous. You have already made a friend here, see?" She gave a nod towards Vishal with a smile which Vishal returned positively.
Mitra bobbed her head in acceptance. She waved at her parents and turned to the staff who was waiting for her and Vishal at the door.
As she took a step out of the room, she turned her head sideways and caught Vishal's eye, noticing that he was in the same state as her.
"When did you move to this town?" she asked him brightly, hoping to ease the tension.
"About two weeks back," he answered stiffly.
"Where are you from?"
"Hyderabad."
"That must have been nice. I travelled to Hyderabad twice, to visit my aunt. It's very hot there, isn't it? My father keeps getting transferred across the country. So, I have stayed in a lot of places. Lot of places with cool weather, actually." Mitra was chirping like a bright bird, her tone lifting the spirits for both.
They were making their way out of the building block housing the office and heading across the assembly area to a different wing of the building. Mitra kept chattering away about one of the coldest cities she had resided in.
"Where are you transferring from?" Vishal asked, his tone softening a little.
"Dehradun."
"But that's... a better place than here."
"Yeah," Mitra sighed. "I loved living there. Unfortunately, my father's up for a transfer mid-term again. Considering how we are in ninth grade now, my parents thought moving around the country these coming four years might affect my studies and chances of getting into college. So, they are making me stay here with my grandparents, till I finish high school, twelfth grade and get into a good college. They think that would stop disrupting my studies. I hate this town so much. It is very boring here."
"What about boarding schools? You could have joined a boarding school at a good place," Vishal was easing into the conversation with his hesitation chipped away.
"No, I get homesick very easily. Plus, I am terrible at making friends. If I stay at a boarding school without any friends, I will go mad. My grandparents would keep me sane at the very least," Mitra answered.
Vishal chuckled, "You? Can't make friends? That's not true. I bet you can make friends faster than anyone."
Mitra smiled sheepishly. "Actually, this is the first time I am speaking to a stranger so well. Maybe because it is you, just one person. I would crumble if there are more people."
Vishal smiled reassuringly, "It's okay. We both can be good friends. Honestly, I am terrible at making friends too."
They both knew the nuances of becoming outcasts in class. Especially when they are new students in a small-town high school where the rest all might have been friends since they were little kids; and more importantly because they had never been the popular ones anywhere before.
In the few minutes of the walk they took to their classroom, they both had silently realized that they might be each other's saviour and best friend amidst a group of new faces. At least they would have each other.