A week passed.
Aarav continued his observation. Continued his experiments. Continued to find nothing.
But the whispers outside his mind—the ones that weren't Kavya's—continued too.
"—he doesn't know what he's dealing with—"
"—she's dangerous—"
"—if he finds out the truth, everything falls apart—"
He couldn't trace them. They came from different directions, different distances, different minds. But they all had one thing in common:
They were all afraid of Kavya.
Or afraid of what she knew.
Or afraid of what would happen if Aarav uncovered her secret.
He needed more information.
So he did something he rarely did.
He asked for help.
Rohan was confused. "You want me to... what?"
"Talk to her."
"You've talked to her."
"I need you to talk to her while I'm not there. See what she says. How she acts."
Rohan's thoughts were screaming: "—this is crazy. This is insane. He's lost his mind over a girl he barely knows—"
"Why can't you do it yourself?" Rohan asked.
"Because she knows I'm watching. She's careful around me. But around you... maybe she'll slip."
"Slip how? What are you even looking for?"
Aarav hesitated. How could he explain without revealing too much?
"I don't know," he admitted. "Something. Anything. She's hiding something, Rohan. I can feel it."
Rohan stared at him for a long moment. Then he sighed.
"You're going to owe me for this."
"Fine."
"Like, big time."
"Fine."
"And you have to stop being creepy about her."
"I'm not—"
"You followed her to the bathroom yesterday."
"I was walking past—"
"You were waiting outside the door, Aarav."
Aarav closed his mouth.
Rohan shook his head. "One conversation. That's all I'm promising. And if nothing happens, you drop this. Deal?"
"Deal."
The next day at lunch, Rohan walked over to Kavya's table.
Aarav watched from across the cafeteria, pretending to eat his sandwich.
Rohan sat down. Said something Aarav couldn't hear. Kavya looked up. Responded. Her lips moved, but her thoughts remained silent.
Come on, Aarav thought. Say something useful. Reveal something. Anything.
Rohan laughed at something. Kavya smiled—not the knowing smile she gave Aarav, but a smaller one. Polite. Distant.
The conversation continued for five minutes. Then Rohan stood up, nodded goodbye, and walked back to Aarav's table.
"Well?" Aarav demanded.
Rohan sat down. Picked up his own sandwich. Took a bite.
"She's nice," he said.
"That's it?"
"Quiet. Smart. Reads a lot."
"What did she say?"
"Normal stuff. Books. Classes. She likes poetry."
"Poetry?"
"Yeah. You know, rhymes and feelings and stuff."
Aarav wanted to shake him. "Did she say anything about where she's from? Her family? Why she transferred?"
Rohan chewed thoughtfully. "No. I asked. She changed the subject."
"Changed it how?"
"Just... smoothly. Asked me about my weekend plans. By the time I finished answering, we weren't talking about her anymore."
Aarav's heart rate spiked.
That wasn't normal.
Most people, when asked a direct question, answered it. Even if they lied, the lie was there—a thought attached to the words, something he could read.
But Kavya hadn't lied.
She had redirected.
She had known exactly how to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory without raising suspicion.
That took skill.
That took practice.
That meant she had been doing this for a long time.
"What else?" Aarav pressed.
Rohan shrugged. "She asked about you."
Aarav froze. "What?"
"She asked how long we've been friends. What you're like. If you've always been so... she used the word 'intense.'"
"What did you say?"
"I said yes. You've always been intense. Ever since we were kids."
Kavya had asked about him.
She had asked Rohan about him.
Why?
Why would a girl who avoided everyone, who kept everyone at arm's length, who seemed to have no interest in anyone
Why would she ask about him?
Unless
Unless she was just as curious about him as he was about her.
Unless the silence went both ways.
Unless she was trying to read him.
The thought hit him like a physical blow.
Could she read minds too?
No. That was impossible. He was the only one. He had never met anyone else with abilities, never even heard a rumor about someone like him. The idea that Kavya might share his gift
But if she did, why couldn't he hear her?
Unless
Unless she was stronger than him.
Unless she could block him out completely.
Unless she had been hiding in plain sight all along.
Aarav looked across the cafeteria.
Kavya was already looking at him.
She smiled.
And this time, the smile wasn't knowing.
It was sad.