THE HIDDEN KEY IN SCHOOL..Saga of the Brave - Page 2

CHAPTER3 RECAP

Assimilating into a new school is never easy, but having to start out on the lowest rung of the ladder is nearly more than our boys can take. Dean Raj has to step in when the two rivals prove they can't get along, and his punishment could very well teach them something important about themselves. That is, if they can survive the ordeal in the first place

CHAPTER 3

Manik and Shaurya fight it out for the right to stay at Maurya High, and their skills have the girls swooning and the boys jealous.

As they spar, they think to themselves that they're incredibly evenly-matched " and then we back up to see that they never actually started fighting, and everyone is wondering why they're just staring at each other. HAHA

.

I'm about to start!... Okay, here I go! Scrowl at each other, but when they finally do actually try fighting, they just wildly kick and flail at each other, with nothing actually landing.

OMG all are laughing so hard as it seem crying right now due to laugh. Shaurya just bite Manik

Eventually they're just pulling hair and slapping each other's faces,

Looks like Manik and Shaurya are evenly matched not only in skill but in immaturity. After some legit moves, they succumb to a playground scuffle complete with biting and scratching

Until when Professor Ayaz arrives to break it up.

Dean Raj shows up too, and he looks like fire is about to shoot from his eyeballs.

He yanks both boys into his office for an explanation, and they pretend it was just a mock fight, for fun.

And, of course, ending up back in the principal's office is not going to be easy for them.

Shaurya tries turning on the charm, but Dean Raj is having none of it, and explains that is about more than learning martial arts " it's also about knowledge and virtue.

He again lay down the law because these two don't get it - that martial arts is all about virtue and knowledge and using it intelligently to fight against evil not like thug or street fight are thaught here

In fact, martial arts class is only once a week, because it's important for the students to learn to fight with intelligence and honor.

This annoys Shaurya, but something about Raj's words seem to strike a chord with Manik.

Dean Raj doesn't care why they came here, but if they have no intention of taking it seriously, then they're welcome to leave.

Manik asks what he wants them to do if they stay, and both boys bristle when Dean Raj ]puts them in the beginner class assigns them to the lowest rank which includes bathroom duty

.(Shaurya claims to know judo so begineers class is not for him, and Manik tosays he learned a lot in action school,

Dean narrow his gaze on them so that they both know that earlier fight proved them both wrong, ).]

But despite their protests, they find themselves designated the school's "low class," and assigned the lowest of the chores " cleaning the bathrooms.

Up in their room, the girls worry about the boys' pride and whether they've ever even cleaned a bathroom (smart money says NO).

Dorm Mother Sam makes sure the newbies have scrub brushes and buckets to clean every corner of the bathrooms and bathhouse

Nothing like having to clean toilet stalls with the person you least want to be with to build camaraderie. Or not.

Still, the boys do make an effort, neither willing to let the other outshine them even in toilet-scrubbing.

Our Nandini, Queen of Part-time jobs, has a much deserved day off.

She lounges around with roommate, Sahas, Nandini finally have a day off and she is lazing around just fine.

Sahas hands her hot choclate congratulating for finally getting a day to rest for herself.

Just then Mukti and Navya another to student came back from their homes .

Navya is all excited to have her idol manik the teen sensation here and mukti have to pinch her to reality .

They set off to their room with their luggage for rest.

It left Nandini wondering why Manik, the hottest idol in the country, came to Maurya High in the first place.

Sahas seems unsettled at nandini's interest in him, and jumps to his defense when Nandini says he's greedy for being so famous and wanting to attend their school.

While she calls him greedy for having everything and wanting more,

fangirl Sahas defends Manik and says he might be having a hard time.

It remind Nandini of her statement to media and Manik Scandal .

Finally hitting her that her envolvment and words did do some damage to him.

In City

Outside a

Fancy Parlour

On their way to the hospital,stop to shop for some pretty things.

Nandini 's dad takes Aunty shopping to buy some makeup for his daughter, and she whines like a child when he doesn't buy her anything as well.

(She seems to be more of a caretaker-slash-neighbor than actual family, as she mentions she wishes this were a date, so we'll just call her Aunty as an older-woman figure to Nandini)

It rises more problem that Father is getting them only for his daughter and Aunty feelings are hurt that they aren't anything for her.

Feeling unappreciated, .

In fact she pitches such a fit in the street that she leaves him there, stranded.

Maurya High

Teacher Sam reports that the boys are actually working hard at cleaning, and sure enough, Shaurya is even folding the toilet paper ends neatly.

He gets annoyed when Manik "ignores" him, though he really just can't hear him. Manik is startled when Shaurya grabs his shoulder.

He didn't hear him come from behind.

Suddenly, he gets that ringing pain and winces.

This attack seems pretty profound "Manik can't hear Shaurya talking right in front of him, the pain hits him more, it looks like a doozy and little foggy

.

Even Shaurya is concerned,HE asks if Manik 's okay, but Manik tries to cover it up and says that it's nothing.

When Shaurya presses him, Manik pretends it's nothing.

He lashes out when Shaurya asks more about his ear, yelling that he's fine and he gets angry and tells him to finish cleaning himself finally storming off.

He's so clearly not fine, but his attitude puts Shaurya off whatever worry he might have had earlier.

While roaming in corridor after her class

Nandini has given some thought to an interview in Mumabai to help clear up Manik 's name.

She saw him coming and grabs him in the hall to tell him her decision.

But his pale face and tired orbs definitely symbol something off with him.

That s

When she asks if he's okay,

Nandini notices that something is off with Manik, but he brushes her concern away as well.

He barks at her, wondering if she's worried about his lost career since he can't hear, or the fact that he's ranked lowest in class, he snaps,

"With what? The fact that I can never sing or make music again? Or the fact that I'm in the lowest ranked class?"

and she mutters ''All she meant was if his hand was okay from the burn from the kitchen fire''.

Touchy!

And baggage! that she was just worried about his hand as did he treated his wound or not.

Oh hit the soft spot.

She offers to go to Mumbai

Nandini is ready to go to Mumbai with him and set things right regarding his scandal by doing the interview or anything of help., and that gets Manik's attention.

But he's so on edge that he can't even trust this

He wonders what she's up to, and asks what her egenda is.she hit the nail on the head when she replies,

"Just take it for what it is.Have people been deceiving you your whole life?"

Nandini figures that people have been using him his whole life, and tells him to just take her help for what it is.

She gives him a big grin, which totally diffuses his anger.

Manik isn't in a place right now to trust anyone and has walls up. Makes him kind of a pill to be around. They agree to meet at the bridge tonight to go to Mumbai.

Shaurya House

Shaurya's mother pumps Dad's assistant for information on Maurya High and why her husband insists that their son attend there. He stays tight-lipped and she gets nowhere

In Garden

After the talk with Pizza girl manik head out to the garden for fresh air while walkinng on path as bushes and shrubs were all decorative on the pathway ,

There were other student too .

All busy in there work and chatterstuff.

Manik overhears the students discussing the newbies to whom they refer to as Prince Idol and Heir Apparent.

He figure out that students are discussing him and Shaurya, and that none of it is flattering as they claim to be .

He learns the Shaurya has his own woes as the illegitimate child who can't be acknowledged. Rather than being a full heir, he is only half-heir.

The part where Shaurya was born out of wedlock and so can't be acknowledged as the true heir , is of particular new and interest to Manik.

In City

After nandini aunty storms off and leaves her Father .He to find his way to the bus by himself.

Left alone, Nandini 's father is forced to ask strangers for help getting to his doctor's appointment, but with nobody to help him,

when her Father has made it to the bus stop, but without anyone to help him on.

A student rushes past and knocks Father's phone out of his hand.

He misses the bus, panics, and gets on the road from sideline he misses his bus.

His phone is knocked out of his hand and now he's in real trouble, and he ends up getting hit by a motorcycle as he kneels to search for his phone.

Maurya High

Bathroom

Shaurya actually seems to like cleaning " more than studying anyway.

Done with his work he left to meet his ariel.

On reaching her room he knock on door but its Sahas who answer the door'

He asks Sahas if she's seen his "Ariel," and she tells him that Nandini has gone to Mumbai.

Just Outside the school

Nandini readies to go with Manik , but a call has her hesitating while Manik waits for her on the bridge as they agreed.

Shaurya notices that Manik s not in their room and his bed is made, and connects the dots " they must be together..

So much for Nandini's day off. She gets a call and rushes to the police station

Nandini 's call was about her father, and she rushes to find him at the police station, forgetting all about Manik .

He is so happy to hand her the bag of cosmetics and doesn't even think about how scary the incident was Awww, it's so sweet that Dad's worried about losing the cell phone she bought, and proud that he saved the makeup he got for her.

He can't see that it's just the box and the makeup is missing, which has her fighting back tears and telling him that it's really pretty.

Nandini hugs him and cries; Father is okay this time but it was a close so he should be carefull ~sniffle~

Maurya High

Manik waits at the bridge for Nandini, but rather than angry at her delay, he seems more lost and abandoned.

Shaurya doesn't seem as happy as he expected to have his room all to himself, either.

While on the way home she brought some ingredients for a quick snack

Nandinik brings her famous cup cakes as a peace offering and shows up at Aunty's house to bring her some snacks she made, and swears that her dad said he'll never hurt her feelings again if she'll just come back to his place.

She heard from Father that Aunty left with hurt feelings and she has come to bring her back at Father's request. It's push and pull, but she s successful and to bring her home.

She gets Aunty and Dad in the same room, looking mightily pleased with herself, and just grins while they bicker.

She leaves the two love birds together.

The issue isn't makeup, but Dad's feelings " or lack thereof " for Aunty, and Dad finally barks that Aunty is beautiful even without makeup.

He gets a little handsy, which melts Aunty's anger,

(Aunty: It's not like that!

Dad:It's exactly like that. )

Meanwhile, Manik waits at the bridge.

It is getting late

It's only now that she remembers Manik,.

She finally realizes that she forgot about their meeting place and time with all the family turmoil, and runs to the bridge.

She is out of breath and stumbles, but makes light of how tired she is .as she finds him still waiting for her on the bridge.

She begs to rest for a moment before running down the mountain again, and asks pitifully for something to drink for.

She asks him to get her some water and give her five minutes to rest.

Than she would do as he say

She's milking this for all it's worth, but it works on Manik anyway.

By the time Manik gets back with her 's water,, he finds her on the bench talking about work in her sleep.

she's snoring on the bench and muttering about pizza,sandwich cost , ha.

But something about her gets to him, and he wonders if she's so poor that she even works in her dreams.

He ends up carrying her back to her dorm room and putting her to bed, and he tells Sahas to just let her sleep.and later to have her find him as soon as she wakes up.

Aww, you're just a big grumpy marshmallow, aren't you?

As he leaves her room while in corridor as he walk he stops to think about all the jobs she's mentioned " yet she didn't take money to frame him, and she's willing to help him clear his name.

While in Their Room

Shaurya looks at a picture of Mother, again. What's up?

He end up talking to the photo

He keeps telling her to wait a bit more, but he himself is not sure what he means by that other than perhaps it has to do with their outcast position in the world of inheritance.

When Manik returns to their room,

He finds Shaurya appropriating his bed, but shaurya wants to talk about why he and Nandini didn't go to Mumbai.

When Manik doesn't answer,

Shaurya wonders out loud if he's just pretending not to hear him, and Manik finally blows " he yells that he can hear him just fine, and orders him off his bed.

Shaurya bows up at Manik and calls him "runaway idol," asking if he thinks he's on Shaurya level.

Manik counters that he's not the big shot heir from London like he wants people to think " he's not even legitimate, which makes his mother a mistress only and he is half a big shot from overseas

Okay, all was on his side until he said that.

That comment gets Manik a sell-deserved punch in the face, and sparks a full-on fight between the two.

They get in another silly scuffle that brings the students and teachers running

The noise draws the other students but Alex looks pleased that he didn't even have to plot anything this time around .

He just lets them duke it out, so the girls go running to wake Nandini and Sahas for help.

But the teachers get there first, and for the second time in one day, have to break up a fight.

Clearly, Manik and Shaurya can't be in the same space peacefully.

They've gone and pushed their luck All are annoyed with their fighting anyway.

And this time to the point that Dean Raj has had enough of their disrespect and immaturity.

So they stand in front of the entire school and faculty, where they ask for separate rooms.

But Dean Raj says while barely contained his fury that there's no need for that, because they're both expelled..

He expels them.

All can hardly believe they or every one else is shocked at the decision After all every event is first time happening here with the two new arrivals.

Shaurya bows his head (with difficulty)promises he won't let it happen again, and asks not to be sent away,

but Raj simply turns his back on them walks away without a word.

Sahas chases and runs after him calling, "Appa!' but beg him to give Manik one more chance .

Her father stop on his spot and cuts her off. "Do you wish to be expelled, too?" as , he's so angry that he threatens to expell , too.

Damn. Nandini is right behind Sahas, and she moans that this is her fault for not keeping her promise to Manik.

The other students watch Shaurya and Manik through Nadet's drone, wondering why they're both still standing where Dean Raj left them.

It's their pride, of course, which won't allow either of them to leave when they blame the each other for this situation

Mukti'' that's your problem right there, guys''.

As the two bad boys stand outside the vast Maurya High entrance .

Shaurya says that he can't leave like this.

He is especially annoyed, since Manik planned to leave once his scandal was cleared up anyway, but he has to stay a whole year to get what he wants.

He makes the first move to find Dean Raj Manik follows him back to the Dean's office

DEAN OFFICE

.Inside the office shaurya beg (whine) for last chance ,it's not fair and asks for a different punishment.

but Manik is right there with him and he too asks for a different punishment than expulsion.

Shaurya whine he is talking but

Manik cuts in to ask for another chance, too.

It seems rather anticlimactic, thinking they can ask the Dean to reconsider his decision. earning dagger-eyes from Shaurya,

but Dean Raj is unmoved.

At first it seems that Shaurya is getting on his knees,throws himself on the ground and says he won't leave voluntarily, and that he means to stay. . but he just sprawls on the floor and refuses to leave.

Of course he'd go for immature over humble.

Neither wants to leave with their pride on the line.

It's Manik's respectful request to be allowed to stay that gets Raj's attention, and Dean asks if it hurts their pride to be expelled.

So there is a quest for them to survive here

The Quest

He takes them outside and points out Maurya Mountain Peak in the distance, and tells them that whoever brings the school's banner back from the top first, can stay.

It's time to see what the newbies are made of and to make men out of boys.

DeanRaj proposes the quest that, if accomplished, will earn them a place back at Maurya.

He challenges them to scale Maurya Peak and bring back the Maurya Flag will be the one marking for a chance to stay here.

However, only one can succeed because there is only one mark (flag) to retrieve.

From the reaction of the rest of the school, this is pretty damn dangerous.

The students talk among themselves asking if anyone has ever been up there before. It is a daunting mission filled with mystery and difficulty.

The mountain is plenty dangerous enough: snakes, darkness, and a treacherous cliff face (

Manik is the first to step up and Shaurya quickly follows, and they're told that they must go now, in the middle of the night, dressed as they are .

As They both accept the challenge and are told to leave at once just as they are (which means one sock and one shoe for Shaurya.)

Shaurya is only wearing one shoe!.

Dean Raj tells them that if they can't get the banner, not to even bother coming back.

The boys head out, and Nadet sends his drone to follow them.

Manik and Shaurya aren't exactly on speaking terms and resent each other as they head away from Moorim

The boys don't get ten steps before Shaurya wants to go back for his shoe, feeling like Manik has an unfair advantage.

But when he turns back, the path is closed and the school is gone.

They both look back as they realize that Maurya High has disappeared and nothing but the silent, dark woods surround them.

If they don't succeed, they literally can't go back. Drone send by students follow them from a after .

The students think this is much too difficult a task for beginner students, though

Troublemaker Alex isn't sad to see them leave, saying that they weren't qualified to be in the school to begin with.

He maintains that they didn't belong at Maurya anyway.

Sahas hears this and asks to talk with him outside and pulls him aside to tell him that she knows he tampered with the ice and hot oil to cause the incident in the kitchen.

He was behind the ice incident in cooking class, worried that he's not living up to the values that Maurya High tries to instill in them.

He is unfazed and says that he wants those unqualified guys out whatever it takes

When she says that what he did is against everything that Maurya stands for He scoffs and tells her that she's confused but" he's not here for the school values like etiquette, morals, and training.

Rules? You can keep them.

He's here to graduate with top honors, win the martial arts competition, and go home successful.

He's there for what he can get out of it

He admits that he's more than willing to get rid of anyone who gets in his way, including any of the existing students.

Sahas stop him from further speaking but he goes on .

Of course,as all of students are right behind him to overhear what he just said,

The other students overhear him, but he doesn't care, he's in it for himself, and calls them all losers.

though he acts like he doesn't care and walk off.

On the way

In the jungle as they walk ahead Shaurya tries to talk Manik into quitting on their way up the mountain, not understanding why he's doing this when he was planning to quit the school anyway.

Yeah, He've been wondering the same thing.

Shaurya seems to be sincere when he says that he's the one whose future depends on this, and asks for Manik 's shoes and his help.

But Manik just tells him to shut up, ha.

Back at the school,

Everyone - teachers and students - are concerned for the two.Even the teachers think that Dean raj went too far, though Professor Ayaz says that Moorim Peak isn't that dangerous .

He brags that it was he who put the flag on the mountain and climbing it is no big deal.

In fact, he claims to be the one who placed the banner there in the first place, as he used to hike up the mountain every morning.

Professor Druv calls him out for a liar, and they start bickering again about their school times in Maurya High.

Even Monk wonders if Dean Raj was too harsh by putting the boys in danger and Maurya's reputation on the line.

Professor Ved says to Dean Raj that sending those kids up the mountain could get him and the school in big trouble.

Dean Raj is wise, however, and his plan is far-reaching beyond just the two new students It's interesting how, now that the boys are gone,

Dean Raj isn't at all angry " in fact he's pleasantly calm

Raj reminds him of the seal unlocking when the boys arrived, though he claims this test isn't to determine who unlocked it.

He doesn't think they are the only problem at Maurya or that they've created all the ruckus on their own in just the two days they've been there.

He says crypticaly that their fight doesn't just involve the two of them, and it will take more than two of them to complete this task.

Although harsh in his punishment, there is a purpose that is meant to reveal some things and perhaps teach some life lessons that can only come by trial

He tells Professor Ved that no matter if they've only been here two days, they're still Maurya students.

This appears to clue Professor Ved in his true plan, though we aren't privy to it.

None of the students sleep easy that night,

The students lie awake, unable to sleep knowing that Manik and Shaurya are in the wild. and Nadet stays up late watching both of them through his drone on his laptop screen.

Far away, Shaurya's mother,too, looks at his picture and wonders if her son is all right.

She seems to sense that something is happening with her son, and stares at his photo worriedly.

Next morning, the boys make their way up a steep and narrow pass.

They're whiny and unpleasant to each other.the boys find their path blocked by a wide chasm, and they argue over whether to go around or find a way across.

When they come to a canyon gap, Manik wants to go down and around but Shaurya foolishly says that he will make a road where there is no road

Shaurya horrifies manik by his crazy idea of jumping on a rock by making a jump for it, as the danger was their was big cliff between the two rocks and the idiot actually makes it across.

At that, he leaps across the gap. It's scary, and he makes it

But as he's crowing his success to Manik , his sock foot slips,momentarily; with a slip of his foot he slides down the cliff and dangles. and he finds himself dangling over the abyss by his fingertips.

Manik has no choice but to make the leap without another thought.

Frantic,Manik also makes the jump, and lowers his belt forShaurya to grab

.He scrambles to rescue Shaurya.

But An ill-timed attack of ear pain has Shaurya lose his footing, and all that stands between him and the long drop is Manik's strength.

He fights against the pain and ringing in his ear to hold on to Shaurya and pull him to safety.

Luckily, together they manage to pull shaurya to safety, though he immediately gripes at Manik for nearly dropping him.

Shaurya is mildly grateful when he realizes Manikl is in pain he calls his name.

Manik is still in the grips of his attack and doesn't answer, and now

Shaurya grows genuinely worried.

He calls to him and realizes that he can't hear him at all, but the attack subsides and Manik glares at Shaurya for making that stupid jump.

He angrily says, "I told you not to do it," and walks past him.

A sign, that his helping someone means he is on the road to overcoming.)

Aunty makes Nandini's dad a gigantic breakfast of foods known to be , and when he asks why, she titters that Nandini won't be home tonight and would stay at hostel.

He thinks nandini is preparing for competitive exams and attending a institution and stays in hostel

ProfessorsDruv and Alya spar together, in what looks like more of a courtship dance than anything else. Druv finds it very sexy when Alya kicks him down , and he angles for a kiss, but she's too worried about the boys alone up on Maurya Peak.

The boys are starting to walk again , and Shaurya decides to test Manik's hearing.

He calls after Manik o test if he can hear him.

He only succeeds in annoying Manik by whispering his name over and over, ha.

For now, Manik seems all right. Shaurya stuck ,

As he's not kidding when he steps on something with his sock foot and hurts himself, and he gives manik his best puppy-dog eyes and asks yet again to switch shoes.

It almost works, but Manik saunters off again, leaving Shaurya shoeless. Manik is made of sterner stuff than , clearly.

So Shaurya who is limping at this point, makes a shoe for his aching foot with his wallet and tie.

He use his tie and leather wallet as a makeshift shoe, which is pretty damned resourceful for a spoiled rich kid, and even seems to impress the stoic Manik.

They both have crack on their self and their shoulders and won't give an inch even after what they've been through.

The kids back at school find them with Nadet's drone, and worry that they must be hungry and thirsty by now.

Indeed,

Shaurya starts to whine about being thirsty, and Manik finds a little trickle of water for them to drink Thirsty and tired, they come upon a trickle of water in the rocks, . but soon take off running after spotting a snake.

They freak out and run when they see a snake, Somehow, they get separated as t hey get split up in their fear,.

All the while, the students at Maurya watch from the drone camera and the kids argue over which to follow with the drone.

They choose Manik, so everyone is worried when he finally stops running and can't find Shaurya. Now it's a real competition, since the boys can't work together anymore.

The scene goes to the man in a coma in the hospital:

We see the mysterious man in the coma, and get a glimpse of his past as he and his family (a wife, and a small son and daughter are forced to hide out in a mountain cabin.

Flashback:

He and his family, a wife and two small children, quickly dress and pack.

They are in a mountain hideaway.

He tells his wife that he was told to bury the jewels somewhere no one knows about.

He placed a seal around the house so everything is safe.

He has his daughter in armas and his wife has their son folded in her lap as she sat on swing her husband check the surrounding

It's far enough away in a secluded place in the mountains where he once rested while he trained. He tries to reassure her that kids and she would be safe here.

The little girl in the man arms is same dressed as Dean Raj was protecting before?

Dean Raj looks to Mt. Maurya. he know about that hideaway in the mountains, the man in the coma, and that family he recall the woman, that man's wife, burned and unconscious or perhaps dead

We get further events from Raj's perspective " he had found the wife dead in the cabin some time later.

Professor Ved stares out the window, too.

He also appears to know something of this, based on the way he's staring into space thoughtfully.

Clearly there is a secret on that mountain

Alone now, Manik nearly walks in for an unfriendly surprise.

There, in front of him, is a wolf. Its a large beast, which looks like some kind of other wordly wolf.

He steps back, but it's too late - the wolf sees him.

The students are watching through the drone,Not only that, the students watch with horror at Manik's perilous situation from the drone camera.

Poor Manik is in serious danger.

The wolf lunges and whoops! collides with the drone and the screen goes blank.

but the wolf-thing back to ground but ready in attack position, and now at manik.

The beast sees Manik growls, and leaps.

Without the comfort of being able to see the guys on the mountain,

Dean Raj's words that the two students won't make the mission on their own come true; it is his own daughter, Sahas, who is the first to run to her Manik who is in trouble.

No one can stop her.

Sahas is ready to run up there and find Manik. She tells any other kids who want to help, to meet her at the front doors.

Manik runs from the beast, but finds himself face-to face with it again.

It's man versus beast as the wolf knocks down Manik It jumps up at him and knocks him down, and he gets up quickly.

He scurries to his feet.

The gleaming charm around his neck - a Maurya symbol perhaps? - momentarily blinds the wolf as they stand off face-to-face.

As the jewel in his pendant catches a ray of sun and shines directly into the beast's eyes, and stops it in its tracks.

What will happen to our Manik?

It's no coincidence that Manik's pendant has a jewel in it, and that in his memory of his dead mother in the fire, she had the same short hair as Coma Man's wife. So if the little girl is the same one Dean Raj saved, then would that make Manik the son and Sahas the daughter, making them siblings or even twins? If so, how did Manik get separated from his sister, and why did Dean Raj never look for him? I do find the mysteries compelling, and I have a feeling we haven't seen the half of it yet.

It seems to be settling into a more comfortable rhythm, relaxing into itself and letting its characters be a little bit more human and fallible

(we saw some of that with Shaurya last week, but now everyone's inner insecurities are showing).

The air of mystery is still there, as we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what's truly going on at Maurya High, but it seems to have let go of that sense of extreme gravitas it tried to carry in the first week, and let the characters shine instead.

It show feels more cohesive than it did in the beginning, so if it keeps on improving like this, it has the potential to be a really fun watch.

I get that he's had a tough time on his own, with people only caring about him as far as his talent can benefit them, and that naturally would lead to a person being reluctant to show any true emotions.

But as a character it's problematic, because he's so closed off that we're being given no sense of his feelings or motivations, why he's at Maurya and why he's determined to stay (we can guess, but those aren't answers, you know?).

Nandini will be the person who starts to crack that veneer, with her way of just being herself that seems to affect him.

She's the first person who was willing to not only do something for him, but do it at their own expense, and Its already getting through to him. I think " hope " that a budding friendship with Shaurya will do the same thing, and hopefully we'll see a very different Manik by the end of the story .

One thing I really like about this story, in a strange way, is that neither of the leading men are likable.

I'm so used to one male lead being the "nice guy" that it's almost refreshing that both of our boys are jerks, at this point.

They're the epitome of the conceited, self-absorbed teenager, just looking for what benefits them and bristling at anything that gets in their way.

Of course they have very different reasons for being that way, and their issues manifest in very different ways, but I almost like that neither of them is showing his true self at this point in the story.

It make them closely for those little flashes of maturity, and they are there, like when Shaurya worried for Manik's hearing just for a moment, or when Manik realized that Nandini lives a pretty hard life.

Those little glimpses of the people both boys will grow to be are fascinating, and I foresee a lot of character growth for both of them.

Now that they're stripped of their privilege " and the pressures and fears that come with it " they can slowly become who they really are inside.

And as a side note, I'm thinking both of them are somehow special... there's no way a normal human could make the jump over that chasm.

In fact,the boys are so much their own worst enemies,

MAURYA HIGH

Chapter 4

[It was a failure by both, not a success by one.]

RECAP

. There are important lessons to be learned on Maurya Peak, and even more important ones once they come down from the mountain. They both must face their true reasons for being there, and whether they have what it takes to stick it out until the end.

Manik and Shaurya have been separated in the woods. Manik comes upon a wolf and with the glimmer of his medallion shining in the wolf's eyes, it lunges and knocks him over. He regains his footing, but the wolf corners him.

Manik finds himself face-to-face with a wolf-beastagain , which chases and knocks him over. But a ray of sunlight glints off the jewel in his pendant and into the beast's eyes, infuriating it, but also stopping it in its tracks.

Following the beast's growls, Shaurya finds him just then when wolf regain his compose and jump to attack, Shaurya appears and fights off the wolf with a stick and distracts it, then goes after it with a flimsy stick like he's fencing. That's pretty brave.

He yells at Manik to get a move on, so he climbs a nearby tree, and Shaurya clambers up right behind him as he hurry and climb a tree and a moment later has the chance to scurry up the trunk himself..

They've escaped danger as the wolf runs off. Manik offers a "thank you;" Shaurya says they're even since he saved him from falling off the cliff

Sahas is determined to go up the mountain to help the boys, but the only one willing to go with her is Nandini (who even thinks to pack Shaurya 's sneakers shoes ).

Before they go, Nandini says there's something they must do.

Up in the tree,as Manik reluctantly thanks Shaurya for his rescue, and he calls them even. Manik is all Yeah I know, don't make a big deal over it, but there's no heat in his voice this time, and he even cracks a tiny smile. Of course Shaurya teases him for smiling, but betrays a little grin of his own.

The boys on a quest have endured a couple of dangerous encounters together which seems to have chipped away at some of that pride. After movi ng a little bit they come aross a river or stream orignated maybe between the mountain itself . In the stream they play like like buddie splashing water at eachother resulting a water fight

They seem to have come to a tentative truce,

Later they lay on a rock to dry out, and Manik shushes him wanting to just listen to the sounds of the forest. He asks if they can really make it to Maurya Peak, and Shaurya says they'll be lucky if they just make it off their little rock alive. Truer words, my friend. Manik and Shaurya rest on the rocks; the danger is at bay for now.

In order to reach Maurya Peak before sunset, they need to get going

When Shaurya 's makeshift shoe falls apart,

Shaurya's leather-wallet-shoe is falling apart, and Manik just wordlessly tosses him his own wallet to use and make another one,

With the benefit of a map, the girls realize that the boys probably took the most dangerous path up to Maurya Peak. The whole school is unsettled at Sahas and Nandini's decision to look for the boys,

Professor Ved asks where Nandini and Sahas are, as they're missing from class. The students tell him that they went after the boys .

All of Maurya High are uneasy over the quest challenge and no one can focus.

but Dean Raj takes the news calmly.

Professor Alya walks in just as Professor Ayaz beats Professor Druv

in another sparring match " poor Professor Druv wonders why he can't win against anyone today, ha.

He's annoyed that none of the kids are here to practice, but Professor Alya reminds him that their minds are all on Maurya Peak.

It's time to test those scout skills by making a fire.Shaurya 's try to lit by stones but his attempt fails

Shaurya again tries to start a fire with two sticks and dry grass, but Manik just pulls out his phone and uses a heat source (cigarette lighter?) on the back to ignite some leaves. Manik is resourceful and uses the lens of his phone as his phone battry dies.

Shaurya throws money on the fire to help it get going, and jokes that this is a pretty expensive fire, ha.Shaurya stokes the fire with more bills - after all, there's plenty more where that came from and right now, they need a warm fire.

.

They agree that their efforts have worked together for a solution and become more comfortable with one another.

Little by little, they talk about why they've come to Maurya

Manik asks if Shaurya is really a Boy Scout as he claims, he says

then laughs when Shaurya gets the motto all wrong.

Shauryas convoluted explanation of what he meant makes a weird sort of sense, even to Manik. He asks how Shaurya learned to fence, referring to how he fended off the wolf with a stick, and Shaurya says he studies self-defense,sword fighting because he's been kidnapped so many times.

He says that his father even kidnapped him here, For Shaurya, it's because his father has sent him and he doesn't have a choice.but at least he got to meet his Ariel.

He shares his one snack of his choco bar with Manik, congratulating himself on how selfless he is.

Later he asks Manik why he's here at Maurya when he doesn't have to be, and he hits the nail on the head by asking if it's because of his ear.

He asks if that's what happened at the concert too, when Manik- was the only one who didn't run from the falling lights.

HE admits that Shaurya is right, and that the doctors don't know what's wrong or how to fix it. For Manik, it's because doctors can't help with his hearing loss and pain, and he thinks Dean Raj can help.

He came to Maurya, hoping that Dean Raj couldn't . He says sadly that he has no family or anyone in the world, just music, so if he can't hear...and If I can't make music..."

But Shaurya cuts him off with a smile and tells him not to worrybu Shaurya offers encouragement and replies

''Don't worry, you'll make a huge comeback."

.Manik should wait for his huge comeback " as his Ariel will make sure of that.

Manik doesn't respond, but his face relaxes and he seems a bit more peaceful than before.

Back to the Institute everyone notices "Come Back" tweets and posts from fans of Manik

Apparently, the thing Nandini and Sahas needed to do before they go was to make a video of Nandini explaining what happened the night of Manik 's scandal, and post it online.

. Before she left with Sahas, Nandini recorded and posted an interview explaining the scene where Manik Mallhotra and Soha were attacked by thugs

.Unlike what was reported, she clears up that he didn't run away, but chased after the paparazzi to avoid a scandal with Soha

Her interview has hit the web and gone viral.

The Maurya students watch it and wonder why Manik never defended himself, and Nadet says they wouldn't have believed him, anyway. He's not wrong.

The students rally in support;

They post comments on the video, backing up Nandini s honesty and apologizing to Manik for not believing him. Even Teacher Sam gets he tweets "come back. into the act, But they're all worried that they won't return from Mt. Maurya.

DeanRaj visits the boys' empty room.He want the two to learna a lesson , that's what Dean Raj thinks about isthe perilous mission he sent Manik and Shaurya on is improve them . They left enemies and should came back as comrades. There's still plenty of room for improvement, but the growth is measurable if they are together and satisfied with how it occurred to hem in each other company.

Unknown to Manik, his reputation has been cleared and his fans are claming for him to return .Manik would soon stands at the brink of two worlds as a vulnerable young adult who has been burned by the entertainment industry once , not to mention that he has no family and has to go it alone again if he choose to go back.

.

Shaurya's foot is giving him a lot of trouble

The makeshift shoes aren't cutting it anymore, and Shaurya 's foot is cut up and bleeding. But for once he doesn't whine, and just admits he's spoiled and soft, asking for a rest.

They stop to rest and Manik picks up some nuts to eat and shares them

Rather than take advantage, Manik hangs back with him, bringing him nuts to eat and helping him walk.He supports Shaurya with his shoulder as they continue forward.

When they stop for another break,and stop to rest, Shaurya reminds Manik that only one of them can win this race and stay at Maurya

.Shaurya tells Manik to go on ahead - he can't continue any longer.

He tells Manik to go on without him, which frankly angers Manik, but Shaurya is serious.

He can't go any further, and one of them may as well win.

But instead of taking the opportunity, Manik sits down with Shaurya and claims to be tired, too.

But Manik sticks by his buddy and says that he's tired, too. Theystill needs to find a place to rest for the night.

Shaurya blusters that as soon as he's rested, he's going to win this thing, but his tiny little smile shows that he's glad Manik is staying.

Meanwhile, Nandini 's video is working " all the news media sites are reporting the story and video, and public opinion swings back in his favor.

Shelter among rocks and a shallow cave seems like a good idea

Tonight the boys find a cave for shelter, and Manik starts a fire then starts to go looking for something to eat.

By now, Shaurya seems actually upset that Manik refuses to go on and complete the task without him.

Things look grim as a pack of five wolves surround them. Its to late to realize that it's a wolves' den

The wolf-beast has tracked them to the cave, so Manik runs back to help shaurya escape.

This time both boys are armed with sticks,The boys arm themselves with fire sticks but the wolves are aggressiveand the wolf-beast has brought his whole pack. The wolves attack, and one of them manages to clamp down on Shaurya's arm.He gets knocked down

Out of the blue it's girls are at rescue!

Thank goodness, the girls find them just in time, and with Nandini's sling in a sharp shooter and hits a wolf right between the eyes - bingo!

and Sahas's whip them with her stick, asthey chase off the wolves.

But one wolf-beast turns back and heads straight for Shaurya

"Watch out! NO!" shouts Manik, as the wolf leaps for Shaurya. The force of his yell suspends the wolf for a moment in time everything seems to slow down in that moment .In the instant that the wolf hangs in the air enough for Manik to pushes Shaurya away out of danger and wrestles with the wolf. aside.

, so that when things move normally again, he takes the brunt of its attack.

He gets a nasty bite too, but they manage to chase off the last wolf

Sahas takes note of Manik's ability and power to suspend time just like at the concert

IN SHAURYA HOUSE

.Far away in city , a vase crashes at Shaurya's mother's feet - an ominous sign that something is amiss concerning her son. She is shaken. But soon On a quick trip to town to replace the vase

Both boys have sustained injuries from the wolf attack. Nandini gently tends to their wounds.

Nandini doctors everyone up. Her bravery has done nothing to dampen Shaurya s feelings, He is again starry-eyed as "Ariel" wraps his arm in bandaid . and he stares at her with hearts in his eyes as he stare her dreamly

She even brought along his other shoe and puts it on his foot as he doesn't move .she puts on the shoes removing the previous with the one she brought for him.

He calls her a female warrior and a nightingale. She tells him to shush.

Manik notices and watches, while trying to sort out his own feelings.but soon he looks annoyed.

Sahas passes water to him and unpack

Snacks and energy drink for them.

Next, she treats Manik 's scratch on his face.

When she gives the same attention to a scratch on his face, he's not unaffected by her proximity.When he fusses.

She tells him that his fans will die if his face is ruined and not to worry, things will return to the way they were soon.

Manik jokes that he has no fans to be devastated at his state

She shush him up as she tends scar on his face, and assures him that there will be fans who care about him again.

This time it's Shaurya who looks on. A love triangle is forming.

Interesting how, out of the two boys, it's Manik who notices that Nandini is injured as well.

IN MARKET

Vase SHOP

Shaurya mom shoped for a new one to replace previous as she came out of shop , but runs into Nandini Aunty outside the shop. She does seem happy to see Aunty at first, but quickly schools her expression.

They end up at Shaurya 's mother's house, and now she has someone she can ask about the school without being shut down. She tells Aunty that she's been having terrible dreams for two nights and she can't reach her son, and expresses her worry over her son. but Aunty assures her that Nandini is there and can watch over him.

Aunty makes a comment about Shaurya s mother being the wife of the chairman of Sanghal Group, and Mom doesn't correct her, but looks nervous about it.

She jumps up to get refreshments and steps on a serving fork on the floor, and complains about how hard it is to get good help these days.

Shaurya Mother is looking for a new maid

Aunty gets an idea, and asks if possibly she's thinking of hiring a new housekeeper than she should appoint her

. Nandini Aunt assesses the benefits of working for her and offers a three-in-one deal - cleaning, updating her about her son, and keeping her company. Mother seems interested.

The four friends decide to tackle the last leg of the journey to Mt. Maurya together.

It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Shaurya 's injuries are too bad for him to continue

Even with his sneakers, Shaurya 's injured foot makes it difficult to walk, but he powers through "since my Ariel vitamin is next to me."

Nandini snarls at him when he wants to hold her hand, and Manik doesn't look too happy about it either.

As night falls, Shaurya asks for a break, and Manik notices that his wolf-bitten arm is bleeding.Nandini suggests they turn back Nandini wants to take him back to the school now, but Shaurya insists he can keep going. he insists that he can't stop here, after coming this far. He's the one who has to stay, to be near her and his mother.

Manik steps in to suggest they rest for an hour, but even Sahas is against it. She gives Shauryua credit for getting this far with a hurt foot and after what they've been through, but even she thinks it's time for him to turn back. She offers to take him back to the school, and Nandini can go on with Manik .

After debating, it is decided that Sahas will accompany Shaurya back to Maurya and Nandini will go with Manik to the peak.

Shaurya wants Nandini to take him back if he has to go, and Sahas barks that of course she wants to stay with Manik (earning her stares all around), but she's stronger and can help Shaurya walk.

In the discussion and fussing, the tables turn and Sahas , who is stronger, ends up helping Shaurya limp back to Maurya, while Manik and Nandini prepare to finish the quest ahead.

Shaurya is forced to admit defeat, and he tells Manik to go on without him " at least one of them can succeed.

On the walk back, Sahas recommends that Shaurya ask Dean Raj if he can stay anyway, since he didn't give up, but had to turn back because of injuries.

But Shaurya isn't hopeful,he complains and threatens to give "old man Dean" a good dose of privileged family punishment calling Raj a monster, small-minded and stubborn.

He even wants to fight the dean, but his show of bravado doesn't impress Sahas one bit.

Manik is distracted asNandini leads him up the mountain, and soon he stops altogether. Out of nowhere, he says to her, "I don't want to be like the members of his ex group ." They only do whatever benefits them, and he doesn't want to live like that.

It's a growth moment for Manik - in fact one of several lately - as he decides that scaling Mt. Maurya without Shaurya isn't worth it, nor is it what he wants. He and Nandini turn back to catch up with the other two.

Shaurya talks a big game about how he's going to make Dean Raj sorry for how he treated him.

Finally, Sun-ah informs him that that's her father he's insulting. At least Shaurya looks chastened that the Dean is Sahas's father. and apologizes.

"Did he mess up again?" they hear from behind them, and turn to see Manik and Nandini .

Shaurya asks, "Where is the marking?"

Manik answers, "Let's go. I thought about it.It ends here.

Nandini simply says that Manik wanted to quit, but he doesn't give any more explanation that that he's afraid of the wolf, without Sahurya with him. Okay, as all look at him with awww.

Manik assures Sahurya that he's not doing this because he feels sorry for him It's that, when he thought about it, he realized that Shaurya wouldn't have gone on without him, either.

;;You wouldn't have gone without me, either."he replied shrugging his shoulder a its no big deal for him

Shaurya is taken aback and wonders if he really would have done the same.

Shaurya is too touched to speak He learns the value of friendship for friendship's sake and honestly and finally there is one friend he's made, Manik simply slings his arm over his shoulders and starts walking him back down the mountain as the girls follow them totally impressed at their new mature self.

1. As they walk down even he doesn't say act that he really credited Manik for a heroic decision to return with him to Maurya despite the fact that he could have conquered Maurya Peak on his own shows his growth and willingness to set aside his pride .He's a bit slower on the humanity uptake, but that make him Manik Malhotra as he shine in new light to him''.

At MAURYA

As they step in hall all students and teachers present teir

They are given a warm welcome by the students and faculty as they return safely back to Maurya.

They get back to their self and head straight for the dean's office, heads bowed.

They tell the dean what happened, for once speaking as a team instead of arguing. Shaurya especially makes sure Dean Raj knows that Manik could have gotten the banner, but he didn't for his's sake.

Dean Raj hides a smile as Shaurya credits Manik for saving his life and Manik credits Shaurya for making it as far as they did.

In his turn, Manik says he only got as far as he did because of Shaurya, and that he was afraid to go on without him.

Shaurya tells the dean that he should still let one of them stay, since the school values life lessons, and they both learned while on that mountain.

The dean hasn't said a word until now, but that last comment makes him smile. He even nearly laughs when Shaurya calls him on it, covering it with a cough, and just tells them to get their injuries treated and be on time for class tomorrow.

It strikes them Even though they didn't return with the marking, the Dean decides to let them stay, secretly pleased that the two students have made strides in maturity and integrity

The students cheer when the news gets out that they are staying. Except for Alex . Even the teachers are impressed that the two returned from Mt. Maurya. Sahas is the happiest of all that her father has allowed her favorite idol, Manik, to stay.

As now all knew it " they were never meant to get the banner, they were meant to learn to work together.

The rest of the students celebrate to hear that both boys get to stay. They're all thrilled, with the obvious exception of Alex.

He refuses to admit they earned the right to stay considering they didn't finish the task, or that he cares that he's alienated all of his former friends.

It's a similar story for the teachers " they're all glad the boys are staying, though Professor Ayaz says he's not happy about it.

That could have more to do with Professor Druv prodding him though, as he doesn't actually seem that upset.

Up in their room,

Instead of grumbling about dorm life,Shaurya is grateful to stretch out on his bed.

Shaurya asks Manik if he thinks the other students will treat them differently now.

Manik just offers to clean the bathrooms until Shaurya 's arm heals, then threatens to rescind his offer when Shaurya gloats about how he fought off that wolf.

Their perspectives have broadened beyond their own little worlds. Still, they wonder what the real reason is behind Dean Raj's decision to let them stay.

After Manik charge his cellphone

Manik finally gets to see Nandini 's video defending him against the unfair accusations, recalling how she promised him on the mountain that everything would go back to how it was for him.

For the first time and it dawns on him that, as she mentioned in the woods, things are back to the way they were because of her

Both boys see other videos of Manik 's fans and huge list of comments , now on his side again and begging him to come back.

His fans claim for the return of popular idol Manik and scream, "Please come back, Manik !"

''Aww your fans are like shape shiffter''Shaurya goff.

Manik shoots Shaurya a pointed look about his comments on fickle fans, and Shaurya defends himself that it's not like Manik told him the truth, so of course he believed it, too. Manik just tells him to rest, and leaves.

Dean Chamber

"It was a failure by both, not a success by one." Dean Raj sums up the Mt. Maurya mission with Monk Ved. He is pleased that in their failure, they seemed to have learned lessons - integrity, sacrifice, teamwork, decision-making - things that Maurya promotes.

Dean Raj does explain his decision to Professor Ved " instead of one boy being successful, both failed. And in life, people learn more from failure than success.

Professor Ved isn't so sure about Shaurya , and he thinks that Manik will probably leave on his own.

Monk Ved isn't sure if Manik will stay and as he speaks,

Our idol has already packed and heads back to his former life. His reason for following Nandini to Maurya in the first place was to get her to give that interview and that's been taken care of. With his reputation restored, Manik looks to return to the life of an idol Singer

IN HOSPITAL ROOM

The man in the coma lays in his hospital bed, agitated by dream-like thoughts: a fire, a struggle with someone.

reliving his last few moments of lucidity. There's a fire, and he's fighitng someone whose face we don't see.

Chairman 's assistant gets a report that his vital signs seem to be improving, which he says the chairman will be happy to hear.

Chairman is notified that there is some improvement in the man's condition. They expect him to gain consciousness.

Manik stays up late thinking,His dilemma is portrayed in a believable way, especially when not one but two people ask him, "Have you been deceived all your life?" While the deal with the SD Entertainment agent he was emailed sounded good, and in the morning he slips out of his room with his bag packed. Shaurya wakes to see Manik 's bed stripped, and knows what it means.

In City Street,

Fans everywhere recognize him and show their love.

Manik is recognized by shrieking fangirls as he passes on street ''omy god manik'' they squizzed, but right beside them is a poster of him that was defaced with hateful comments. Fickle fans, indeed.

As he walks on, he hears Nandini on her scooter behind him again at her delivering job, but he doesn't turn to look.

Manik is here for a reason, and he meets with a representative from his agency's rival, DS Entertainment.

Just then, his phone rings. It's Shaurya; he woke up to Manik 's empty bed and is tracking down his friend. He tries and tries, but Manik isn't picking up

They want to offer him a contract, and to help him make a huge comeback as a solo act after clearing his name. Manik tells the rep that he's dealing with a problem right now, but the rep already knows about his ear.

The agent tells him that his previous CEO is all about money so why not come over this company? He offers to support Manik 's music and even take of the problem with his ears -his CEO has spread that info, too. The plan would be to send him to America for about a year to write music and get treatment for his ears. It sounds like a deal that Manik can't refuse.

He says that Manik can just take some time off and write songs, get his ear treated, then come back.

The agent wants to move fast and has a car outside ready to take him to Mumbai. "Get go. Let's have a new start," he tells him

Back at Maurya, Sahas is horrified to hear about Manik leaving, and begs her father to help him get his hearing back. Shaurya just sits alone in their room, staring at Manik's empty bed.

As they wait outside the caf for car to pick them up

The rep asks Manik if he's been staying with family in this area, and Manik reluctantly admits that he has no family. The rep comments on Manik 's reputation for never talking about how he feels, which Manik also admits.

The car arrives, and at the same time, Manik gets a call from Shaurya .

Manik stands, unsure what to do, and then he gets a text from Sahas asking him not to leave.Shauryacalls again, and the rep jokes that Manik is popular wherever he goes.

Yes, but these people care about you for you " make the right choice!

Nandini passes by on her way to deliver Vegetables and sees Manik and the agent.

Nandini drives in his way and stop , and this time she sees Manik standing with the agency rep.She calls out his name and surprises him. It is as if he stands at a crossroads between the two worlds in lif She runs to him and asks where he's going, and the rep recognizes her from the video she posted.

Manik asks for a minute to talk with herThe Agent recognise and thanks her for the video she posted on the web

He takes a call and leaves them to talk, and Manik thanks Nandini for posting that video. Because of her, he can go back to his music life, and Nandini congratulates him.and adds''

She was only trying to set things right, she says, that's all. He tells her that he is ready to go back to work. "Already? It's like we just met and now it's time to say goodbye. I'm sad to see you leave, but you're leaving because everything worked out for you

The Agent is ready to go, and suddenly Nandini doesn't look so happy. But she shakes it off and wishes Manik good luck, and invites him to visit any time.They shake hands. As she leaves to make a delivery, it's as if he regrets seeing her go.

Manik watches her drive away with a lonely expression on his face.

Shaurya is still trying to call him, but Manik ignores his calls as he rides away with the agency rep.

He listens to the man plan his future with other people, and he gets a series of texts from Shaurya , first joking that he's just trying to get out of cleaning the bathrooms himself like he promised, then saying that they'll do them together.

Not getting a reply from Manik by phone, Shaurya texts: How dare you ignore my calls, huh? Did you take off use you didn't want to clean the bathrooms? Fine. We will split and clean the bathrooms. So get here now.

He really does miss his friend and is scared that he may be gone for good.

Shaurya is increasingly upset, complaining out loud that Manik is just a runaway idol after all, and that he didn't even say goodbye. He tells himself he's glad, and flops down on Manik 's bed, but no matter how he tries to bluster through, in the end he looks extremely lonely himself.

Manik is having second thoughts. Before he left Maurya High he stopped by Dean Raj's to sort things out.

In Flashback

Manik did tell Dean Raj that he was leaving, and the dean had said that once he was like Shaurya and Manik , holding onto his courage and stubbornness. DeanRaj told him about a friend without whom he wouldn't be here today.That friend had saved him, and is the reason he's here today.

That entire conversation yet, but Dean Raj surely has plenty of life experiences through trial and error, and seems willing to let Manik go .

As he saide- ''all the students at Moorim - make decisions as long as they own up to the consequences. He makes a good mentor if he let them off to path they choose welcome back if they step behind in defeat.''

While in car Manik is lost in his thoughts and that conversation sounds in his mind as he reads the texts from Shaurya

But he is already on his way to Mumbai with the new agent who talks a mile a minute about Manik's schedule and future.

when the rep speaks and turn to him, and the rep assumes he didn't hear him.

Manik says, "True. I need to fix my ears first."

That evening

Nandini is having a hard time

She is too distracted to work, and even neglected to treat her wolf scratch wound properly and is feeling tired.

Shaurya can't sleep comfortably in-Manik's bed.Helearns the value of friendship for friendship's sake and honestly misses the one friend he's made. He and Manik have been through a lot together in the past couple of days and have overcome adversity together'

Both of them think of Manik , and how much he changed in just the few days he was at Maurya High.

She asks for the rest of the night off which surprises her employer.

Nandini begs off work, and when she gets to her scooterWho should be waiting for her outside the restaurant .She heard a voice"You're not delivering , are you?" he asks and she turns around, shocked to see him standing there,To her delight, he's decided to stay and asks to ride to Maurya together .She is surprised and glad that Manik was waiting for her. Eee, he stayed as he was able to weigh the importance of things other than money and fame, thanks to his even so little experience at Maurya High .

!

He breezily claims that he's sooo popular here, he didn't want to upset people by leaving.

Nandini crows happily when he says he plans to stay, but when she prepares to drive them back to school, her injured wrist hurts too much she cries out in pain from her scratched wrist he scolds her for not taking care of herself and stop her to drive anymore.

Manik wraps her cut in a band-aid fussing at her for not taking care of herself.

He offers to drive and let her restand takes the driver's seat so that she can rest at back , and She is too taken aback to argue. She gets on behind him and her tells her to hang on tight in case she falls asleep, pulling her arms securely around his waist.

It's Nandini's turn to be flustered by the close contact, but she leans her head on his back and they take off.Before she knows it, she has fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head on his shoulder.

''Sure enough, she falls asleep right away due to her everlasting jobss''he thought, and smiles to himself. She wakes a few minutes later and now she smiles, and the two of them head back to Maurya High

Maurya High

: CHAPTER 5

Now that everyone is safe and sound, and most of the antagonism has been handled, it's time to actually start studying. Growing feelings could complicate things when the boys are assigned mentors " there's only one Nandani and mainik to go around, leaving someone feeling left out. Hopefully this won't get in the way of the boys' newfound friendship, because if there's any ship in this show worth sailing, it's theirs.

EPISODE 5 RECAP

Manik decides to stay at Maurya High and focus on healing his ear, and he hitches a ride with Nandini, who's openly thrilled that he's staying.He offers to drive her scooter because of her injured hand, and the close proximity makes them both smile when the other isn't looking.

Shaurya can't sleep and loiters outside the school, watching and hoping for Manik to return, which is where Sahasfinds him. They both lie that they just couldn't sleep, butShauryabreaks first and asks if Sahas has heard from Manik .

She tells him that Manik left Maurya Institute, and Shaurya is hurt and angry. Why would he go to Maurya Peak if he was just going to leave? He grumbles that Manik only cares about fame, and Sahas leaps to his defense, assuming he had a good reason to go.

But right then, she spots someone approaching, and asks Shaurya to pinch her. He pinches her cheeks, and when Manik asks what they're doing, she runs off embarrassed. Cute.

Shaurya goes all wide-eyed to see Manik but denies that he was waiting for him, whining, "Ariel!" He goes in for a hug but gets shoved away instead. Manik smiles at his antics, and Shaurya tells him to stop that, "because I might like you." Both boys smile shyly at that.

Up in their room, Manik notices that Shauryastole his bed, but he easily takes Shaurya's old bed whenShaurya offers to switch back. He warns that this will be the only time he'll concede to him, but Shaurya just tells him to stop acting cool. Yeah, nobody's buying the inscrutable loner act anymore.

Someone slides a note under their door, ordering them both to the bell tower armory tonight. In another room, Alex's roommate Shahid tells him that he has to go tonight, but he refuses, saying that he doesn't care of those guys stay or go.

The teachers all chill out in the lounge doing their own things, and Nadet's drone checks to make sure the coast is clear.

The boys take the note to Sahas and Nandini, who tell them that soldiers used to fight in the soldier-fighter tower armory, and it's off-limits. They make a big deal about a secret room where bad things happen to curious students, but secretly they're just winding the boys up.

Manik and Shaurya assume the students just want to make sure they know how unwelcome they are, so they head out, determined to prove they're serious about staying.

Ha, The teachers know all about the kids' plans, and it must not be dangerous because they decide to just let the kids have their fun. Professors Druv and Alya even take credit for starting the tradition, though they say it's changed a lot over the years.

The bell tower armory is pretty old and mysterious, and as soon as Shaurya and Manik arrive, they're locked into a room full of old weapons. Two boys swing down from an upper walkway where the rest of the students watch, and they grab a pair of swords, looking aggressive.

Nandini is nervous, and she and Sahas leave so they don't have to watch. Manik finds a sword and Shaurya a staff, and they brace themselves for the beating they're surely about to receive. Just as it looks like someone's about to get seriously hurt, the kids all start to cheer and streamers go off. HA, awesome.

Manik and Shaurya are stunned for a minute, but it's obvious that this is their welcome party as all the kids cheer and congratulate them. Poor Shaurya, with his big-talking mouth, looks so embarrassed. But both boys are touched to be finally accepted.

The teachers all go out together, hoping the kids don't drink too much. The teachers tell tall tales about how much they can drink (Teacher Sam says he just chooses not to drink because his face gets all red, hee), and all four end up in a drinking contest.

During the party Shaurya confronts Manik for leaving without saying goodbye, but Manik disarms him when he says he came back because of him . Then he jokes that he knew Shaurya would tell everyone he didn't want to clean the bathrooms.

Curious,Alex slinks up to the party after all, and goes right for the boys. He takes responsibility for the cooking class incident, shocking the entire room, and Shaurya reluctantly accepts his apology. But Alex refuses to shake hands, and says (again with the random tone and attitute exist from the scene showing that this doesn't mean he's acknowledging them. He still dislikes them.

Dean Raj gets a call that every last one of his teachers is dead drunk at thebar , forcing him to go pay their bill. Fortunately, it's not that much, because they all passed out after one round, .

Nandini 's dad and Aunty go out for a walk after dinner, and Aunty slips that Nandini is coming home from school this weekend. Oops, Dad thinks she's been studying for the civil service exam. Aunty pretends it was a simple slip of the tongue, but they just happen to be outside the restaurant where the teachers are, and they run right into Dean Raj.

The dean is less than thrilled to be caught with these four drunken idiots, and practically ignores Aunty's greeting. Aunty tells dad that that was the faculty of Maurya High l from the mountain nearby, and Dad reacts oddly, as if he's terrified.

He says never to let Nandini near that place " they evidently offered her a scholarship, but Dad was told that she turned it down. He repeats that she's never to go there, that a woman doesn't need to learn martial arts. He's shaking badly, clearly worried out of his mind, and insists on walking a longer way home just to avoid running into the teachers again.

The kids party continues, and Shaurya turns out to be quite the party animal

Manik :He's a good dancer, he could be an idol. .Manik seems a bit unsettled at how Nandini is watching Shaurya which is interesting. She goes off to take a call, and Manik asks Sahas about the secret room they mentioned before.

The students confirm that it's true, that there's a treasure hidden in the school called the Chinta mani [Mysterious stone].

Only a person who possesses great power can hold the treasure, the legend says. But if someone who doesn't have the power tries to control it, they'll meet with terrible misfortune. There's even a story about a student who went into the secret room to claim the treasure, and died.

Even now, you can sometimes hear her crying.

Nandini 's call is from her boss at the pizza place, who calls her in to discuss a discrepency in the bills. She thinks it's strange that Nandini left work early today, and accuses her of stealing the money. Nandini can't decide whether to cry or scream at the unfairness, and by the time she gets back to Maurya , she's totally deflated.

The party is over, and only a few students are still hanging out. They stumble off to bed, and Nandini sits alone with a bottle of alcohol to think. As it turns out, her boss had even insisted she take her clothes off to prove she didn't have the money, which offended Nandini so badly that she actually started doing just that, until the boss' son came into the store.

He'd cheerfully told his mother that he took some money earlier, and the boss had ordered nandini to clean up, pretending she didn't just accuse her of theft. Nandini refused, and quit on the spot, no longer willing to work for too little money and without even basic trust.

That night Manik dreams of fire and a screaming child, while at the same time, the man in the coma relives memories of his wife and two small children.

He is Kabir Sharma written on his bed side files

He talks with his wife about the Chintamani, saying that if someone who goes against nature ever possesses it, the whole world would be in danger. He starts to say, "If anything ever happens to me..." but she stops him, because he's scaring her.

Shaurya is having his own nightmare, and he wakes Manik by talking in his sleep about being hot and clutching his throat. He wakes up and asks for water, telling Manik that his throat is burning, so Manik heads to the kitchen.

He changes direction when he thinks about the treasure supposedly hidden in the school, and heads back up to the armory. But instead, he finds Nandini crying and drinking. He seems ready to leave her alone, but when she begins to sob in earnest,With his commet that ''that people will start to think she's the ghost'' he come in front of her.

Nandini denies that she was crying, but he just says that everyone cries now and then. After a moment, she lets go with a loud wail. Shi-woo looks like he doesn't know what to do at first, then pulls her head to his chest to comfort her. Aww.

Shaurya starts to wonder if Manik went to dig a well for water, and goes looking for him. He finds Manik holding Nandinias she cries, and he turns to leave.

Once Nandini cries it all out, she asks him to pretend he didn't see anything. He asks dryly if she gets a prize if nobody sees her crying " she should cry whenever she needs to. Speaking as someone who would know, he tells her that it's hard to try to hide your feelings, especially since nobody even notices.

Nandini pulls herself together and asks if he enjoyed his party, then admits how happy she was when he said he wasn't going back to Mumbai . She asks why he changed his mind, and he says thoughtfully that he was too busy training to be an singer to go to school or college like most kids. He never thought of school as fun, but he feels like Maurya may be different.

Nandini agrees that he'll like it here, and says that's why she works so hard to be able to attend. Manik walks her to her room, but stops her and tells her to get her hand treated. Somehow with his expression its that's really not the reason he stopped her.

Shaurya is in bed with his back turned when Manik gets back to their room, but he's not asleep. He lies awake, upset at seeing Manik holding Nandini so intimately.

The students all train for exercise the next morning, hung over or not (the running joke over how much Shannon eats is cute: "I only had two whole chickens!"), but Manik and Shaurya are late getting out of bed.He notices Shaurya hiding his face under the covers, since he did mention the morning sun was intense on that bed.

IN CANTEEN

Nandini serve them with spicy and heavy breakfast especially made on Dean request.

Sahas who help her scoff as''Appa surely knows she drank last night'' She continue to serves breakfast as its her punishment after massive headache earlier

AT Teachers Louge

The four teachers cringe at breakfast when Dean Raj shows up making broad statements about setting a good example for the kids. He feeds them a spicy breakfast as punishment, and they all turn a little green.

Manik assumes Shaurya's grouchy mood is from drinking too much at the party, but Shaurya only says that Manik shouldn't have acted like that. Then he snaps himself out of it and smiles that he's going to see his Ariel.

He finds Nandini in the kitchen, but she turns down his offer of help. He pulls her into a sudden hug, and tells her to cry in his arms if she ever needs to. She assumes it's the hangover talking, and shoos him away. He goes back to find Manik, and tells him the score is now tied one to one. Manik nod Okayat , his own thrown.

Aunty gets that job working as housekeeper for Shaurya 's mother, and marvels at her giant closet filled with designer clothes and accessories. Shaurya 's mother shows her how to brew green tea for her husband, and Aunty fake-apologizes for assuming that she was "that foxy girl" she went to school with.

Shaurya's mom swears it's not her, but Aunty isn't buying it. She says that girl pretended to be so innocent, but would fight with girls from another school, and borrowed money from Aunty without paying it back.Shaurya's mom overreacts and says she probably had good reason to run off.

Aunty mentions a cafe she used to go to with that girl, and Shaurya's mom blurts out that it's still there... oops. She's totally busted, but Aunty lets her pretend for now.

In MAURYA HIGH AS DAYS GO ON

And somehow, it's already time for midterms. Alex is the only Maurya student looking forward to them, if only to see Manik and Shaurya's true skills. Too bad they haven't actually learned anything yet, but Teacher Sam assures them that help is on the way.

Cut to: Dean Raj asking Nandini and Sahasto mentor the boys. When the girls hesitate, he even makes a dumb Dad joke that the guys are a lot of fun, just like him.

MAURYA Hall

On hall corridor as they walk while talking

Nandini explains to Manik that kids are graded differently here, and that the final comprehensive exam is the worst " it literally assesses your comprehensive skills. Dean Raja dministers this test randomly, at any time and place, which stresses everyone out.

Meanwhile in practise room Sahas starts Shaurya with some martial arts work, and He crows with happiness to get such a great mentor... until he hears that Manik was paired with Nandini. That has him running to find them.

Nandini is teaching Manik to pull energy from the earth (metaphorically, of course), and he has an adorable mini-freakout when she moves in close behind him to guide his hands. We see that Shaurya is watching from a short distance, silently seething.

That night Nandini looks online for a new part-time job, but nothing out there is as good as the pizza delivery job she already had. Shaurya sits on his bed and thinks about seeing Nandini and Manik

together, and pretends to be meditating when Shi-woo comes in.

But he's too petty to keep his upset to himself, and tells Manik that he plans to beat him in the mid-terms. Manik just counters that he doesn't like losing either, reminding Shaurya that the bed is the only thing he plans to concede.

NEXT DAY

Shaurya applies himself seriously to Sahas's lessons, and to her surprise, he's a pretty quick study. He's extra motivated and stays late to practice alone, which impressed her.

The other students also study diligently, some with better results than others.

Nandini goes into town to job-hunt, but Shaurya calls her, and his scared voice is alarming. Apparently he followed her and is now in some sort of trouble. But when she gets to him, he's just waiting at a restaurant to treat her to dinner. It did it not occur to him to just ask her out without a freak ?

Nandini is understandably confused, since he tricked her to get her here, and she gets angry when he says he rented out the whole place. Yeah, to a girl who's frantic to find a cruddy part-time job so she can stay in school, that would seem pretty frivolous. She tells him that this one meal cost more than a month's pay for her, and he just grins like it's no big deal.

Nandini says, without anger, that it's good that he has a rich father and can just take life easily. But he cuts her off and says it's just dinner, and rather than pick a fight, she agrees to stay and eat. And she does enjoy the meal " to a point.

Manik thinks about what the guys told him about the meditation mid-term, where they're supposed to reveal their worst trauma. He thinks of the buried memory he's been dreaming about, and looks nervous.

All the way in London , a doctor check the man condition (his name is , we discover), figuring he'll never notice. The spy that's been reporting his condition to Shaurya's father asks his assistant what he's looking for, but the assistant doesn't know, either. Only that it's somehow linked to the Chintamani.

He says that if wakes up in the hospital, then things will start happening, and they'll finally learn what the chairman is looking for. Huh, looks like these two have their own agenda, and the assistant warns her to keep her mouth shut, since nobody else in the chairman's family knows about any of this.

Professor Ved is also worried about Manik 's behavior in class that time, when he'd claimed to have seen nothing, but clearly been upset by something. When it's time for Manik 's mid-term, Ved tells him that he's still keeping his trauma locked up inside. As long as he does that, he won't be successful in class, or on the exams.

During the test, Manik seems outwardly calm, but his forehead starts to bead up with sweat, just like last time. At the same time in London , 's pulse quickens, and his facial muscles start to twitch. Shi-woo begins to struggle, enough that the rest of the class takes notice, and Dean Raj watches from outside the room.

Manik again sees fire, and a dead woman on the floor, but this time there's more. There's a little girl with the boy, but the boy is taken away, and two men fight in the middle of the blaze.Manik opens his eyes and tells the class what he saw a large fire swallow a house and child crying , which seems to particularly upset Sahas.

And in London Kabir Sharma , opens his eyes.

Episode 6

[Even a small body can defeat a greater force.]

In meditation class, Manik summons up a vision of the fire and of an altercation in the burning building, but has no idea who the child or the man in his visions are

Manik is ready to confront his trauma and talk about it. "I see a child. In the fire, the child is crying. There is someone else there, too." Sahas is surprised at his description. DeanRaj looks on from the back door. Later, she talks with Dad Dean and asks how can "my Manik" have the same trauma as her. Is it fate, she wonders? Dad Dean plays it down and says every kid plays with fire and dismisses her concerns. After she leaves, he glances over at the picture of him and Sahas on his desk.

I Meanwhile, miles away, this vision jars the man in the hospital awake for the first time in 18 years. The first thing he says: "Where are my children?" The agents of Khurana(Shaurya's father) come to his side immediately. The principal mulls over Manik 's account and wonders if the man in the boy's vision is still alive. Later, the man muses over the fate of his kids "Seher and Parth."

Luna (who is she, anyhoot?) runs into Kabir's hospital room and finds him awake after 18 years in a coma. She reports it to Chairman .

Manik and Shaurya have bathroom duty again. When Ariel dashes in to wash her hands, Shaurya takes the opportunity to get a wish coupon from her: if he wins the competition (against Manik ) she owes him a date. She takes it lightly and brushes it off, but for him, it's a promise he looks forward to.

The students play a game of rock-scissors-paper to determine laundry duty. Nandini tells Manik to make a fist thinking they will win that way, but they end up losing and have to wash everyone's dirty clothes. They decide to use the "experience" for basic training and set up the buckets for center of balance and strength practice outside on a wooden bridge near the water fall totally under school area.

As they stomp in buckets of water,Nandini asks about the child in the fire. Manik isn't sure if it's him or not. He heard he was abandoned in the forest as a child, he tells her.Nandini says the newspaper stories report his parents are in the States. Of course, the agency made that up for image sake, but he has actually lived as an orphan, he tells her.

Sahas trains Shaurya . She's put flour pockets on the end of the staffs to mark the opponent. Sahas is ranked number one and trains hard.When it's quitting time, Shaurya wants to practice more: a wish coupon is on the line.

Sahas has done some hardcore practicing herself, doubling up training Shaurya with wearing wrist weights.The tire student body trains 24/7 for the upcoming martial arts exams.

"Know yourself and your enemy to win." With that thought, Nandini has a brilliant idea. She uses kitchen prep time with Shaurya to get information on the "enemy's" strategy to help train Manik. Shaurya is a fountain of information with his blabbel mouth and happy to have time alone with Areil and not suspecting a thing. He tells her they practice every day with wrist weights for strength and power. Armed with the enemy's tactics, She runs to Manik's room and tells him they need to change their strategy for tomorrow's test.

Dean Raj thinks over Manik's words from the meditation exercise that morning. He pulls out a picture from a drawer and wonders, "Is he alive?" He is referring to Kabir Sahas's father who stands with him in the picture from the past.

Chairman Khurana stands at the bedside of Kabir. He tells him he was worried he wouldn't ever wake up. Kabir doesn't recognize him and asks who he is to which Chairman answers, "I"m Khurana, the head of Sanhyal Group and the sponsor of Maurya Institute." Kabir asks where his children are, but Chairman tells him he needs to get his strength back and to concentrate on that.

It's time for some shut eye, exams are in the morning.

Everyone gears up for finals, incorporating combat into their daily tasks.Its Shaurya and Manik first offical spar in the exams,

First round - Sahas, ranked #1 versus Alex, ranked #2. Alex draws for the event: it's hand-to-hand-combat, his specialty. The two are skilled and evenly matched. The score: a tie. Feels a little and

.

Next, the teacher calls up the two lowest ranked students to spar. Shaurya and Manik are up, and their mentors give them a confident nod. Shaurya health stronger and he seems to have the advantage. The students talk that Manik is likely to getting overpowered by Shaurya. But Nandini 's strategy hasn't kicked in, yet. Last night, she taught that "even a small body can defeat a greater force." Lie low, tire out your opponent, save your energy, and wait for the right moment to attack. That's how to defeat a strong opponent. Nandini is happy that, in the end, he pulled it off.

In the end, it's another tie. Shaurya wishes to continue the match, but mentor Sahas tells him to accept the result. She acknowledges that Nandini 's training was top-notch.

Aunt fills inShaurya 's mother that it's exam week. Mother wants to cook something delicious for her son and asks Aunt if she will get Nandini to deliver it to Maurya High.But Aunt begins to wonder why the Chairman isn't around. There are no men's clothes in the closet. Shaurya 's mother answers nervously that he does his business in Abroad and they are temporarily apart, but she will join him soon. Odd. Wonder what's up with that.

Both students and teachers wonder what the Dean has up his sleeve for the comprehensive exam. Even Sahas can't get Dean Dad to give her a hint.

Someone's playing a lullaby on the piano again and Shaurya can't sleep. He wonders how in the world Manik can sleep so soundly. He wanders down the hall and is surprised to find Sahas playing. She can't sleep, either, and apologies for keeping him awake. The song, she tells him, helps her sleep. He wonders if her mom sang it to her, but Sahas can't remember her much about her mom so she's not sure. Shaurya is quiet for a moment, then tells her that the playing helps Manik fall asleep. "My Manik ?" It makes her happy to hear that. Sure enough, Manik dreams of Mother singing to two babies and sleeps soundly. Dean Raj stands in the empty Bell Tower. He thinks about his earlier conversation with Sahas that day when she asked why her trauma and Manik 's trauma were the same. He may be the only one who fully knows the identity of the new student and his daughter.

. Next is the comprehensive exam

Sam posts the comprehensive exam announcement in the hall: it's a...potluck party. Thud. That's as bad as my leadership class in college where the final was a mandatory picnic. We tied knots. The little rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and back in the hole. Cooking, etiquette - well, perhaps there's more to this than meets the eye. Because on face value, it is very un-fantasy and un-martial arts-like.Shaurya informs the unenlightened students stuck deep in the mountainside who don't know what a potluck is. It's a casual party enjoyed by foreigners where the attendees bring their own dishes. They share the dishes and have a good time. Everyone's pretty excited. Still, it doesn't explain to the bewildered students how a party can be an exam.

The teachers discuss how they will grade their portion of the potluck party exam. Proffesor Ved asks Dean about the meditation aspect as it seems to be missing in the potluck theme. Dean Raj assures him that will all come into play. But it's a surprise., where they have to prepare food and present it in their Sunday best (suits, for the great unwashed). As a final test, the principal drugs the wine of some of the students

Shaurya brags that attending a party is his specialty. He checks to see if there are any Chinese restaurants that will deliver all the way there (as his contribution to the potluck). Mother is ahead on that, stacking delicious dishes in a lunchbox for her son. Aunt calls Nandini to pick it up and deliver it to Shaurya. When Her father finds out he tells them both to forget about Maurya High after this, and to not make deliveries there again. Nandini is still hiding from her father that she attends there.

You can't blame the students for getting excited about selecting party clothes from the school costume closet. Sahas has her eye on a taffeta Tinker Bell number, but Shaurya saves her and tells her to allow him to pick a dress for her. Nandini , having gone home, arrives late. When she gets to her dorm room, there a dress hanging with a note, For Nandini .

At the hospital, Kabir is told by Chairman 's yes-man Secetary that there were no children's bodies found at the scene and that only his wife's body was found. Apparently Kabir has been asking about that night and trying to piece things together. It was the last thing he remembers before being in a coma. "I need to find my children" he repeats. He is told they are looking for them, but he has to concentrate on getting better. A tear rolls down his cheek as he remembers their names. Seher and Parth

Shaurya compliments Sahas 's outfit (he picked it himself) and tells her that only she can pull off that look. (Okay, she is a model in real life and looks good in everything.) Arm in arm they enter looking high-end fashionable. The students walk down the red carpet, making sure Professor Daniel notices their efforts in etiquette and style. Manik pops in red, black, and black chic style all over.

Nandini is the cutest of all and the biggest transformation. She is the show stopper in an elegant white dress and poses adorably for the camera, although she claims to be embarrassed to death. When Shaurya compliments Ariel on her good taste for fashion, she is surprised and says she thought he left the dress in her room for her. There is an exchange of glances between her, Shaurya , and Manik as is dawns on them that Manik picked her dress. That leaves a bad taste in Shaurya mouth.

The dinner party was interesting, to say the least. It was surprising that Shaurya took out his mentor, despite the fact that he has a thing for his buddy's tutor. Still, given access to the wardrobe, the students rose to the occasion nicely; the boys looking dashing. Nandini and Sahas sported stunning but classy fashions, courtesy of Manik and Shaurya , who picked their dresses for them.

Before the partying begins, there's taste testing of the dishes each student provided. Shaurya gets high compliments for his dishes, but minus points for not actually cooking them. Nandini has brought an unusual dish -sweet rice cakes with mugwort, hardly a festive dish - but it is 100% homemade and shows creativity and good energy. Dean Raj notes that mugwort is particularly good for hearing - Nandini dash of love and TLC doesn't get past him (or Shaurya and Manik ).

DJ Sam gets the strobe going and tunes rolling. The Dean tells the kids to have a good time. In the meantime, the teachers meet in his office to review the scores and grade the students. The top 6 students - Sahas , Alex , Nandini , Shahid, Manik , and Shaurya receive a special bottle of champagne and toast to their accomplishments. Cheers! Soon it's closing time and most of the students head back to the dorm a little worse for the wear. Disturbingly, the six top students are messy drunk, barely able to lift their heads and certainly unable to talk straight. Nandini notices something in their liquor, a strange plant root floating in it. Never mind, one last long swig and the bottle, like so many others strewn about on the floor, is empty. They pass out on top of each other like a football tackle pile-up.

The teachers wonder if the plan that Dean Raj has revealed to them for the meditation part of the exam isn't too soon for Shaurya and Manik . The Dean assures them that with their mentors they will get through the next part. Unfortunately, that means he basically drugged them and moved them while unconscious to the Bell Tower. I have to object here. It's hard enough to watch the teachers and staff approve of an all-out drinking bash as part of an "exam," but for the dean to drug the students for Part B -

Basically, Dean Raj has unilaterally decided to throw the top students into a fight or flight situation. Manik and Sahas have to face their shared trauma (which he is completely aware of), Shaurya will have to decide if he will act as a friend or a foe to Manik when he is in trouble, and Alex will face working together in a desperate situation or taking his status quo approach of each man for himself. The students wake up from their drunken and drugged stupor and realize they have been moved to the Bell Tower. They don't like it one bit.

Before they can collect themselves, smoke fills the room. Everyone panics. Our heroes, the girls, Alex, and Shahid awaken in a cage, smoke pours into the room, and Manik is paralyzed from the pain in his ear... What next go wrong here because its just began...