Chapter 1: The Beginning of SomethingUnknown
The first rays of sunlight slipped gently through thecurtains, painting the room in a soft golden glow. The morning felt calmâalmosttoo calmâlike the world was holding its breath before something changed.
Tring⌠TringâŚ
The shrill sound of the alarm shattered the silence.
A hand lazily reached out from under the blanket andsmacked it off.
For a moment, everything went still again.
Then the breeze entered.
Cool. Soft. Whispering.
It slipped in through the slightly open window,brushing against the curtains, making them sway like they were alive. Slowly,the fabric partedâŚ
And there she stood.
Kriya Ghai.
Her eyes were closed, her arms wrapped around herselfas she stood near the window, letting the wind kiss her skin. A faint smilecurved her lips, peaceful and unaware of the storm waiting ahead.
For a brief moment, everything felt perfect.
âKRIYAAA!â
The door burst open with a loud bang, destroying theserenity.
Kriya jumped, turning around. âYes, Sharon?!â
Sharon Raiprakash stood at the door, slightly out ofbreath, her eyes shining with excitement that was impossible to ignore.
âYou wonât believe this!â she exclaimed, rushinginside and grabbing Kriyaâs hands.
Kriya frowned, still half asleep. âWhat happened? Whyare you so hyper this early in the morning?â
Sharon grinned like she had just won the lottery.
âDance fest! We got selected! A one-month tour!â
Silence.
For one second, Kriya just stared at her.
Thenâ
âWHAT?!â
Their scream echoed through the room as both girlsjumped in excitement, hugging each other tightly.
âThis is insane!â Kriya laughed, her eyes lighting up.âA whole month? Together?â
âYes! Travel, performances, new placesâeverything!âSharon squealed.
Their happiness filled the room like sunshine.
This was their dream.
Their team. Their passion. Their escape.
Rey⌠Swayam⌠everyone.
After a few moments of laughter and chaos, Sharonsuddenly gasped.
âOh my God! I forgot to call Swayam!â
Kriya laughed, sitting on the bed. âGo. Before hedeclares war.â
âVery funny,â Sharon rolled her eyes before rushingout.
The room fell silent again.
Kriya smiled softly⌠but slowly, that smile faded.
Rey.
Just thinking about him made her heart beat faster.
She shook her head, trying to push the thought away.
âStop it, KriyaâŚâ she whispered to herself beforewalking toward the bathroom.
But some feelings donât listen.
Somewhere ElseâŚ
The roar of a bike engine sliced through the air.
A black bike sped across an open stretch of land,cutting through the wind with dangerous speed. Dust rose behind it like a trailof fire.
âReyaaaansh! Reyaaansh!â
Cheers erupted from a group gathered nearby.
The rider leaned forward, accelerating even more.
Faster.
Faster.
The ground ended.
A gap between two rocky cliffs appeared ahead.
And without hesitationâ
He jumped.
For a split second, time froze.
The bike flew mid-air, suspended between danger andmadness.
Thenâ
He landed perfectly on the other side.
The crowd exploded into cheers.
The rider removed his helmet.
Reyansh Singhania.
A confident smirk curved his lips as he ran a handthrough his hair, soaking in the adrenaline.
People surrounded him, cheering, lifting him ontotheir shoulders.
But thenâ
âRey.â
The voice was calm.
Sharp.
Familiar.
Rey froze.
He turned.
Swayam stood there, arms crossed, his expressionunreadable but his eyes burning with anger.
The cheering faded into silence.
Rey slowly got down.
âCome with me,â Swayam said coldly, grabbing hiswrist.
Parking Area
Swayam let go of him abruptly.
The air between them felt heavy.
Tense.
Rey looked down.
âSwayamââ
âStop.â Swayam raised his hand. âNot a word.â
Rey fell silent.
âWhy are you doing this?â Swayam snapped. âAre youtrying to prove something? Or are you just trying to die?â
Rey flinched slightly.
âI warned you. This is the third time.â
âIâm sorryâŚâ Rey murmured.
Swayam exhaled sharply, running a hand through hishair. âWhy, Rey?â
Rey hesitated.
Because of her.
Because no matter where he went⌠he saw Kriya.
Her smile. Her laughter.
Her absence.
And the fact that he couldnât tell her how he feltâitwas slowly destroying him.
âThis isnât the way,â Swayam said, his voicesoftening. âTalk to me. Or betterâtalk to her.â
Rey looked away.
Some things were easier to risk your life for than tosay out loud.
After a long pause, Swayam sighed. âLetâs go. Weârealready late.â
College
The classroom buzzed with chatter.
âHey Sharon! Hi Kriya!â the gang greeted as the twoentered.
âHi guys!â they replied together.
But their eyes searched for someone.
And everyone noticed.
Giggles spread through the group.
Before anything could happenâ
Thud!
A girl collided into Kriya.
She lost her balanceâ
But before she could fall, strong arms caught her.
Her hands instinctively grabbed his collar.
âUniverse ji⌠save meâŚâ she whispered, eyes shut.
âYouâre saved,â Vishakha teased, âbut not by theuniverse⌠by your line-cutter.â
Laughter erupted.
Kriya slowly opened her eyes.
And froze.
Rey.
He was holding her.
Looking at her like nothing else existed.
Their eyes locked.
The world disappeared.
No sound.
No people.
Just them.
âAhem.â
Nothing.
âAHEM!â
Still nothing.
âMR. REYANSH!â
âMISS KRIYA!â
They both jumped apart, reality crashing back in asthe professor glared at them.
The class burst into suppressed laughter as theyhurried to their seats, embarrassed.
After Class
The gang surrounded the girl.
âWhat was that running race about?â Vishakha asked.
The girl blushed. âI⌠I wanted to meet Rey.â
Silence.
Thenâ
All eyes turned to Kriya.
Her smile faded.
Without saying a word, she walked away.
âSwayamâŚâ Rey said quietly.
âIâll handle it,â Swayam replied, already followingher.
Corridor
Kriya sat on a bench, staring ahead.
Maybe⌠she wasnât enough.
Maybe someone like Antara was better for him.
âKriya.â
She looked up.
Swayam sat beside her.
âDonât even think about it,â he said firmly.
âBut Swayamââ
âYou love him. She just has a crush.â
Kriya looked down. âIt still hurtsâŚâ
Swayamâs expression softened. âHe loves you too.Anyone can see it.â
A small smile appeared through her tears.
Before the moment could deepenâ
âOh wow. Sister creates drama and brother apologizes?â
Sharonâs voice broke in, followed by their usualbanter that turned tension into laughter.
But Sharonâs eyes hardened when Antaraâs name came up.
âShe needs a lesson,â she muttered.
The Journey Begins
The next day, excitement filled the air as the teamgathered near the bus.
Everyone boarded.
Exceptâ
âKriya?â Rey frowned.
âNot here yet,â Sharon said.
Minutes passed.
Then finallyâshe arrived.
Rey let out a breath he didnât realize he was holding.
But just as she approachedâ
Antara sat beside him.
Kriya froze.
Her smile disappeared.
Silently, she walked to another seat.
Throughout the journey, their eyes kept meetingâŚ
But neither moved.
Evening â The Unknown Begins
The bus suddenly jerked to a stop.
âWhat happened?â Bharat asked.
âBus problem,â the driver said. âWe canât go furthertonight.â
With no other option, they stepped out.
Dusk had fallen.
The surroundings were unfamiliar.
Too quiet.
They walked ahead, searching for shelter.
And thenâ
They saw it.
A cottage.
Isolated.
Beautiful.
And yetâŚ
Something about it felt wrong.
As they approachedâ
The gate creaked open on its own.
They froze.
âWind,â someone said casually.
But no wind was blowing.
They stepped inside.
The door behind themâ
SLAM.
Shut.
Kriya felt it instantly.
A chill ran down her spine.
Sharon glanced at her.
They both knew.
Something wasnât right.
But no one said it.
âLetâs find rooms,â Swayam said.
Everyone scattered.
Footsteps echoed through the silent house.
And upstairsâŚ
In the shadowsâŚ
A figure stood.
Watching.
Waiting.
For them.
Edited by Mystic_Muse - 1 months ago
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