Chapter One

Mayra's heart paced every time the thought crossed her mind. The pit of her stomach felt sick with the built-up anxiety. She had contemplated it thoroughly over the last week, in between reading the pages of numerous teen-fiction novels in her possession. But now, when the moment was so near, she felt herself going insane with the nervousness. 

Sure, she had worked hard and finally got her way into St. Theresa High School but was it going to be worth it? 

The fact that she wasn't going to see any of her friends there didn't help either. She wanted to see a familiar face but all her friends had decided to continue their education in her former boarding school, Navodaya Vidhyalaya in Bangalore. Even Shrey! 

Her eyes flickered to the filled glass of warm milk that her mother had kept on the bedside table two hours ago. She was told to drink it and go to sleep. It was now cold as the droplets of rain hitting the windows of her room. She didn't even want to think about how it'd taste. 

There were no sounds of thunders or blazes of lightning at least! 

Closing the book in her hands, she yawned. Everything is going to be fine. You can do it, Mayra, she told herself. Lack of friends had made her indulge in this habit of talking to herself. Also, there were times when she needed expert advice and who knew her better than her own self? 

She heard a knock on her bedroom door and instantly knew who it was. "Come in, Mom." She said while picking up a pillow and burying her face into it. 

Her mother walked in, wearing a nightgown. Her face was wrinkled and her eyes gave away her exhaustion. It was clear she hadn't got a minute of sleep either. 

She walked towards her daughter to the bed and pulled her into an embrace. Placing a light kiss on her forehead, she said, "I knew you would be awake. Stop worrying, Mayra. It's only high school."

"None of my friends are going to be there!" She complained. 

"You can always make new ones. This is your opportunity to branch out, explore the world." Her mother said in a cheerful tone. 

"I can explore the world better by reading about it." Mayra shrugged as her eyes wandered over the bookshelf in her room filled with books from all genres. 

Mayra lifted her head from the pillow and realised her mother was looking at the still full glass of milk. She covered her ears, anticipating her barks of complaints. But surprisingly her mother smiled, "Drink it," She said and brought the closer to her lips. She gulped it down hesitantly. 

"Good night, sweetheart. You're going to have a great day tomorrow." Her mother smiled and switched off the bedside lamp, filling the room with darkness. 

Her eyelids felt heavy after a while but the worrisome thoughts never vanished. They turned into recurring dreams or rather, nightmares. 

______

Mayra checked her wristwatch. She still had twenty minutes to get to her first class. No matter how many times she checked the campus map, she couldn't figure out where her classroom was. She was in simple terms, slightly 'directionally challenged'. It was self-diagnosed. 

What? She was the daughter of a neurologist! 

Or probably it was her anxiety, making such a simple task so difficult. Yes. 

She wondered asking a group of students who stood nearby. But gave the thought away. You can do it, she told herself and walked forward. 

Five minutes later, she was standing outside Room 201, where her first lecture was supposed to happen. But suddenly, she realised she was supposed to meet the Department Head to give submit copies of some documents.

The term had ended later rather than sooner and so she was going to attend a month late as compared to the other students. 

She scanned the map again for the office and realised she would have to walk down to the second floor and then take a right and another left. 

She found herself facing a wall after taking a right turn. There was no corridor. Her gaze swept over to another group of about six students standing some metres apart from her, chatting and laughing occasionally. 

There has to be some fault in the map, she thought. Now she had no way other than to ask the students. Surely, they had been here for a month and knew where the office was. 

She approached them and cleared her throat, "Excuse me?" 

The group stopped giggling and all their eyes closed in on her, making her feel very conscious. 

"Yes?" A girl of the same height as her answered. She was wearing a loose t-shirt that hugged her body lazily. Her silky, straight hair reached up to beyond her waist. She stepped forward, separating from the group. From the corner of her eyes, Mayra could still sense their burning gazes on her. 

With a small smile, she asked, "I'm Mayra Ahuja. A new student. Junior year. I wonder if you could help me find the office?" She pressed her lips in hopeful anticipation. 

The girl eyed the map in her hands but to Mayra's relief, made no comment. Offering a warm smile, she said, "Of course! I'm Tania, by the way. The office is-"

"Hey! Taani!" A masculine voice interrupted her. It was one of the guys from the group. He walked towards them and held his gaze firmly on Mayra. 

He was tall and had broad shoulders. His curly hair fell over his forehead through the hood of his jacket. 

"What is it, Samarth?" Tania asked with a calculating gaze. 

He ignored her and said, his gaze focused on Mayra, "I'll show you the way to the office. The map's outdated." He offered. 

"Sure," Mayra said with a hesitant smile. 

He began walking but was dragged behind by Tania, "Don't you dare! Not with her!" She whispered into his ears. 

Mayra tried but couldn't catch any word. She looked at the dismissive wave the guy gave to Tania and continued walking. 

"You see the door on the right? That's the office." When Mayra raised her eyebrow in question, he added, "The map hasn't been updated. The office was shifted here some days back." He added with a smile. 

"Fine. Thank you." She said and walked towards the door. It was made of wood and there was a nameplate which flashed the word 'Office' on it. A part of her mind hesitated, sensing some sort of troubled but the other dismissed the feeling. Samarth was still watching her and strangely, she felt the group had moved closer to her too. 

With a quick glance at the wristwatch, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. 

It took only a second for her to realise but she was too late. The glass of milkshake placed over the door turned upside down, splashing the contents all over her hair and jacket. 

Fits of laughter hit her ears. She turned behind and saw Samarth sitting on the floor of the corridor, one of his hand clutching his stomach as he laughed at her. He turned his head and asked, "Did you get it, Adi?"

Her gaze jerked to the side and landed on another guy who stood laughing at her. In his hands, was a phone, whose camera was directed towards her. "I did! Come on, let's get out of here." He said and retreated with his group. 

Samarth got up, trying but failing to control his laughter. He punched the air with his fist in victory. 

Straightening herself, Mayra walked to him, the milkshake dripping off her hair strands. He paused laughing to look at her. Her nostrils flared in anger. Within a second, her hand made contact with his cheek, hard. He was pushed back as a result. It took him a while to realise that she had slapped him. 

Yeah, a girl with anger management issues. 

His expression mirrored her. She knew she wasn't done just yet. And he? He knew this was just the beginning. 

Gently patting his reddened cheek, he barked through gritted teeth, "You're going to pay for this!"