Part 4: The Sunset
“You might wonder why I was so shocked to see girls in my classroom.”
“The boys and girls at this school were placed in separate blocks!!!”
The moment I saw them. I hesitated to enter into my classroom.
I was standing outside the classroom, leaning against the wall, when the PT sir prowled down the corridor. His heavy boots echoed like a countdown. I saw him. *Oh God, PT sir is on his rounds,* I panicked internally. He came toward me, his tone rude and clipped. "Why are you standing here?" he demanded.
"Sir, before I enter the classroom, I need to submit my homework note on the table outside," I said.
"Okay, Go quickly," he ordered.
"Okay, sir," I replied.
He turned and walked off. I stood frozen, staring until he disappeared into the next block.
Only then did I take my homework note out of my bag. Just as I did, Tanvi and Anika stepped outside.
Tanvi stopped right in front of me. I looked down, unable to gather the courage to meet her eyes again.
Something unspoken held us there.
I tried to step left—she moved left.
I shifted right—she matched me right.
We were both confused.
We moved at the same time. Again
I tightened my grip on the notebook.
Tanvi clicked her tongue. “Tch.”
Then, on impulse, she thrust her palm out like a shield.
We both waited.
A second stretched.
Then—
A tap on my shoulder.
I froze.
A cold shiver raced through me.
I turned quickly.
Anika stood there and staring at me with fiery gremlin rage. She didn't speak, just raised a single eyebrow in a look that screamed, *What’s going on?*
But instead of dread, I felt an exasperated wave of relief.
Because, for a moment, I had thought I'd been caught by the PT staff on their rounds.
Before I could react, Tanvi slipped past me with a faint smile.
I exhaled and walked into the classroom.
“Phew”
I settled into my seat.But something felt off.Her smile lingered in my mind.It made me uncomfortable the entire day.
The sky turned orange as the sun went down, and everything felt calm and nice.
I usually sat in the last corner of the van, right behind the driver’s seat. But that evening, my class teacher kept giving instructions about the upcoming exams, so I got delayed.
By the time I reached the van, my usual seat was taken.
I ended up sitting a row ahead.
The problem?
Girls sat in front, boys at the back.
And I was stuck right in between.
Anika and Tanvi were seated in front of me, casually mocking the new school and its environment.
But I wasn’t really listening.
My mind drifted.
That dream again.
A girl made of bright light, pointing her finger at my forehead.
Everything around me faded.
My eyes were open, but I couldn’t see anything real.
Just a strange stillness.
Only the cold breeze brushing against my skin felt real.
“Hey.”
Anika turned back, waving her hand in front of my face.
I didn’t react.
She turned away.
Then Tanvi looked back.
“Are you dreaming?” she asked softly.
That snapped me out of it.
I blinked and turned toward the window, staring outside.
A few minutes passed.
Then, casually, I called Anika and started talking about the school—about the reviews I had read before joining.
Both of them stared at me.
“What the hell?”
“If you knew all this, why didn’t you stop your parents?” Tanvi asked.
I paused.
“That’s my fate,” I said.
Then I shrugged slightly.
“But anyway… I’m going to explore something new.”
“Yuck,” both of them reacted.
Slowly, Tanvi placed her hand on my forehead, like a police officer aiming at a suspect.
I froze.
For a moment, I just looked at her eyes.
Then her forehead.
The sun sank slowly, spilling warm shades of orange and gold across the sky.
The orange glow of the sunset slipped through the window and brushed across her face.
For a second, she looked… brighter.
Almost unreal.
Someone waved a hand in front of me.
Anika leaned in again.
Before anything else could happen, the van stopped.
Tanvi’s stop.
She got down and left.
I leaned back slightly.
My fingers brushed my forehead.
The same spot.
Something about that moment… didn’t feel random.It felt aimed…
To be continued...
