The light outside had faded—soft and grey, as if the day were holding its breath. The corridor looked unfamiliar again, as if it had shifted while she was gone.
Leaning over the balcony railing, Ananya squinted through the dusk and spotted Meher far below, sitting alone under a roadside lamp, scribbling calmly in her notebook.
A wave of relief washed over her. She exhaled. "Thank God… she's okay."
But then her smile faded. Something didn't sit right.
Voiceover (Ananya)
"She's just sitting there… writing. Like nothing happened."
The strange quiet, the odd sense of calm—all of it came rushing back. She clenched the crystal in her pocket.
Voiceover (Ananya)
"It was too calm. Almost welcoming. I should've felt fear… but I didn't. Was it the crystal?"
Her eyes narrowed. Meher stood, notebook under her arm—and then started walking—but not toward the new hostel. She turned down the path to the old hostel block.
Ananya's breath caught. She watched Meher disappear down the dim path—unhurried, composed.
Voiceover (Ananya)
"The old hostel? That's not her block…"
Her gaze dropped, thoughtful, unsettled.
Voiceover (Ananya)
"We met just two years ago, back in school. She was always calm. Quiet. Sharp. We understood each other instantly."
"But… do I really understand her? Where she comes from, what she believes in, why she's always so certain?"
She closed her eyes for a moment—as if trying to pull something buried from memory—but felt only the crystal's warmth in her hand. The air grew still.
Then—two gentle hands covered her eyes from behind.
She gasped, heart skipping a beat.