Ragini frantically looked herself over for any injuries and breathed slowly seeing nothing out of the ordinary. She tried to pinpoint the cause for this unexplained pain but failed. She tried to reason this unbearable burning but didn't find any. Everything felt so confusing, just like a jumbled set of a puzzle.

A puzzle that Ragini didn't know how to solve.

She slowly starts rocking in her chair. Front. Back. front. back. It becomes faster like her breathing. Her brain tries to understand the subtle but real stinging sensation coursing through her. She doesn't know why but something doesn't feel right. The incomplete knowledge of herself makes her gag.

Uncertainty was a revolting and disgusting feeling. Abomination, it means disgusting.

Maybe that's why she felt like this. She was an abomination. People hate her because that's what she was. Divya didn't help her because she felt the same way.

The room suddenly feels too small for her to be in with the said person. she leaps from her chair only to land on all fours as she knocks over a desk. The supposed brown wood floor is tinted black like the corners of her fish-eyed vision. She tries to force air in her lungs in shallow gasps.

Her skin leached out of colour into a sickly pallor. Sickly and bleak like her attempts to rein in this affliction that had wracked her tiny body; rendering her blindsided to the ability to breathe evenly. The pain was overtaking her sense and numbness started at her fingertips and all the way to her tiny toes. She felt herself hovering outside of the shell of abomination she came to terms with. All coherent thoughts waft by her in an instant and she found herself struggling to hold on to any of them.

"Focus on my voice." she hears someone say, keeping their voice an even measure. The sheer surety in those words is enough to ground her. "focus." that someone commands. She knows that person. Ragini blinks slowly to see the vague outline of the figure. It's around her age with long wavy black hair that falls below her shoulders. A girl.

"I'll get the teachers down the hall."

she doesn't catch the words and the blurry outline tries to stand. Ragini reaches out to grab her. Her fingers twist around the black sleeve and nails dig in before she is even on her feet. She can't breathe again. The person is leaving because they don't want to be around her. She tugs on them to pull them down.

"Ragini, I need to get the teachers."

she shakes her head and in a last attempt to keep that girl from leaving, she hugged her with all she had.

"I take it you can hear me,"

she can now that the numbness has faded and she can breathe a little better. The girl tries to gently shove her away but Ragini only tightens her hold, refusing to let go. "Seriously, what do you eat?"

Ragini laughs a little. "Veggies...mommy say-s there are good...for me." she manages in between trembling breaths.

"Yea well veggies don't help you breathe better. Follow my count," She pulls back a little and Ragini allows it. "Breathe in. one, two, three, four. Out. two, three, four." She demonstrates it and Ragini follows. They continue until her chest doesn't feel so tight anymore. Her vision returns to normal and the person in front of her detaches herself. Ragini lets her body slump against the table leg before looking up to see who helped her. Shock is the first thing that hits her. "You..it's you."

The girl just stares back, any hint of concern disappears and she shrugs her shoulders. "Not like you gave me a choice."

"Thank you, Divya. I..."

"Do you seriously believe what that artificial sandbag said out there," she cocked an eyebrow. Having heard and seen everything that happened earlier on that day, putting the pieces together wasn't that hard. She wanted to do something but couldn't find it in herself to care much. It was just like everything else she felt. Numb and empty. That didn't mean she didn't know what those attacks felt like. There was a time she was able to feel and thus empathised and guided her through it. "Because if you do then boy do you need help."

Ragini's head dipped in embarrassment. "It's true. I am an abomination. My grades are bad. I see words flying in my textbook and I'm forgetful. No one in class is like that," she sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her palm. "I'm not normal."

Divya characteristically rolled her eyes. "Normal is overrated. Look, no one cares if you suck at science. No one cares if you're slower. The ones who really care are the ones who embrace you with all your flaws. Bunn- someone I knew told me that, one ear in one ear out. Mishka wants to talk about rubbish and insult you. Let her do it."

"Why does she do it? I didn't do anything to her."

"'Cause she is insecure. maybe. The point is, she doesn't get to decide what you or anyone else is. We decide that for ourselves."

"But she is right, I failed my classes. I can't go on reading like everyone else without my head spinning. I am an abomination."

Divya groaned and pushed herself to her feet. "I've already said it. She doesn't get to decide that. No one is perfect. You can't read continuously for a long time and she can't be a good person. We are all flawed. The difference is that you don't go around making people feel shitty about their weaknesses."

Ragini stood on her shaky feet and used her palms to lean against the desk for support. She didn't feel so bad anymore but there was still a doubt. "So even if I'm not good at school, I am not an abomination?"

"Congrats genius, you figured it out."

"I am not a disgusting creature that everyone hates." she beamed.

"Okay, I zone out in class and school in general but even I know that you are the teacher's favourite while Mishka is always getting into trouble. So no. People don't hate you and you shouldn't hate yourself either. Trust me, it is not the best feeling to be uncomfortable in your own skin."

Ragini eyed the goth-like girl carefully. There was something about the way she spoke that made her think this was not the first time this has happened to her. She herself didn't know what had happened when she forgot how to breathe earlier. Somehow Divya had helped her through and from the looks of it, she knew exactly what she was doing and what was happening. She gasped at her sudden realization.

"You have been through this before. The thing that happened earlier. When I couldn't breathe you knew what to do and knew what to say," The girl in black clenched her jaw and curled her palm. That was enough of an indication. "I don't hate you either. You're not as bad as you try to be." she still didn't respond. Now that they were having an actual conversation, she smiled. After weeks of unspoken observations, she finally managed to get her to talk. "Can we be friends?" Ragini brought her hand forward.

Divya backed away as if she had just touched an electric point. She didn't do friends. She cannot have them. They get hurt because of her. There was no way Ragini was about to be in harm's way because of herself. "No," she repeated like the first time the tear-stained face girl asked.

Ragini pouted and lowered her hand. She hoped this would be the point where they finally became best friends. The raven-haired helped her when she needed it the most. "But a friend in need is a friend indeed. You saved me from dying means we are best friends." simple child logic.

"I didn't save you from dying. It's called a panic attack which I think was triggered by the hurt you felt by Mishka," she said like that explained everything to the optimistic five-year-old.

A small crinkle formed on Ragini's forehead. Whatever Divya said flew over her head. "I don't know what a panic attack is or what hurt means," she admitted. Those words were never used at home or in class. Neither did they appear in children's storybooks. "Are they bad words?"

Divya rubbed her temple and slung her bag over her shoulder. She couldn't explain those to a five-year-old. In her opinion, a five-year-old shouldn't know those things or that feeling. It was tragic. She trudged to the door and stopped right before closing it on her way out. "Ask your mom and FYI I don't do friends." The door clicked behind her and Ragini was left standing alone in the class.

The ground beneath her tilts a little and becomes soft, unlike the classroom, she was in. her body feels like it is falling before two hands are squeezing her shoulders.

"Watch it bacha." Lakshya chuckled, holding her up. "The ground isn't exactly clean here. I would hate for something to happen to that pretty face."

She glanced around realising they had reached the third checkpoint and she had regrouped with her two best friends. The ground here was a little soggier than in previous places. She would have slipped if not for the person who held her. She nodded her head in thanks and sat on the fallen log to take a swig from her bottle.

Wiping the sheen of sweat from her forehead, she sighed. Of course, they would be taking a long time. People don't just magically become okay after a breakdown and neither do they calm down in a minute. It takes time. A painfully long period of time. Her own panic attack lasted more than half an hour and it felt like years had gone. She hoped that no one had to go through such experiences.

Whatever Mishka said reverberated in her head for a long time before whatever Divya said started to really sink in. When she went home that day and asked her parents what a panic attack and hurt means, they were horrified. Her mother stayed with her that night and made sure she didn't lose sleep over whatever Mishka said. They wanted to make a complaint against the bully but Ragini had other plans. The young girl worked day and night to improve her grades and prove Mishka wrong. In some way, the success she has now was owed to Mishka, the bully.

But not every fairytale has a happy ending. Mishka just found another way to torment her and at that very young age, she learned the meaning of hurt.

"It sucks."

"What does?" Shikar frowned. "The hike's been pretty fun."

"Not the hike. I was talking about Mishka. She sucks."

"Why are you thinking about her all of a sudden? That happened years ago."

"I know. I was thinking about Miss Sharma and then I drifted off into a bunch of memories. One of them was my first panic attack caused by Mishka's very hurtful comments." she seethed. "But whatever, I'm over it. I just feel bad for Miss Sharma. What she was or is going through sucks."

"It does," Lakshya took a seat beside her and unzipped his converse bag. He pulled out granola bars and handed each of them one. He tore the wrapper of his own and started biting into it. "Well, I trust that our whacky friend will be able to handle it. Miss Sharma is in good hands. Unless they are trying to kill each other." he said as an afterthought.

"What are the odds right?" she chuckled, unwrapping her own bar.

Shikar thought about it as he crushed the snack in his mouth. The truce was in place but it didn't include having to be with each other trekking through the forest for hours. While he believed his friend would not murder someone, keeping her cool was not something he presumed was possible. "High. The odds are pretty high. Truce or not, she can't stand that teacher."

"We called a truce. I think we are safe, nothing will happen." Ragini breathed, straightening her posture like that would mean her wish came true.

"You hope." Lakshya sniggered. He ducked just in time to miss the hand aimed for the back of his head."

"Yea, I kinda do hope."

---broken promises---

"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Divya questioned. The tension between them had considerably lessened but the forest around was getting denser since they began walking for an hour or so ago. It didn't seem like the school would choose such a path especially with the number of ditches around. She almost fell into a few if not for her quick reflexes. With at least seventy students, it was a very risky path.

"According to the map, yes." the classparent answer stepping over another small dip. "Watch your step, kid. There are a lot of dips."

The rockstar turned to Drishti sharply. "Don't kid me," she warned, quoting the word kid in the air. "I really dont think it's the right way. The school isn't that dumb to choose such a path. Besides, we've been walking for almost an hour now and there's no checkpoint."

"Maybe it's up ahead. Our speed isn't exactly the fastest." Drishti suggested. The doubt she kept at bay was starting to become more prominent. There were ditches, broken branches, logs, narrow streams, slippery rocks all around them. At one point, she even stopped on a very narrow slope with countless little rocks that were sure to leave more than just bruises if someone rolled down. From their briefings, she remembered that there was supposed to be a checkpoint every hour. It was impossible for them to have missed it by the speed they were walking at.

The guitarist began to shake her head before stopping and pulling Drishti back by the arm. "Did you just say maybe?"

"Yes," she said, confused. "Are you losing your hearing? I think we should take a break."

She slapped the hand away, Drishti used to check her forehead. "Maybe. As in you don't know the actual route."

"Yes, maybe because I don't know the actual route. It wasn't exactly my idea to go hiking in the forest."

"What the hell! You are our housemaster. Did you not go for the recee with the alumni and other camps in charge?"

"They said it wasn't compulsory so I didn't waste my time going for it. I think-" she stopped there because the scowl turned to a look so swift and so venomous, so threatening that the words caught in her throat and she remained quiet.

"You can't lead us if you don't know the damn route."

Drishti was hesitant to answer but she did anyway. "We have a map. This forest definitely has an end and a checkpoint nearby, we just need to continue walking."

Divya contemplated her decision. She barely had the urge to restrain herself from her usual methods of dealing with her anger. "We have been walking for hours!" snatching the map from the teacher when she was inches away, she read it carefully.

Dirsihti studied her carefully. As Divya looked up again with an ounce of anger less than what she had that day in the locker room, she stepped back. A sense of dread filled the pit of her stomach but it didn't show on her face. She tried her best not to show. "Just a little farther right? Told you."

The camper smacked the map into her hands and stomped right by her to the tree behind them. She dropped her bag beside a tree. Before Drishti had time to understand the harbinger of assault, she started repeatedly driving her fist into a tree.

Her hands worked like they had a mine of their own. Divya didn't bother to stop their vehement attacks on the shrinking tree. She let the volcanic anger froth the semblance of dominance she had over her sense; then crystallizing a gurgling chemical of frustration, adherence and rage.

Drishti staggered back at the sudden outburst. Deja vu. The wood that chipped from the tree could make its way into the wounds of the camper causing infection and potential septicemia. Getting over her moment of shock, she sprung into action to grab hold of Divya from her waist and pulled her back.

She is definitely stronger than I thought. "Relax, calm down. Well, figure it out."

"Figure it out?!" Divya shrieked. She shrugged the teacher off and turned around. "We can't figure it out when we don't know where the hell we are!"

"I know where we are. I'm navigating the map," She tried to get closer to the shaking Divya but didn't think it was a good idea. "Is there something wrong?"

Divya closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "You. were. Holding. The. map. Upside down. The whole time." she finished.

"I didn't...that's-" she picked the fallen map and her cheeks burned in embarrassment. The north arrow was in the wrong direction. That meant they were moving back in the wrong direction and away from camp and into the deep woods. "I am sorry. I didn't know it was upside down."

"No shit," she spat. "This is why recces are not a waste of time. The alumni do it for a reason."

"Well, we can trace our steps back and get to the checkpoint. If we start now, maybe in the next two hours we will be there."

"Is there another choice right now considering your map skills sucks more than the class's MSG."

"Hey, you could have checked this map earlier if you thought we were heading in the wrong direction, this is your fault as much as it is mine."

"Oh, I am sorry for trusting my housemaster to lead us in the right direction. My bad." she didn't even bother to hide the sarcasm and anger from seeping into her words.

"Point taken." Drishti sighed.

"If my friends worry themselves sick, I will lock you in the record room again and this time the rats will be real. Ragini won't be there to save you this time," she snatched her bag from the dirty ground and ripped the map from the teacher's hands. "I am leading the way. I don't wanna get lost again"

"We are not lost." Drishti adjusted the bag on her shoulder and followed the musician.

"Shut up and keep walking. And stop denying that you failed and got us lost in the middle of the forest," she paused before speaking again. "Damn it, I jinxed it."

"What?"

"Which part of shut up and keep walking did you not get?"

"Every part," she said. That was a dumb move Drishti. How can you be so stupid?

"If you don't stop talking, I will punch you."

Drishti obediently zipped her lips. just as they neared the edge of the slope they crossed earlier on, the torchlight started flickering. Their path ahead became unclear and they had difficulty navigating their way through the little rocks.

"Damn it. Not now you stupid light." Divya said, smacking the torchlight against her palm in an attempt to revive that.

"That's not going to work you know. It will get worse."

"I didn't ask for your input...Ahhhhhhh," she screamed, feeling something strike her square in the ankle.

Her foot caught a rock and she dropped the torch in favour of grabbing anything nearby. Her hand latched on something but it didn't help as she still lost her footing and was sent tumbling down the steep slope along with whatever she had grabbed.

The little rocks tore into her skin as she rolled down; her speed increasing by the second. Her hands were tightly circled around her face. There wasn't time to comprehend what was happening as she felt something heavy smash into the side of her head and warm liquid trickling from that side. A sharp pain shot down her neck and spine and spots appeared in her vision and the last thing she heard was someone groaning beside her before everything faded to black.

---broken promises---

"So, campers, are you ready?!" Ms Andrews shouted.

"Ever ready!" they echoed.

"Nice. so I'm going to repeat the instructions. ten members from your houses will participate. I would suggest those not holding the cups or weights and any other objects from the challenge. five members on each side. You guys need to hop to the opposite sides until the ten of yall are on opposite sides. But remember, you need to hop not run and don't step on the mines. The first house to finish wins. Got it?" The game was a relatively simple game of maze. But year after year most students failed to communicate with each other to clear the maze. Every year there were funny students who screamed and shouted at each other to no avail. "Let's see if the willow house will continue in the lead or this will be their doom."

"We ain't going down that easily ms A." twinkle said, raising her head an inch higher. The house embers followed suit.

The maple house leader would not stand for this. So Neil, the house leader, started taking a stand for his house. "This game is about teamwork not to see who is the best bavarian. Your class has no bonding whatsoever."

In camps, the best way to prove each other wrong was a cheer battle. The will campers gathered in a straight line before the other houses and slowly started stomping their feet to the beat of we will rock you by the queen. "We will, we will crush you like a scrambled egg! Never let you cheer again. Roti prata roti prata, burn la burn la burn till Chao ta. Muttu curry Muthu curry eat la eat la eat your curry!" They ended with a loud laugh and victory stance by hanging their arms over each other's shoulders as a show of unity. They were not immune to those insulting words used by Neil but they had made their reputation themselves. This was a camp, nothing said is taken to heart.

Oak decided to join in the fun and start their own house cheer. "Eyes pain, Nose block, want to think but cannot think, want to think but got nothing so this is what I came up with. Salonpas salonpa salompa salompa."

"Alright campers, I think that's enough for now. Let's start the game." she blew her horn and the housemasters took over to arrange the students. Once everyone was in place, the second horn sounded and everyone began wrestling their way to finish first.

The teachers and alumni laughed at the silly antics of the third-year students. Some clumsily stepped over each other, lost balance and fell off the map and others accidentally knocked into each other. Along with these, they saw them helping each other off the ground, laughing with each other at some failed attempts to pass the mining challenge, and guiding each other to complete the maze.

These were little things that strengthened the friendships and bonds with each other at S.P.A.C.E. The teachers were happy to see them passing the test of balancing relationships and competitiveness. It was a sense of accomplishment that couldn't be explained in words.  

A/N: Don't forget to R&R!