Rakshit waved Drishti over from the table he was occupying in the cafeteria as she entered the area. She nodded at him and made her way over, sliding in and out of the late-night crowd. The performances had been wrapped up a while ago and the guests had gathered here for refreshments. After which the midnight party would start all the way till the sun rises. Drishti was already expecting a low attendance rate for the next day.

"Hey partner." she smiled taking a seat at the table.

"Partner," rakshit grinned. "I see we are making progress."

"I guess we are. So how was your day?"

"Good, except my student bailed on our counselling session. Although that means I have my evening free." he placed his hands on the back of his head and leaned back.

Drishti nodded with a mouthful. "I think that's rather insulting but sure if you don't mind."

Rakshit shrugged his shoulders. "Not really considering who it was. But anyway, how was your day?"

"Amazing. I didn't know our college had such talent. Now I get why it's the most prestigious."

"There's a lot more to see. These are just the music students. There are still the arts and humanities students. Their showcases and debates are so fun to watch."

"We have a debate club?" she questioned scratching her head. The pronoun used when completely over her. But the counsellor knew better. "I haven't heard of it."

He nodded. "We do. In Fact, I think they will be having a debate about it," he glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes." It was nice to hear some form of acceptance for the institution she found herself in. 'we' being the change in addressing it and calling herself a part of the school. progress.

Drishti gobbled down her food, wanting to attend the debate. "We are going to attend it. What is the topic today."

"Big Boss," he said fondly, rolling his eyes.

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "What's that?"

"You will see," he smirked, already imagining the horrified look on Drishti's face.

---broken promises---

Ragini sat dumbfounded beside her best friend at the cliff. After finding her devastated backstage, she left the room. Ragini barely managed to hop into the car before she drove off from the premises. She sent a quick text to the brothers and watched intently as they passed by buildings on the road slowly. Which was weird considering who was driving, the girl who always had a hunger for speed. So Ragini watched and gave her time to collect herself.

She couldn't help but wonder what Manik could have said to cause the rockstar to go into an introspective trance. She threw little rocks she found on the ground over the edge as they sat on the cliffside.

"When I was stuck in that cabin with all the other kids, I learned something," The devastated girl began. Ragini stopped throwing the rocks and turned to face her understanding of where this was heading. Divya remained in her position towards the cliff. "Power makes people fearful. Fear makes them do what you want them to. It keeps you safe."

The silence glimmered between them. Ragini could see the same look in her eyes that she saw in the hospital. Defeated, unforgiving and distant.

"Sixth October two thousand and eight. That was the day everything took a tailspin and came crashing down."

It finally dawned on Ragini. "Your birthday." she gasped.

"I'll be right back before you know it. Those were the words I said before walking out the door to look for my parents."

She shut the door and ran as fast as her small legs allowed towards the usual candy store. It was an empty street with no one roaming around at the moment. Out of the shadows, a figure emerged. He had a fumble in his walk- on purpose, she noted. He stumbled again this time bumping into the little person.

She got up first while herself off and pinched her nose because of the foul smell. "You smell like burnt toast that buddy makes for breakfast," she told the man who had yet to get on his feet.

He laughed in a way too comically to be considered normal. "Would you like some candy, little girl?" he offered once she helped him get on his feet.

Divya gleamed, clapping her hands in excitement. "There is a shop down that alley," he slurred, pointing a curled finger in the direction of a secluded ally. "I'll get you some from there."

"Bunny said never follow strangers," she recalled.

He paused stroking his chin thoughtfully. "My name is Rico. What's yours?"

"Divya."

"So we are not strangers anymore. Let's go."

She held his hand as he led the way. Unbeknownst to her, she was walking into the darkest road of her short life. As she neared the eerie walkway, a weird feeling surrounded her.

The moment they made a turn a black bag was dropped on her head cutting off her view from everything. She kicked, punched and screamed until her throat was rubbed raw. Immediately, she regretted leaving the house. Being held hostage by men thrice her size and in a bag, escaping was nothing more than a fantasy. It was a sick and twisted way to prolong the inevitable her from the torture that was ahead.

"Somewhere between that time they drugged me and when I came to, I was in a cabin with a dozen other kids."

Shock is that feeling of pause while the brain makes a new connection, one that brings high emotions of either joy or sorrow. It is finding yourself unexpectedly on a platform, train approach, realising that this time the destination is not a choice. Ragini sat all too familiar with this feeling. It was the same as when she felt in the jam and hospital room, only a notch higher.

"That feeling of helplessness and...powerlessness is what pushes me to do all those things. After the first few times, I saw the pattern. It's a surety that my family or I will never end up in that position again."

"But?" she pressed, sensing there was a catch.

"But it's wrong!" she scolded herself. "It's wrong on so many levels. I'm doing the exact same thing that I don't want to happen to me. To hell with feeling safe. It's a cycle and I got trapped in it. I'm so stupid."

the older girl reached over to get Divya to face her. "A stupid person doesn't realise their mistakes. And now that you have, the question is what are you gonna do about it?"

She shrugged looking back at the cliff. "I don't know."

Ragini rubbed her back and kept her in a secure hug. "We will figure it out," she assured. "Together. One for all. All for one."

The sun had fully set. The moon shone brightly with the stars. She didn't think they could help the turmoil raging on in her this time.

My life changed. I lost some things but I gained a lot too. For that I am grateful. Di, bunny and buddy, I haven't forgotten you nor replaced any of you. I've just gotten used to not having you there and made a new family that helped me get on with my life. I love them so much and you too.

"I don't regret it as much," she admitted into the quiet night.

Ragini brought her attention back to Divya who snuggled in her embrace. "Regret what?"

"Whatever happened. Cause I met mom, dad, you, shikar and lucky. I lost something but gained much more. I can't ask for myself to have not met any of you."

"I know," Ragini planted a kiss on the crown of her head. "But you can still look for them. It's not going to change anything."

Divya shook her head vehemently. "Nope. That part of my life is over. I am not going back to it. They are happy in their lives. I can't disrupt that peace."

"How do you know that? They could still be longing to meet you like how you are to meet them."

"Ragini, drop it," Divya insisted, not wanting to get into that conversation. "These stars are enough to keep their memories in my head."

With the passing of time, the strings which kept her heart connected to her birth family tied to her had frayed. They are still there leaving prominent marks in their wake but they lost the strength to endure another assault- one that had yet to come. It wasn't intentional but there was no denying; that was a different life. She had long since accepted that fact. They didn't cease to mean anything, just less.

Ragini resisted the urge to keep on with this. If her friend needed time then so be it. "Whatever you need, Meri Jaan."

---broken promises---

The brothers had returned backstage in a similar condition as Divya and they silently made their way to the jam room. All the decorations on their clothes adorned for the performance had been shredded. A reflection of their inner state.

Shikar received a text from Ragini stating they left campus and will hopefully be back later. He supposed it was a similar situation with them. He took the previously functional guitar from his brother just as the last string snapped leaving a trail of blood drops on the ground.

"Careful," he chided and quickly returned with a first aid kit to patch Lakshya up. "We ain't superhumans that can heal in seconds."

"Superhumans possess the emotional intelligence that we don't. That's why we are here."

"Laksh..."

"No seriously. I was so blinded and self-centred to realise what the hell we were doing."

"lakshya..."

"What the fuck was I thinking!"

"Lakshya!" Shikar screamed, getting his attention and halting his rambling. "Stop it."

Stop it. We should have stopped so long ago. I should have stopped them when Ragini used to do it. Oh my god! I was about to become like that man.

Lakshya could bear changing this gender and calling himself Laxmi but not becoming like that man who was presently rotting in jail for crimes he couldn't even put into words. He was not him. Never was and never could be.

He ran a weary hand through his hair and slumped in the seat. "Our wrongdoings or my rambling? Because I am willing to do both."

"Yes both," he sighed, disappointed by his own conduct. "You are not only to blame. It was my fault this started. I had anger issues that transpired into this."

The younger sibling carefully placed the band-aid on his brother's fingers and stood up to keep the items back where they belong. He came back just as fast as he left, not wanting to leave Lakshya alone.

Shikar knows the tables have turned. He needed to be there for the brother who always made it a point to be present in his weakest moments. He needed to be the one to think when the other boy couldn't.

The realisation and regret are the same but the moment one of them couldn't handle the pressure the other hand stepped up. Even though there never was a need for it. Now is the time.

"I should have stopped you. I am your older brother." Lakshya countered.

Shikar rolled his eyes at his stubbornness. He was always so hard on himself. "Don't be so hard on yourself bro. We all made mistakes and now we need to fix this. I don't want to become the person I am becoming."

"I was becoming like him." he whimpered to himself.

Shikar whipped his head in his direction. His hands tore into the collar of the older brother making him jump. "You. are. Nothing. Like. that. Man. Do you hear me? He is not part of our lives. Just because we share blood and have committed mistakes does not mean you are turning into a criminal."

"What am I or we becoming," he questioned, meeting the glare with equal determination.

The drummer released his hold and softened his gaze. "Good people who made bad choices.

Criminal. Snake. Dangerous. They taunted him nonstop. That's the downside to being a high profile student. Everyone knows who you are. He was used to it, doesn't mean it didn't bother him. Filtering out the bad from the good was a habit at this point. The delight of finally not having to deal with any of it was enough to make him dizzy. Clementi Town high school as he thought was going to be a clean slate for him. All the mocking and bullying were going to stop.

They say don't expect too much. When they break, the fall is long and hard. He did fall on his face. Literally. Blood oozed out of his nose smearing his white button-up shirt. A scream from deep within that forces its way out his mouth as if his wounded soul had unleashed a demon. His fists clench and my teeth lock up once the sound is out. Red was all he could see when the boy who threw him on the ground flew three feet back. He smashed into the lockers and finally onto the ground. Shikar blew hot.

He could feel it. Each taunt, each shove, each dirty look, each scowl built this wall of frustration. The debris of his broken expectations sent the bricks crashing down in every direction.

He and his brother were entitled to better treatment. They deserved to be respected just like any other person regardless of who their father is. That's where it started.

"One time. just to teach that asshole a lesson." Shikar scowled. "I'll take the second exit. Lucky you get the painkillers. Divi, the main exit."

"Got it." the two accomplices accepted.

"I still think it's a bad idea," Ragini argued.

"He deserves it."

It started off as a one-off, meant to teach those people a lesson who spent a good chunk of their time trying to terrorize their best friend. Then it became a habit. A habit so addictive that it was used in every situation that caused the mildest discomfort.

Shikar bit his tongue to prevent the cry from escaping from his mouth. One simple prank to teach a lesson to the bully became an addition. To the point that they went through so many inhumane reasons to prove themselves right. "We can and will fix this."

Lakshya nodded, getting to his feet. the veins in his neck were playing and his hands were fidgeting with energy. "And I know how we are going to make this right."

"Let me guess." Shikar stroked his chin. He wanted to keep this conversation as light as possible. The guilt of his actions was already weighing heavily on his shoulders. He couldn't handle being the one who needed to keep his brother from acting out. "Does it involve something like public apologies?"

Lakshya walked to their bags kept in the corner. He grabbed the black one by the handle and fished for his brother's tablet. Once his hand caught on to something heavy and metallic, he held it and brought it back to the younger boy. "Yes but before that delete the videos."

Taking the tablet from Lakshya he got to work not needing to be told twice.

"we will need to talk to divi about this. I am not sure she is gonna like it."

Shikar shook his head vehemently. The fact that she was not present in the room to celebrate their victory spoke volumes about what could have happened. "If Alya could reach through to us, I am sure someone else from their group did something similar with Divi and Ragini."

"I hope you are right. Because right now, my humanity is calling out to me and I don't want to drown its voice out again."

The drummer finished up with the tablet and kept it in his backpack. Swinging it on his shoulders. "I hear my conscious loud and clear, brother."

---broken promises---

Drishti never exited a classroom faster than she just had. Her head spun at the arguments presented by the prepositions and opposition party.

From what the counsellor had filled her in on, she gathered that big boss was a reality show in which a group of people are kept in a house without any contact from the outside world. It was a test of survival. The concept itself was intriguing.

It went for a toss the second the students presented their arguments about a certain contestant. It was downright character assassination that should not be encouraged in any way. They were going back and forth about issues in the personal lives of the celebrities and pulling statics out of nowhere. It was simply a session to prove which fandom was larger and more powerful. That is not a debate. It was an ego clash of separate fandoms.

"I assume you are never watching the show again," Rakshit asked, joining her shortly as she reached the bridge to the music block. "I don't watch it."

He swallowed her saliva and faced him. "Yes, I can see why. It was a war zone there. If this is what happens in school. Imagine social media."

"I've seen it first hand," he chuckled. "It's ugly. Especially last season's fandoms. It was ten times worse than this."

Drishti gaped, dumbstruck by what she had witnessed. "Someone needs to do something about this debate club. This is not what it's supposed to be like. A debate is when the opposition and proposition keep logically points respectfully in front of each other."

Rakshit shrugged his shoulders as he led the way to the parking lot. Since musicana had ended there wasn't a need to stay in school anymore. "Now that the excitement of the debate club has worn off, how about we get a bite?"

Drishti squirmed uncomfortably. As much as she is trying to break out of her shell, this was too fast. "Rakshit," she stopped in front of her car which was three lots ahead of his. "Don't get me wrong but I want to take this recovery process slow. We are friends I know but..."

"Hey, hey." he held her shoulders. "I get it. It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow at school. We can get that bite another time."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I owe you one."

"Of course. I am not letting you off this one. I could get a goodbye though. Right?"

She was hesitant but gave him a quick hug before jumping into her car. He leaned on the open window and bent down so he could look at her. "When you go home, treat yourself to something."

"Why?" the teacher frowned.

"You just overcame one of your behavioural tendencies to escape a situation." He bid her goodbye and got into his own car.

The recovering woman reflected on her time since the hospital was on her way. It's not so bad to make friends. She concluded.

For the first time in thirteen years, her breath didn't hold waiting, did not stay off the cusp of hope and disappointment.

---broken promise---

Shikar twirled the sticks in his hands and jogged the heel of his foot vehemently as the two brothers waisted for the return of their remaining bandmates. the piece of paper he had written his speech on was chipped off on the edges with the pressure he applied. Ashe rehearsed it over again in his head, and the pit in his stomach sank. He did so many horrible things. Gather information that could and was used to harm someone. He carved out a carefully thought out plan to torment someone. It was sickening. monstrous.

Lakshya was on his fifth paper as he penned down his own script. If they were doing it then it would be done right. Maybe this would be what sets him apart from the man who the world called his father. As he thought of the things to say, the door clicked open and in came the awaited members. Both looked as dishevelled as they were. The leader is more than Ragini. Yea, someone got to her too.

Silently taking their positions, Lakshya cleared his throat. "So, fab five came to talk to you guys too?"

"Mukti came to see me and I guess Manik met Jaan," Ragini informed the group.

"Then, it's safe to assume what I am about to say is not so surprising," Lakshya chose his next words wisely. "The midnight spirits are going to quit ragging from here on out. No more pranks, no more bullying. Nothing. It's over." he paused. "I know Divi you might disagree but...oof." a flash of brown hair clouded his vision.

Despite the earlier revelation in the forefront of her mind, Ragini couldn't bite back the Duchenne smile that broke across her porcelain features. "I am so proud of you lucky," she looked over to shikar realising the younger boy mirrored the decision of his brother. Crawling further down the route of excitement she latched onto him. "And you too, shikar!"

"I am not Ragini. I am so sorry guys." Shikar bowed his head. His cheeks burned with shame. "It was supposed to be only to get back at Mishka's gang. I didn't realise when we became these monsters. Miss Sharma was right, we are truly monsters."

Ragini tenderly placed a kiss on his temple. Reassurance that she understood and didn't find him at fault for this. Shikar gave her a final squeeze before she went to lakshya.

Something told her he needed to hear something really important. She bent down to his ear and whispered, "you are nothing like him."

Everyone waited with bated breath for the electric guitarist to react. Some kind of reaction, some kind of Divya-Esque sarcastic deadpan comment. nothing.

Before anyone could respond, Divya stood up from her seat and exited the room. They followed suit not knowing what she was up to this time. Halfway through they realised she was making her way to the speaker room and she was already turning on the speakers when they entered.

"Students of space, I am sure you all know who this is. But for those who don't, I am Divya Singhania," she spoke, tense and distant. Sure that the students had returned to the party to celebrate the victory of S.P.A.C.E and were listening loud and clear, she began. "Power is a drug. When you get a whiff of it, it makes you want to get more of it and the cravings never stop. And when you let it control you, it becomes poison. Maybe not for you but the ones around. It makes you do unspeakable things."

The three slowly took seats beside her. Happy that she was not against their decision.

"That is what happened with the midnight spirits. They became slaves of that addiction. This isn't an excuse for anything we have done to any of you. Nothing can justify our insecurities manifesting in the atrocious way it did. I also know most if not all of you hate my friends and me. I get it because we deserve every bit of...criticism for the lack of a better word, we get." She looked at her friends for confirmation. Receiving nods they pressed the live button together. "We are sorry for all the terrible things we have ever done to the students of space."

"We are ready to accept any and all the punishment we will get for our actions." shikar added before disconnecting the speakers.

They glanced at each other fleetingly catching the gaze of the other. It was time to end what they started. They rounded in a circle wrapping their arms around each other.

"Time to become human again." Divya sighed.

It's going to be a long ride. A bumpy, confusing and important ride. The silver lining is being on the journey together.

"Together," they whispered in unison.

Over in her office Mrs Malhotra grinned in pure ecstasy. "well played, fab five." She appreciated their efforts. The principal recalled a grim time when their predecessors used to study here. Her relationship with Manik wasn't the best but has since improved. At least she thinks it has. But even at that time, she knew the potential they had. Her cheeks burned from shame thinking about how she treated them and all the things she tried to do. She watched them grow from immature bullies to responsible adults. Ones that managed to stop people from following in their footsteps. 

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