"Tutorial 4 is due next lesson. Class dismissed."

The students did not waste another second running out of class while the midnight spirits slowly dragged themselves out of their seats.

"We should go find her." shikar said as he stood up.

"I don't think so. What if she needs some time alone?" lakshya suggested.

They looked at each other, then at Ragini who was standing quietly.

"We should find her. She was alone for the past hour. She should be a little calmer now." Ragini informed. Divya shouldn't have been left alone in the first place. She wanted to go after her but her legs stayed glued to the ground. She needed time herself to wrap her head around things. Divya may not say what she is feeling right away but the presence of her friends was comforting.

They were about to walk out when Drishti stood in front of them effectively blocking the door.

"Move," Ragini growled. Drishti couldn't stop herself from recoiling slightly at the threatening motion she didn't think could cross this girl's face.

"I will but first I need to say sorry and thank you. Sorry for..." her phone rang cutting her off. She frowned seeing the caller id.

"Divya?" she questioned. In the first lesson, she gathered all her students' numbers in case of any emergencies or if she needed to hand information out of the blue.

The name was enough to catch their attention. Why was Divya using her phone to call someone? much less why her? Shikar snatched the phone and kept it on speaker so Ragini and lakshya could hear too.

"... Smoke red...help."

"Divi, where are you?" shikar asked.

"Door locked. B3-03." they heard a crash before the call disconnected. As soon as it did, Ragini ran out of the class to where her rockstar was trapped.

"What does that mean?" Drishti was unsure if this was another prank. She had every reason to believe it was.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Didn't you hear what she said? B3-03, door locked, help. Is that not enough for your pea-sized brain to figure out what happened." shikar snapped.

"shikar, we don't have time. let's go.'' Lakshya pulled him along while handing her phone back.

Drshit wondered what was happening. This could be another prank but if it was, Ragini wouldn't have run like that. Or maybe she was also helping this time because of what happened in the locker room. But then Divya was coughing and it sounded real. Wait why did she call me? She should be calling her friends. But what if she didn't know who she was calling?

"I won't find out if I keep standing here," she grumbled before running to catch up to them panting a little as she neared. When they were close to the room, a strong odour hit their nostrils activating the gag reflex. "it's probably bromine. Keep your nose and mouths covered." Drishti advised and for once they listened.

Then it hit them. Divya was in the room filled with gaseous bromine and it was locked from outside and that's why she couldn't get out.

"Shit!" they chorused together.

Drishti immediately called an ambulance and informed Ms Malhotra.

They quickened their pace reaching the door in the next fragments of seconds. Lakshya yanked the door open and the three of them scuffled in calling out for Divya making sure to keep their mouths and noses covered.

Drishti was the first to spot her on the ground. She kneeled down and pulled her into a semi-sitting position. She used her scarf around her neck to cover the girl's nose and mouth. The state of her consciousness was evidence enough to the amount of gas she had inhaled.

"Divya," she said, patting her cheeks. Her eyes were half opened and her movements were weak and uncoordinated. She was mumbling something but Drishti ignored it. "Can you hear me?" As Divya continued to mumble something without even registering her presence, she gave the rest a shout to inform them.

They rushed to her and Shikar didn't waste a second in picking her up before rushing to the ambulance standing outside. The paramedics were quick to take over and placed her in the ambulance.

Drishti made sure to lock the door so the gas wouldn't spread too fast and give the school time to evacuate. The announcement was already made and the building was being evacuated to the field.

"let me go. She's my friend!" shikar argued trying to push his way through to his best friend.

The paramedics weren't letting them move ahead to the patient. They needed space to do their job. "You need to give us space, kid. We are going to help her." one of the paramedics assured, gently pushing shikar back.

They stopped arguing after multiple attempts and watched from afar as the doctors kept the oxygen mask on the face, checked her over for injuries etc.

"We are going to find whoever did this and that scumbag is going to be six feet under the ground." Ragini threatened with cold teary eyes. That wasn't a look she gave many people.

"I think we all know who it is," Lakshya said, balling up his fist.

"Harshad." shikar finished.

They took two long strides towards Ms Malhotra and Drishti who were talking to the medics. The principal excused herself and Drishti for a minute to talk to the band.

"Are you guys okay?" the worried principal asked. She moved to wipe Ragini's cheeks where a few stray tears fell. The pianist let her and reeled in the comfort for a few seconds before getting serious once again.

"We need evidence," Ragini said bluntly, ignoring her query. "We are sure Harshad is the one who did this."

"He is. I have already checked the cameras and the guard confirmed that he entered the premises today."

"Good. we need you to allow him to attend camp viva."

"I'm afraid that he will be in prison at that time."

"No, he won't because we are not telling the cops. To the rest of space, this was just an accident of a chemical leak. The area is being quadrant off anyways."

"I don't think that is a good idea. It's better to let the police handle this." Drishti interrupted.

"Shut up miss Sharma. Nobody asked for your opinion."

Drishti glared at shikar but it didn't affect him.

"We are going to teach him a lesson. So Ms Malhotra, will Harshad be attending camp viva?" Ragini continued, also ignoring the class parent. That boy endangered her best friends life. There was no way in hell, he was getting away with it. She couldn't care less about what Drishti thought about it.

"Definitely miss Khanna."

They gave her a satisfied smile before walking back to the ambulance as they were finally allowed to go near. Once they were settled in the ambulance sped off.

"Why? You know that they are going to torture him." Drishti screeched at the principal

"He deserves it. And even if I sent him to jail, they are going to get him out and do what they want."

"I know you care about your students but you are forgetting that Harshad is also one of them."

"Was. After this, he isn't. I am expelling him with a beta form. Him being at camp viva will be... an official invitation." she smirked before carrying on where she left off with the medic.

Drishti sighed in frustration. This school is filled with crazy people. Everyone from student to teacher to principal. One student is trying to kill another and instead of calling the cops, the principal encourages revenge.

"What kind of mental school is this?"

---broken promises---

Divya woke up with a blurred vision. She immediately regretted it as the white light stung her eyes. For a moment, she thought she was dead.

"Crap, this would be a really bad time."

"Want us to come back later then?" a voice said.

She turned to face the sound of the voice. Her eyes hurt but she could still make out her parents sitting in front of her.

"Hey bunny." she greeted closing her eyes again with a cheeky smile.

"Bunny? Sure you didn't hit your head during the fall?" Aditya asked, checking her head for any bumps. "Doesn't seem like it."

Anjali lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Divi, how are you feeling?" her mom asked. She leaned a little closer and started running her fingers through her hair.

Divya frowned and snapped her eyes open. Immediately she was assaulted by the obnoxiously bright hospital lights. It made the buzzing in her head worse. She sneaked another peek through her eyelids, and finally her vision adjusted to the lights.

"Mom? dad?" she frowned once her sight cleared. she tried pushing herself up into her sitting position.

"Easy," Aditya cautioned, placing his hand on her back to stabilize her and help her into a more comfortable position. "Who did you think it was kiddo?"

"I...no one." she lied.

"You're in the hospital but What happened?" Anjali asked softly. She was barely able to keep her worry at bay when the school called. She didn't hear much after the lines, your daughter has been taken to the hospital nearest to school after a bromine attack. The speed at which she fled her office was commendable for someone reaching their late thirties.

"I-I was in one of the classrooms and it was locked from outside. Then I saw... Blue? Or red fog maybe?" she paused trying to remember more. "and then my head started hurting and I called someone and then...I don't remember." she clutched her head as another headache was forming.

Aditya was quick to get her to lie down again. Right now she needed all the rest she could get. He himself yelled at the person on the other end of the call that told him about this. If it wasn't for his wife, the principal would not have heard the end of this. "don't be too stressed. You'll remember eventually."

"Thanks, dad." Divya smiled at her dad giving him a side hug. She looked at her mom again and remembered that she had called someone. "who did I call?"

"your teacher. Drishti Sharma?"

"what? Did I call her? how?" she was confused. Out of everyone, how did she end up calling her? She expected it to be one of her friends...speaking of where were they?

"Accidently?" her adoptive mother offered.

"How did I faint? And where is Ragini, lucky and shikar?"

"The room was locked from the outside so you couldn't get out. Somehow gaseous bromine was slowly let in the room. The school is still trying to figure it out. That's why there was red smoke. You're lucky you were exposed to it for too long."

"As for the three of them, they went back to space. Something about evidence and camp viva." her dad informed her. He didn't understand much of what they said but trusted that they knew what they were doing. They would be here if it wasn't urgent that he knows.

For the first time since they arrived, Divya laughed. "I guess it's true."

"What is?" Aditya asked.

"karmas' a bitch."

"Divi! Language!" Anjali scolded.

Divya and Aditya shook their heads at her. "Mom, you're too innocent."

"Anyways," she drawled, ignoring the pointed look from her husband and daughter. "you'll be fine in a few days," Anjali Informed her.

"That means my kiddo will be back home playing her guitar and video games with me in no time." Aditya ruffled her hair playfully.

"you bet!"

Anjali slowly took her hand and gently stroked her thumb across the freshly bandaged hand. "Do you want to tell us why you were in that room alone? Or why do you have a beautifully bandaged hand?"

Divya sucked in a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling to prevent eye contact. Clearly, midnight spirits didn't tell them what happened. "I just needed some time to think."

"about what?"

She sighed and pulled her hand back under the covers. She really wasn't ready for this right now and much less with her parents. "mom dad it's been a long day. I'm really tired."

Though they were disappointed, they smiled at their daughter.

"Alright, we'll drop by tomorrow morning. Your jaan will be here later tonight," Aditya assured. He was sad that his daughter didn't open up to them but as long as there was someone to help her they wouldn't interfere but reassure her that they were always going to be there. "Hey kiddo, you know you can tell us anything right?"

"Of course dad." she smiled.

"take care of yourself divi." her mom said, giving her a forehead kiss.

They waved at her before Walking into the hospital corridors.

"She's never going to tell us is she?" Aditya asked once they were out of earshot.

"I don't think so," Anjali replied, taking a seat on one of the chairs.

"I'm going to kill that bastard who did this." Aditya threatened anger dripping from each word.

"You won't have to." Aditya looked at her confusion etched in his features. "Adi, they will take care of it. They aren't going to leave whoever did this. It's going to be painful."

"It is his or her fault for doing this. But Why would anyone want to do this though?"

"Have you seen their antics? honestly, I'm not surprised," she intertwined her arm with her husband's and rested her head on his shoulder. "I was so worried. She wasn't even moving. She could have been killed!"

"Me too. But she is a tough kid. She wouldn't even flinch once when taking down guys twice her size. Gas exposure is not enough to take her down."

"That is thanks to you." Anjali chuckled.

"Hey, she's my kid."

"Mine too."

The worried parents let out a laugh before making their way home. Divya was, is and were always going to be their daughter no matter what the world says.

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