Author's note: I'm really sorry that I took so long to upload this. There were a few changes that I wanted to make and I decided that I don't want to serve mediocrity to my readers. Hence, I took some time. My apologies.

I'm extremely nervous about this.

Songs of the chapter:

Monster- Eminem ft.Rihanna

Demons- Imagine Dragons

Haunted- Beyonce

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Precap: Three sharp knocks on the door halted him in his speech and the entire class including me turned to face the door in shock. I didn't know what the others thought but at the sight of the person standing at the door, I felt a huge ball of dread settle in my stomach and my breath got stuck in my throat.

It was Maddy.

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I heard Dhruv suck in a sharp breath beside me as we both looked in horror at the person casually leaning against the door.

"How's he here?" I heard Dhruv mutter under his breath but instead of answering him I concentrated on Madhyam Singhania who stood there in all the glory of his royal attitude in a brown leather jacket with his black hair spiked up and chewing a gum. I narrowed my eyes at him as I tried to gauge from his body language and actions the kind of person he was and so far the impression I had was damn unpleasant.

I felt a feeling of disgust crash over me as I remembered the fact that this boy owned his voice and I looked away from him and turned my attention on the Professor who was looking at him with pursed lips.

I knew it was pretty evil of me but I could feel a smirk curve up my lips. I was just 5 minutes late to class and Prof.Raghuvir had verbally assaulted me. This guy was showing up here half an hour late. He was surely going to have it from him. I couldn't wait to see his attitude being crushed and it turned out that I wasn't the only one. The entire class was waiting with baited breath to watch the altercation everyone knew was sure to follow.

Prof. Raghuvir folded his arms across his chest and gave a look that contained so much anger that I was sure no one wanted to be at the receiving end of it.

"You have some guts don't you?" He spoke and I waited for Maddy to flinch but was surprised when his expression betrayed nothing, "You're late and then you ask me if you can come in?" The last sentence was spoken in an octave higher than the previous one but Maddy still didn't look deterred.

Instead, he rolled his eyes and drawled, "Don't waste your time yeah Prof.? Just say yes or no so I can be on my way."

My eyes widened at that comeback and I watched as the Professor's nostrils flared but there was something else there too. Something that I couldn't pinpoint, "Got some serious attitude there haven't you?" He asked and I didn't miss the hidden connotation there, "Let me tell you one thing though. Deposit that shitty attitude outside this class before coming in. I won't be tolerating it."

Maddy smirked, "Me and my attitude are a packaged deal Prof. Deal with it."

I stared at him in shock. This boy really did have some guts! I could never imagine anybody talking to a teacher like that!

The Professor was no less though. He chuckled at the response and said, "Been there done that. You think you're the only one with a smart mouth? Newsflash, there are tons like you and you know what happens with them? They go nowhere." The last sentence was said in a threatening low tone and I really expected Maddy to bow down on this one but he surprised me yet again.

"I thought you were just a teacher. What's with the fortune telling?" He laughed.

I watched as Raghuvir's expression changed. Even he had expected Maddy to cave in at that and I could see the legit anger now. "What's your name?" He asked angrily and I could feel my surprise grow. He knew my name but didn't know his? How's that possible?

"Maddy."

"Your real name!" The Professor snapped finally losing his patience.

"Madhyam Singhania.'' He spoke loud and clear and I even I was surprised that he had given a straight answer to a straight question. My surprise was short lived though as he immediately added a smart comeback at the end. "Gonna report me to the principal?" He chuckled and I groaned. Really?

The Professor was having a different reaction altogether though. His eyes widened in realization and he ran a hand through his hair that I assumed was a nervous gesture. I was befuddled and a torrent of questions ran through my mind. Did Raghuvir know him? Why this reaction? Who exactly was this Maddy?

"Madhyam Singhania." He repeated and I could detect a different tone in his voice that left a lot of things unsaid. But it had the gears of my mind working on an overdrive though. Something was definitely up with Maddy. There was more than what met the eye. I looked around the class to see if anyone had noticed the different reaction of the Professor but almost everyone was too busy staring at Maddy to bother. Finally I turned to look at Dhruv but even he was looking at Maddy with a strange expression on his face and I frowned.

But before I could question him further the Professor announced, "I'm forgiving you today.''

At that almost the entire class got a jerk and everyone stared at the Professor in shock. Along with the surprise I could feel anger rising in me at the lenient way Maddy had been dealt with and I glared at the Professor furiously. What had his name done to him that he had lost all his commanding and condescending tone that he had used with me? This was unfair!

I turned my eyes on Maddy and found that even he looked surprised. Another question flared in my mind, if he knew he was being rude then why did he do it in the first place? Was it intentional?

"You can come in." The Professor said through gritted teeth and for the first time Maddy didn't make any smart comeback. That was mostly because even he couldn't believe that he had been let off so easily but now he was here he couldn't do anything but come and sit in the class. The room erupted in whispers and mummers as he walked in but all the students soon went back to their own business as they realized that the drama was over for the day. Only I was left fuming.

My eyes followed Maddy as he walked and there were small things that I noticed about him, like how he didn't make eye contact with anybody and even though he walked confidently, there was a hunch in his shoulders that suggested that he was not so comfortable and was on the defensive.

I rolled my eyes at the girls on the first bench who swooned as he walked past and I had to repress a chuckle. Really? Yes, Maddy was good looking to the general tastes, but me? Nope. I had seen much, much better. I had been the girlfriend of someone much, much better. Random, good looking blokes don't impress you when you have been with the Greek God himself.

Till now Maddy was failing miserably in my good books. I will admit that this morning, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was contemplating giving him a chance. They had the same voice but that wasn't a valid enough reason to hate him. But he had ruined it all with his nasty attitude and now I just couldn't wait for it all to come back and bite him.

I didn't know though that destiny was listening to me and my vindictiveness towards Maddy was going to come back and hit me in the end. Because, just as Maddy took a seat on the front bench, the Professor declared, "Not so easy Mr.Singhania." He said and smiled in a way that had me feeling uncomfortable in the gut. I narrowed my eyes at Raghuvir and at that exact moment he looked up at me and smiled even wider.

"You've detention. 7 o'clock. My office." He said and at that Maddy's head whipped up to stare at the Professor and my eyes widened as I felt a ball of dread settle in my stomach. My mouth went dry and I could feel the bile rise up at the back of my throat as I realized the implication of what was happening with full force.

No. No. No. This couldn't be real.

"Be there sharp." Raghuvir looked at both of us as he said that, "With Ms.Nandini Murthy."

As he said it I watched as Maddy's eyes followed the Professor's line of sight and settled on me. I watched as his expression revealed that he recognized me from last night and his eyes narrowed at me. He tilted his head to the side and mouthed, "Nandini Murthy," and I realized that he had found a name for the face of last night.

As I stared back at him, I knew that the entire conversation from the night before was flashing in his mind just like it was in mine.

There were two things that were for sure though. First, tonight 7 o'clock was going to be a battle. And second, In the middle of all this, Professor Raghuvir was having the last laugh.

I wondered why.

"Nandini," Dhruv whispered frantically in my ear as soon as the entire class had settled down, "What was all that?"

"That's what I want to know." I said solemnly. I had realized for sure by now that something was horribly wrong and fishy. Nothing was making sense. To start off with, Aryaman was right about the accident, the sudden appearance of this man who owned the same voice was shady, Dhruv's reaction to Maddy was odd, Harshad was up to something and there was something going on with this new Professor. I had a very creepy and unpleasant feeling from him.

Was all this connected to the accident? I knew this was an extremely wild theory but I couldn't help but feel that we were all being played for fools. Something was up and it was wrong.

And I had to get to the bottom of it. Tonight 7 o'clock was a perfect chance to tackle this Maddy issue and at least tick him off the list. I was about to tell Dhruv that I was going to question Maddy tonight but I was stopped in my tracks as the Professor began the lecture again.

"Like I said before," He continued where the lecture had left off, "Here in this class, we are going to try and bring out your personal influences on your music."

My attention went to the front of the class where Maddy was sitting and even though from my position, I could just see the back of his head, I could still imagine his arrogant face and I was mentally throwing daggers at him.

"I cannot teach you how to write a song," Raghuvir said, "It has to come from within you," He looked at each and every one of us in the eyes as he said that, "And that's why I've come up with this idea for you to express your creativity.'

"Open your journals everybody." He commanded and there was a flurry of movement in the class as people opened their respective dairies and sat with their pens poised. I skimmed my hands over the smooth paper of my red diary and wondered what exactly Professor Raghuvir was aiming for. Music and Journals?

"Now," He said in his booming voice and checked the watch, "In the next 30 minutes, I want you all to write about that one person who changed your life."

As he said that, my eyes widened. I couldn't believe this. This couldn't be real. The world couldn't be this cruel to me. Why? Why did every walk of my life lead me to him? This just reminded me how deep our love was. Anywhere and everywhere that I went, in every nook and in every corner, all that I could find was him. The minutest and most inconsequential things in my life had a mark of his presence.

At this rate, without him, how was I to ever survive in this world?

"Consider it as your personal journal,'' He continued, "Write your heart out. How did it happen? Why did it happen? How did that person change you?" He was speaking for the entire class but it felt like each and every word was directed at me. I shut my eyes tightly as I drowned in all those memories again. Even if I start writing this, how do I even begin?

"This isn't objective," He said pacing in front of the class, "The change in you can be big or small. The person can be familiar or unknown. I just want you to express your feelings as creatively as you can.''

Express my feelings? This small diary wasn't enough for all of them. How can I even manage to explain in words how he had shot through my sky like a comet and altered and changed it forever? How do I explain in words the depth of the feelings I had for him?

"The point of this exercise," He explained further, "Is for you to have some solid material you can draw inspiration from. You might experience a life changing moment but you may not be able to convert it into music at that time but maybe later?" He asked and the class nodded in approval.

"So, document that moment in this journal." He said, "One day when you read it again, maybe you will get your inspiration and turn it into a song."

"No one is judging you and what you write can be prose, poetry or even a song. What I want is for all of you to harness your inner creativity." Prof. Raghuvir said, "Your time starts now.''

As he said those words, the entire class put their pens to paper and scratching noises could be heard everywhere as people poured their hearts out on paper. I just sat there, unable to move or comprehend anything. This was the last thing I expected from this class and I felt like I was caught in a whirlwind today. If I had to write, it had to be about him. There was nobody else. But how would I even bring myself to do this?

"Nandini,'' Dhruv said from beside me. I turned to look at him and I was sure he could read the turmoil in my eyes because he said, "Don't think much Nandini. Just write what you feel."

He nodded kindly at me and his words gave me strength to pick up my pen and put it on paper. Don't think much. Just write what you feel.

''Dear Diary," I wrote at the start and just like that I shut my eyes and let myself be carried away in my feelings. For the next half an hour, I was lost to the world. I didn't keep my pen down even for a second and by the time, the Professor had asked us to stop, I had filled up to four pages.

"Time's up!" Raghuvir called and there was again a ripple of activity as people frantically penned down their last sentences. I put my pen down gingerly and sighed, glancing at my curling handwriting that was attempting to describe my tornado of emotions. An unexplainable feeling washed over me and I hurriedly shut the book up before I could re-read what I had written. No. Not now. I had no idea if I could ever read it again.

Dhruv noticed my strange action and opened his mouth to ask about it but he was cut off by the Professor.

"We'll continue this tomorrow," He said, "You all are free to write in this whenever you wish. Document your ideas as you go. Inspiration will come later."

He smiled as he finished and even I could see the logic in his words. I ran a finger down the spine of my diary and wondered, would this really become my inspiration one day?

"But before you all leave," He said, "I have an announcement to make."

At that the entire class straightened up and even I snapped out of my daze and stared at him curiously. He came forward and stood right in the middle aisle and put his hands in his pockets before saying, "Like I had said yesterday, me and my label are here to collect talent.''

Everyone on the front benches nodded their heads. Only I was left confused. He was a part of a label? What? How? He had seemed like an ordinary Professor to me, but turns out there was more than what met the eye.

"And we want the best of the best." He continued and the entire class was listening in rapt attention. I took a glance at Maddy again and even he was focusing attentively.

"So S.P.A.C.E along with all the other music and Performing Arts colleges in India are collaborating with our Red Label to select one act that will be signed on to us and given a launch pad."

Mummers and whispers broke in the class as he announced this as everyone discussed this shocking and delighting news with their partners. Even I could feel the pleasant shock and excitement as I heard it. Even though there were a thousand questions running in my mind, I couldn't dismiss the fact that this was good news. Music was my escape. Music was my heaven. It was the only thing holding me together right now. And I didn't care about getting selected or winning whatever this was. Just a chance to play music was enough for me.

I looked at Dhruv and smiled widely. Even he was looking very excited as he whispered, "This is cool." I nodded at him and grinned widely as the Professor continued.

"We would be having a series of competitions before that though." He paused and let it sink in that the task was not easy, "Rehearsals will begin from tomorrow. Nyonika Malhotra will provide the further details soon." He said and the rippling excitement and happiness in the class was so much that I didn't even flinch at the name of that vile lady.

''That's it for today." Prof. Raghuvir said, "You're dismissed."

"It's so amazing." I said to Dhruv as the students filed out of the class with us being the last one to exit. I had strained my neck to see where Maddy was going but it turned out he had walked away the moment the class was dismissed. I realized with a sinking feeling that I would see him again tonight at 7 o'clock. The very thought was unpleasant to me and I didn't want to dwell on it.

We will cross that bridge when we get there.

"Yeah!' Dhruv said enthusiastically, distracting me from my line of thought, as we walked together towards the canteen, "I mean,'' Dhruv continued, "He had said yesterday that he's a part of a music label but I hadn't expected this."

"What else had he said?'' I asked curiously. There was a lot that I wanted to know about the Professor and I knew that Dhruv was my perfect information source.

"Nothing much, just that he's a part of a label and that he's here to groom the students for something big. I'm quoting." Dhruv grinned.

"That's interesting." I said. So he was here on behalf of a label? Then, what was with the weird teaching techniques?

"He's interesting." Dhruv said and I realized what he was talking about. Professor Raghuvir was surely unconventional and not the kind of teacher I had expected in S.P.A.C.E. His diary experiment, though logical was a different method and approach indeed. Plus, he had this intimidating aura that threw me off and when he announced he was a part of a label that had confused me further. His reaction to Maddy was weird too and that reminded me that I had to ask Dhruv about him too.

But how exactly do I word it? If I asked him up front, he would think that I was suspicious of him and besides, I didn't have any proofs or actions that I could ask him to explain. All I knew was that Dhruv was acting weird regarding the whole Maddy issue and that wasn't exactly an explanation for me asking him this.

I looked up at Dhruv and the question that had formed in my mind died in my throat. No. I was just imagining things. How the hell would Dhruv have anything to do with Maddy? And I should probably not jump into conclusions before I had any solid proof.

"Is everything okay?" Dhruv asked worriedly as he observed the expression on my face.

I bit my lip as he asked that not sure of what I should say. My mind was still waging a battle and amidst that conflict, I decided that I should change tack. I won't ask him up front but I would at least broach the subject, "So...umm," I began in a shakily and I cursed myself before composing my voice, "What do you think about Maddy?"

Damn! That question sounded so stupid and I wanted to punch myself for it but there was nothing I could do about it now. Instead, I observed Dhruv's reaction closely and saw how he gave a start when I mentioned Maddy's name. His expression changed into a guarded one and he spoke cautiously, "What about Maddy?"

I could feel an uncomfortable feeling wash over me as this reaction wasn't what I expected. I frowned at Dhruv and asked, "I mean, he has a bad attitude doesn't he?"

"Yes." Dhruv said in a curt tone and pursed his lips and I got the hint that this discussion was over and he wasn't going to say anything more about it. This conversation and the vibes that I was getting from Dhruv were causing me to do a double take and my suspicion was rising by the minute. Why was he acting like this?

There was turmoil in my mind but then I decided that it was best to drop it there. Dhruv was a reserved person and maybe that was the reason why he wasn't sharing anything with me or maybe it was because he was still not over the fact that they shared the same voice. Whatever the reason was, I trusted Dhruv and I knew he wouldn't do anything wrong.

I knew that my reasoning was convincing but for some reason I could not dismiss the nagging voice at the back of my head.

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"Where the hell did you go last night?!" Mukti demanded with her hands on her hips, the moment Dhruv and I came in her line of sight. She and Alya were standing right outside the entrance of the cafeteria and by the looks of it they had been waiting for us a long time. I wasn't frankly expecting that but I was genuinely surprised by the kind gesture. I gave them both a tiny wave and got a smile in return from Alya while Mukti continued her tirade.

"I mean, you just disappeared okay!" She said glaring at me, "I was so damn worried!"

I rolled my eyes at her antics and spoke dryly, "Hello to you too Mukti."

"Mukti give the girl a break." Alya chuckled and I saw the awkward way she greeted Dhruv. She just mumbled a tiny "Hi," and turned her face away while Dhruv didn't even look her in the eye.

This interaction shocked me but before I could do anything about it, Mukti had pulled me in a bear hug. "Never do that again. I was so scared."

My eyes widened in shock and I gingerly patted her on the back. I was completely caught off guard by this gesture. The loud, brash and rude Mukti was turning affectionate, gentle and caring, towards me of all people.

She pulled away and spoke, "You could've at least called.''

As she said that, I realized with a start that I wasn't still used to them being my friends. Yes, I had known them for the entire of last year but in my mind they were always his friends first. I never considered myself a part of their group and I had always maintained a line of distance from them. Maybe that was the reason why I was avoiding them the entire summer. But now, by all their gestures, the existing members of Fab5; Dhruv, Alya and Mukti, had proven that they considered me as a part of them.

And if they were offering to build this beautiful bond of friendship then why was I throwing them away? I realized my mistake and scolded myself for not seeing it earlier.

"I'm sorry," I said, "Next time I'm not going anywhere without your permission Ma'am." I held my ears to add a dramatic effect and it did the trick as she laughed.

She put her arm around my shoulder and smirked, "Drama not needed. I have enough of it from Alya." She stuck her tongue out at Alya as she said this and I laughed.

"Yup. I can imagine the horror." I added my bit in the teasing and watched as Alya's face instantly changed into a frown.

"What?" Her offended reaction was instant, "Don't tell her wrong things about me! I'm not dramatic! It's actually you Mukti-''

We both started laughing before she could finish her sentence and Alya's lips curved up in a smile as she realized we were just pulling her leg.

"You two!" She smiled before giving Mukti her hand and I turned around to look for Dhruv so that we could also include him in our little moment.

But before I could reach out to him, Dhruv had already walked past.

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I was still confused about Dhruv's behavior but I decided that I was just over thinking about it. He must have just walked ahead. I convinced myself with the thought as I followed Alya and Mukti in the cafeteria. They were both discussing or should I say Alya was excitedly talking about some new designer whose clothing line she was trying out, with Mukti just giving bored monosyllabic replies. I knew Mukti was the least interested in branded clothing but she still listened to Alya.

They had such a cute friendship and that made me wonder how exactly they had met and how had they connected?

"And you know he is very good with colour blocking,'' Alya was saying, "And he is famous for-

"For using 'super-saturated hues' or whatever the hell that means!" Mukti completed her sentence in an irritated tone without blinking an eye.

"You told me the same thing last week." She gave Alya the side-eye look and I giggled as Alya pouted. Mukti flashed me the thumbs up sign and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "I don't give a damn about clothes."

"Neither do I." I smirked back and we exchanged a high-five before Alya said in an offhand tone, "You know what?" She said, "I'm not buying that lace dress for you." She said and in the way she said it made me believe that she was more interested in the dress than Mukti was. Alya was actually a little child at heart. The thought made me smile.

"Go ahead,'' Mukti said without even paying attention.

"But you had liked it-'' Alya began saying but she halted in her tracks when Mukti stopped walking suddenly and focused dead ahead. Even Alya froze and I followed her line of sight to see what had made them stop like that and I saw the reason with dismay.

It was Maddy.

He was sitting with a gang of people whom I recognized were from the bad side of S.P.A.C.E. They were the kind who smoked in the alley behind the Academy and the ones who did all kinds of illegal stuff on the campus. I couldn't believe Maddy had associated himself with them but it wasn't unexpected to say the least. If I go by what I was seeing right now, Maddy gelled quiet well with them. He was laughing loudly with two of the boys while they swapped what looked like small notes. I spotted a bottle that suspiciously looked like alcohol at their table. I looked around the entire canteen to see how everyone was giving glances to this mob of rowdy boys as they created a ruckus right in the middle of the cafeteria.

If that wasn't the worst part, I realized with a sinking feeling that he was sitting at the usual table of the Fab5.

Great. Of all the tables, he had to find this one?

I looked at Mukti through the corner of my eye and saw how her eyes narrowed. She was going to blow. I braced myself for the battle that was going to come and watched as Mukti's nostrils flared and she spoke in a voice laced with anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" She spat and that got Maddy's attention as he broke away from the conversation he was having and turned to glare at the person who had interrupted him.

He looked at all of us and I saw how his face changed into a look of contempt as he remembered who we were.

"Really?" He groaned in a mocking way, "Like seriously? Why the hell are you people following me?"

"Hey, mister!" Mukti snapped, "We aren't following you! It's you who's sitting at our table!" She pointed a finger at him threateningly and Maddy laughed.

"Miss Traffic Police," He used the same term for her that he had used last night, "Are you still stuck in the body of a 5 year old?" The boys around him laughed loudly and I saw Mukti's fists clench. "I mean listen to yourself," He chuckled, "It's our table." He made quotes in the air and laughed harder.

"Don't act smart with me." Mukti spoke with gritted teeth, "You will regret it."

"I'm scared." Maddy held his hands up in mock-surrender as the boys around him chuckled.

"Beware dude," One of the boys who had weird green highlights in his hair spoke, "She is fiery." He gave Mukti a crude glance and a felt a wave of disgust. Seriously. They were crossing the line now.

"Mukti, no!" Alya said catching Mukti's arm before she could punch the living daylights out of the boy's face, "They aren't worth it!" She snapped with a disgusting glance at the boys and I spoke up.

"Maddy, don't create a scene." I said, attempting reason with this strange, rude boy.

"I'm creating a scene?" He turned towards me and glared, "You people start shit on petty things and then say I'm creating a scene?" He sounded incredulous and rightfully angry at the same time and I realized with dismay that what he was saying was right.

However unfortunate this situation was, it was a fact that things weren't the same as before. The fear and command that the Fab5 demanded earlier was lost somewhere without their cunning prankster and their feared Ringleader. The college did not bow down to them anymore. They had lost their power to bully and harass other people and it seemed like Alya and Dhruv had come to terms with it whereas Mukti was still struggling.

And Maddy was right; she couldn't bully him to leave a table because she technically had no right. But how do I explain her that?

Before I could try to say anything, another one of the boys spoke up, ''It's a Fab5 habit dude." He added fuel to the fire and I mentally groaned.

"Don't you dare!" Mukti yelled, "You aren't even worthy to say Fab5." She said with all the pride and haughtiness that came with lost glory and I pitied her. This was going to be hard.

Maddy had other plans though as he rubbed his palms together and said in a low voice, "Fab5," He chuckled, "I heard a lot about them today."

Don't go there. I thought to myself. If he had any sense of self preservation he wouldn't put his hand in the lion's den. Turns out Maddy was no less. If Mukti had jerked his strings by throwing her weight around like that, he would taunt her back.

I had detected a mockery in his voice which Mukti apparently missed because she immediately said, "Of course you did! We are famous in this entire college!" Her voice was laced with arrogance and Maddy smirked.

"True that," He raised his eyebrows and said, "Wait let me check. This is the Fab5 after all. I'm so honoured." By his tone I could tell that he was still mocking but I couldn't exactly tell where he was going with this. I had all my senses on high alert and I was prepared for his attack which I know would come shortly.

"So this is Alya Saxena." He pointed at Alya as he said it and I saw her flinch. Had he really dug up the details on the Fab5?

"And then here we have our very own Ms.Traffic Police a.k.a Mukti Vardhan." He chuckled and continued, ''And there at the back,'' He gestured with his hands and I saw who he was pointing at and my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw Dhruv.

If he was here all the time then why hadn't he said anything yet?

"We have, the Quiet One," Maddy continued, "Dhruv Vedant."

I could feel the goose bumps rise at the back of my neck as Maddy took their names. Was it only me or did he pronounce the names like targets?

There was a hush around the entire cafeteria as people watched the interaction in pin drop silence and baited breath. No one in the history of S.P.A.C.E had ever thought that there would be someone who would openly target Fab5 like that. My mind churned as I felt his absence acutely. It was like a stab to the gut.

If he was here, this Maddy won't even be opening his mouth right now.

But right now, without their Leader, without the person who protected them all against the whole world, the Fab5 stood their vulnerable and weak. Even the thought made me sick and I felt my heart cry out in pain.

"But you guys are Fab5 right?" Maddy asked, "Just three of you here."

The cafeteria erupted in whispers as everyone talked about the drama that was unfolding right now. It was a known fact that there were only three of them now but no one had openly stated it like that before. No one had the guts. This Maddy was openly taking the Fab5's reputation and ripping it apart.

I clenched my hands in fists. No. He won't dare to go there.

"Let me guess who is missing.'' He crossed his leg over the other and leaned back in his chair as if he was enjoying the show he was putting on and the torment that he was causing us.

"Manik Malhotra?"

He said it smoothly but the room spun around me. Everyone fell dead silent as they heard that name. That name, that once upon a time used to strike terror in the hearts of everyone. That name, that nobody dared to cross. That name, which belonged to the Rockstar of S.P.A.C.E.

And today, that name was taken in mockery, to cement the fact that he was no more.

"Do you realize what you have done?" Mukti spoke in a deadly voice and all thoughts of stopping her vanished from my mind. Maddy was taking it too far and he deserved it right now.

"What's the problem?" Maddy asked, "Isn't he the most famous person. Oh wait. I'm sorry. Wasn't he the most famous person?"

"You!" Mukti screamed. I watched her struggle as she tried to come up with an insult to fire at him but she failed. I saw as her shoulders sagged and her face crumpled with grief at the reminder.

No! My mind screamed. Mukti was the one holding the fort so far! She couldn't give up! I was now realizing how this was a chink in the Fab5 armour. This was the Achilles heel. And Maddy had fired on it.

"How dare you!" Alya was trembling as she said it, "Don't you have any shame!"

"But what did I do?" Maddy asked in an incredulous voice, "Just stating the facts there. No offence intended." He spoke but I could tell that there was no sincerity in his voice.

"You're disgusting!" I spat at him. I had no other words for this boy who could brazenly mock someone's death! He would belong well with Harshad but then I knew that Harshad was a lost case. But this one too? Didn't the universe put basic humanity in humans anymore?

"Hold it there." His eyes flashed at me and he stood up. "I've no intention to insult him. Hell, I don't even know him!'' He snapped.

"But I have tons of problems with you people giving me threats of Fab5 when there isn't even any Fab5 anymore.'' He spoke angrily and glared at Mukti specifically.'And all that bullshit you spewed about having the same voice yesterday!'' He glared and everyone stared at him in shock.

"He is dead. And you all need to get over it."

He finished his speech, dealing a blow on all of us and I could almost feel myself stagger with the impact of his words. He spoke it clearly. And brutally. It was harsh but it was also true. It was cruel but it had to be said. He was wrong but he was also right.

But before I could react or say anything, Mukti had covered the distance between them in three sides and before anyone could stop her, her clenched fist landed square on his jaw. I heard a horrible cracking sound and watched as Maddy staggered backwards, clutching the side of his cheek. The entire room erupted in hooting and howling as Mukti stood there breathing deeply with her eyes flashing dangerously.

I thanked the heavens for giving Maddy the sense to not hit her back. I hadn't expected him to go that low and I was thankful that I was proven right. But if Mukti legit fought with him, and I won't put it past her, then he would definitely react.

I could feel the dread and fear eat me up as I saw that she wasn't done yet. She held him by his collar and snarled in a deadly voice, "Next time you go about stating facts," She said each and every word loudly and clearly and the entire room including Maddy listened with rapt attention, "Do it respectfully."

She emphasized the last word and I saw Maddy's eyes flash red. He grabbed her wrist that was at the collar of his jacket and said, "Don't tell me what to do," Mukti struggled under his grip as he twisted her hand painfully.

"Stop it!' Dhruv shouted as he pushed Maddy away from Mukti while Alya pulled her back. I grasped her hand as Alya and I held her tightly while Dhruv stood in front of us, glaring at Maddy.

From where I held her, I could feel Mukti trembling. Her face was a mixture of grief and rage and from her expression I could tell that Maddy had pushed her to the limit. Mukti was losing it, all the pain and frustration bottled inside her was spilling out everywhere and she was unable to control herself.

"She started it!" Maddy howled and I could see the anger and humiliation in his eyes on being hit by a girl. The corner of his lip was bleeding and he had his fists clenched as he shot daggers through his eyes at Dhruv.

"Control her!'' He yelled and watching the state he was in gave me a sense of satisfaction. He totally deserved that punch and I was proud of Mukti for doing the honours. Because frankly, if she hadn't done it then I was this close to punching him myself.

"Wouldn't have happened if you knew how to control your mouth!" Alya added her voice.

"Take a chill, all of you." Dhruv said glaring at both the parties and I felt my anger rising at him. Why was he playing the peacemaker?

"We won't get anywhere by fighting like this!" He said and looked at Maddy particularly.

Maddy scowled at him and I watched as they had a silent interaction that I couldn't pin point. What the hell was going on?

"Tell him!" Mukti shrieked, "Tell him to stay out of my sight! Then there would be no fights!" She said walking towards him again.

"Or else I'm happy to break his face." She announced threateningly while Maddy didn't even flinch. Instead, he fixed Dhruv under a penetrating stare and spoke through gritted teeth, "One last time, Dhruv."

"It's on you now.'' He said and I couldn't decipher the meaning behind those cryptic words and I stood there bewildered and confused while Dhruv nodded at him.

"Agreed." Dhruv said and my jaw dropped to the floor and I felt Mukti and Alya have the same reaction beside me. But before any of us could react Maddy and his gang had turned around and walked out of the exit.

And Dhruv? Dhruv didn't even give us a backward glance before walking away.

Thankfully, he went in the opposite direction of Maddy's.

.......................................................................................................................................................

"I can't believe this.'' Alya said and the sound of running water accompanied her voice as she scrubbed her face while looking in the mirror of the ladies washroom. We had landed up there after the disaster in the cafeteria and I was standing at the far end of the sink while Mukti was in one of the stalls.

My mind was still reeling with whatever had happened and I was still trying to process it all. The only things that stood out in sharp contrast were that Maddy somehow knew everything about the Fab5 and that my suspicion was right. There was something definitely up between Dhruv and Maddy.

But what?

"Dhruv," I said quietly and Alya paused mid-scrub, "What's up with Dhruv?"

"Let's not talk about it." She said splashing water on her face and I frowned.

"What do you mean by not talk about it?" I asked indignantly? Why was she brushing such an important issue under the carpet?

"Didn't you see what happened?" I asked in a condescending tone.

"I'm not blind Nandini." She responded fluidly, "Just that I'm not in a mental state to think about it." She pleaded with me and I got her point but I had to make her realize the gravity of the problem. I opened my mouth to reason with her but at that moment Mukti walked out and slammed the door of the stall with a loud bang.

She didn't say anything and didn't even look at us as she immediately went to her bag and began fiddling with its contents. Alya gave me a worried glance and said, "Mukti say something."

We just got silence in return as Mukti stood in front of the mirror. I got a chance to look at her face in the reflection and saw streams of black running down her eyes and I realized that she had been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot, smeared with black, her cheeks had tracts of tears and some were still rolling down her eyes and her fists were clenched. Her thin frame was trembling violently and her face displayed agony. She was a sight of complete devastation.

"Mukti, please." I felt my heart clench and tears prick the corner of my eyes at her sight. I shut my eyes close, hoping to block out the nightmare that was my reality.

"I want them back." Mukti's broken voice echoed through the walls as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Manik...Cabir..." She choked out and it sounded like a desperate plea to the heavens above, if they cared to listen to us anymore. I felt myself tremble as I saw Mukti breaking down right in front of my eyes. Right here. Right now. I had never thought that the encounter with Maddy would have such a harsh impact on her.

"I can't live without them." She sobbed violently, her fingers digging into her palm.

I saw as Alya face crumpled, watching Mukti and tears run down her eyes.

"I understand you Mukti." She said in a choked voice and reached up to cover her mouth to muffle her loud sob.

"No you don't!" Mukti's voice reached an octave higher as she came to stand in front of Alya and clutched her shoulders. Her eyes had red rims around them and her face had lost its entire colour as she spoke, "I need them." Her voice cracked and tears ran down my eyes, watching her state.

She shook and trembled as Alya rubbed her arms comfortingly and said, 'Mukti please don't." She cupped her cheeks in an attempt to soothe but I doubted if Mukti even heard her. She was too lost in her world of pain and grief to comprehend anyone or anything. Her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was shallow but even I didn't expect the next reaction from her.

"I NEED THEM BACK!" She screamed in agony in a scratchy, hollow and dreadful voice as she doubled over, clutching the sink tightly for support.

"Bring them back to me...please." She cried and swayed on the spot as she said that and Alya and I caught her before she could fall.

Mukti clutched us both tightly to her as she cried and even Alya was sobbing uncontrollably. My own tears spilled freely as the grief and pain inside me, came rushing to the surface.

I don't know for how long the three of us stood there like that, clutching each other like our lives depended on it and crying till there were no more tears to spill. Time seemed to have stopped for us. It was just us three. And our insurmountable grief.

"I need them back...." Mukti continued to say.

.................................................................................................................................................

I stood there in front of Professor Raghuvir's office at sharp 7 o'clock.

If you ask me, this was the last thing I wanted to do today. After everything that had gone down in the cafeteria and later in the washroom, the three of us had bunked the rest of the day and we had gone to the terrace. We had been sitting there like statues while the hours rolled by. None of us had said anything until I noticed that the sun was setting and it was time for my dreaded detention.

The reaction of Mukti and Alya to my announcement that I had a detention with Maddy was epic. They had screamed. They had shouted and they had reasoned. But I didn't listen to them.

I knew for a fact that there were all the reasons in the world for me to not be here but the fact was that, I had reached a stage of mind-numbing where I just didn't care anymore. Enough had happened already. I had been through enough. There was nothing Maddy or Prof.Raghuvir or this stupid detention could do that could give me more pain than what I already had. My heart had carefully built a wall around itself and my mind was blank. I was as good as a human sized machine that was just going through the motions of life.

I checked the time, it was 7:02 P.M. and I frowned. Where was Maddy? Was he not going to show up? I leaned back against the wall as I thought about this golden possibility. The heavens would be too kind to me if that happened.

But sadly, that wasn't the case. Because, just as I thought it, I heard a skidding sound to my left and saw Maddy at the far end of the corridor, with his hand clutching the side wall. He seemed to be catching his breath and it looked like he had run a lot to be here on time. He checked his watch and realizing that he was just 2 minutes late, made his way casually towards where I stood.

I turned my face away, not caring what his reaction was on seeing me. If I was to survive this night, then the silent treatment was the way to go.

Instead, I focused on the nameplate of the Professor's cabin which had the name Prof.Raghuvir M. written in gold calligraphy. I wondered what that M stood for and why the surname was not completed as I felt Maddy's presence beside me.

"Isn't he late this time?" I heard him ask and I wondered if that boy had any shame. After all that had gone down, why was he even making small talk?

The door of the Cabin opened before I could think about a smart comeback and Professor Raghuvir stood there in all his three-piece suit glory and the stern expression intact. He gave us both a once over look and spoke in a low curt voice, "Follow me."

Follow you where? The question formed in my mind instantly and I instinctively turned to look at Maddy who just shrugged, gave me a nasty look and followed the Professor.

I felt my anger rising again but I swallowed it. I had to get through this night.

It was 7:07 right now as we both followed the Professor through the empty corridors of S.P.A.C.E. Classes were over for the day and I realized with dismay that it was most probably only the three of us in college right now. The hallways and classrooms almost looked eerie in the dark and I couldn't dismiss the chills that ran down my spine.

It was a dark premonition and it was scaring the hell out of me.

What did this night have in store for me?

I stole a glance at Maddy as we walked and I saw that his face betrayed no emotion. He was staring dead ahead and his lip seemed to have stopped bleeding now. I felt a gnawing feeling inside as I remembered everything in the cafeteria again. This night was surely going to turn out epic for me.

I was lost in my thoughts as the Professor led us down the second floor and stopped in front of a door that was unfamiliar to me. He pulled out a set of keys and opened the lock. A rusty and screechy sound echoed down the hallway as he opened the door and gestured us to go inside first.

I looked around the room, the moment I stepped in. The first thing I registered was that I had never been here before. It was long and wide and looked much like the music room except for the fact that it was lined with rows upon rows of instruments. There were wind instruments, string instruments and even percussion instruments. I looked at the Professor bewildered and saw that even Maddy had the same expression on his face.

"Some of these are new and some are old," Raghuvir spoke in a gruff voice for the first time, "We're beginning the rehearsals for the competitions from tomorrow. The students will need these." He said gesturing to the wide array of instruments.

"So?" Maddy asked in a bored voice.

"So," The Professor said exasperatedly, "Your punishment is to clean and tune these."

WHAT! My mind screamed. The Professor was mad. He had definitely lost it. Clean and tune these? I didn't even know half of the instruments in this place! How would I tune them?

"You are kidding me." Maddy deadpanned, "You can't be serious. All of them?"

"Mr. Singhania, don't make me exceed the punishment for you." Raghuvir snapped, "Of course not all of them. Let's make it a competition."

"A what?" I asked not able to believe what was happening right now. How did my life always manage to throw me in such messes?

"A competition Ms.Murthy," He clarified, "The one who tunes the most of them in 2 hours, won't have to be here tomorrow."

He stated the terms of the deal and I felt a stone drop in my stomach. A competition like this? What even? A thousand questions whirled in my mind as I contemplated where this would lead me. So far my instincts were screaming that this was no good. Stuck with Maddy for two hours and a competition on top of that?

Maddy seemed to be having a similar reaction as I watched his expression change from surprise to apprehension, "And the one who loses?" He asked incredulously.

"That person gets another day of punishment." Prof.Raghuvir said with a smirk and I could swear he was the devil's spawn himself. Really, how evil could he be?

Maddy and I looked at each other and I watched his features harden. He had a determined look on his face that was mirrored by my own. I took a deep breath and gathered all the competitive spirit inside me. If this was the deal then fine. I won't back down that easily. I had battled through much greater things in my entire life; this stupid game was no big deal. Keeping this in mind, I fixed Maddy with a confident stare.

I was going to win this.

"Your time starts now!"

Game on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:15 P.M

Far away from the girl who was stuck in a messy situation at the moment, in a different city, was another girl.

She was miles away from Mumbai and was most definitely not battling through anything. She sat leisurely on her bed in her grand mansion on the finest of the satin sheets, twirling a strand of her hair as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, placed at the far end of the room.

A pale girl, almost as white as a ghost, light brown hair and light chocolate brown eyes stared back at her. She had light freckles on her cheeks, full lips and a finely carved jaw.

To most people, she was drop dead gorgeous and they envied her for her looks. She didn't mind it though because she knew it was a fact and that her beauty demanded it. To most people, she also seemed vain and narcissistic and they hated her for it but she didn't mind it either because she knew it was another fact.

She chuckled quietly to herself as she thought about the long list of people who would gladly punch her in the face if given a chance. She didn't care though. According to her, she had it all. Her life was perfect. Lilly-white. She was a perfect combination of stinking rich and excruciatingly beautiful. Such perfection struck in nature only by chance. And she was proud of being a product of that rare chance.

She was used to the praises and adulation that followed her everywhere that she went but sometimes, in dark rooms and in quiet solitudes, she just wished that people would see her as something more than a rich, pretty face. At times, she hid in her room, not wanting to go out in the world and hear those same recycled praises of beauty and watch all the people like her for her status and the amount of money she had and not for the person she was inside.

But all said and done, she didn't have anything much to complain about. She knew that people would kill to be her and she worked hard to ensure that her reputation that way remained intact.

After all, she had learned that the world was materialistic and fake and to survive in this world there was no option but to make yourself materialistic and fake.

She smiled softly and continued staring at her reflection. For some reason, this particular mirror made her feel more beautiful than she already was. Maybe it was the placement or maybe it was lighting in the room or maybe it was just her perception.

Or Maybe Her mind said, that's because it is HIS room.

She could feel a smile play at the corner of her lips as she thought about him. She instinctively clutched the pitch black satin sheets of the bed tighter as his thoughts invaded her mind.

That strange but devastatingly handsome boy who had arrived at the doorstop of the mansion, 2 months ago, in the middle of the night, with an even stranger man that her mother seemed to know. Well, she didn't give a damn about her mother or her relationships so she hadn't bothered with the other old man but she was quite taken with the boy.

Maybe it was because he was so handsome, or maybe because he was so tall, or maybe because his jaw looked like it was made of knives, or maybe because he had arrived with blood on his forehead, a body in his arms that he refused to let go off and an unexplainable look of crushing grief in his eyes.

Or maybe, it was because he hadn't even looked at her twice. Hell, he hadn't even looked at her once.

In her short life of 20 years, no one had ever looked at her once. Especially the boys. They all stopped and stared. She was just that goddamn beautiful. But this boy, he had just brushed past her like she was a part of the furniture in the room. Her ego was hurt. Her self-esteem was brutally butchered. And she would never ever forget that moment for her entire life.

Her rational mind reasoned that it was because he was too consumed in his grief to even care about any girl, after all, he had a freaking dead body in his arms and by the vacant look in his eyes, it seemed like he had lost someone too close to him.

But it still clutched at her heart somewhere. She didn't want to be petty so she had forgiven him for that night but then even after these two months...

She shook those thoughts away as she didn't want to think about how he had treated her, instead she thought about that night. That night, which had changed her life. She would never forget it, not only for this, but also because it was the strangest night of her life. She had been sent away to her room while her mother and the two strangers locked themselves in the basement and discussed something she had no idea of. All she heard were shouts and screams and a deep, silky voice that sounded like an angry, grief stricken Devil.

That voice had haunted her dreams that night. The pure unadulterated rage combined with a sea of sadness still echoed in the house. She shivered just thinking about it.

All she had been told the next day was that he would be staying there and that was all that mattered to her. After all he was the first person in this entire wide world who hadn't looked at her twice. And as much as it had offended her, his indifference and aloofness had violently attracted her. That was the human tendency. You always want what you can't have.

But that won't stop her from trying.

He had shot through her sky like a shooting star on a strange night and brightened up her entire life. He was different. He was a break from the daily routine. He was an irresistible challenge. He was the red rose in her lilly white life.

Her smile grew wider like it always did whenever she thought about him. She looked around the room that even in his absence still echoed his personality. After all he was a scion of a rich house and this mansion was immediately remodeled to accommodate his tastes. From the angry crimson red walls to the black satin sheets he preferred to the small lamp that sat on his bedside table and by experiment she had found out that when it was turned on, it shown like stars.

She didn't know the meaning of it and neither had she dared to ask. He had never even given her a chance to ask. He remained indifferent to her and she knew he didn't give a damn about her. They were two strangers confined to one mansion, with her obsessing over him and him not giving a flying f*ck.

But that was the challenge right?

She laughed heartily as she thought about the past 2 months spent with him in the mansion as she clutched a black throw pillow to her chest that smelled like him. Strong cologne and mint aftershave.

As much as she would like to call him her shooting star, she knew the dreadful truth. You could never catch shooting stars even if you try. They belonged somewhere else. And she had felt it in his presence. He belonged to someone else. He had long surrendered his heart to someone else.

That thought was damn unpleasant to her and she shook it away the moment it came. It was almost unbearable to her. She had always gotten what she wanted her entire life and the thought of him belonging to someone else set her blood aflame.

So she pushed it aside and instead listened closely to the sounds in the mansion and heard faint rock music thrumming downstairs. She smirked. So he was in the gym. Again.

She turned to check the time on the clock kept on the side-table. It was 7:20 P.M. She was about to turn away but in the process her eyes fell on an object beside the star lamp. An object that was most certainly not supposed to be there.

His phone. She frowned harder. This wasn't supposed to be good. And this had happened earlier too.

What the hell is wrong with you? She mentally screamed at him. They will kill you if they find out. You aren't supposed to contact them.

She threw the pillow across the room in frustration. Dammit! As much as she tried she could never make him forget his old life. Never make him forget them.

Never make him forget HER whoever she was.

........................................................................................................................................................................

7:15 P.M. That was time when the Professor had shut the door, I had walked towards the far end of the room where I had guessed the classical instruments section was while Maddy went towards the array of guitars; electric and acoustic, that were hung on the wall on the left.

I observed the classical music section and fortified my plan. Among all these, I was the best at string instruments which were called chordophones. The Aerophones (Wind instruments) and membrophones (percussion) weren't my cup of tea so I avoided them and made a mental list of instruments I was capable of tuning. These were the Veena, Sitar, Tambura and the Santoor.

This had narrowed down my selection up to 30 instruments and I could even give the guitar a try if the need arose.

"Are you going to stand there and think or do something?" I heard Maddy call out and I whipped around to see that he already had a guitar in hand and was softly plucking the strings while smirking at me.

"That's none of your business!" I snapped but the fact that he already had a head start made my palms sweaty. I needed to win this. I picked up the Veena which was the first thing in sight and experimentally played the tars (strings) to see where the pitch was wrong.

I checked my watch as I sat on the floor and held the Veena in position. It was already 7:15.

"So you play the Veena." Maddy stated as he twisted the tuning pegs of his guitar. A fine melody wafted through the room as he successfully tuned his first instrument and I realized what his game plan was. He was just distracting me with his stupid small talk while he rapidly tuned his instruments.

I won't let him win.

I blocked Maddy out as I rotated the wooden pegs at the fair end which controlled the coarse tuning of the main string. So far so good.

Tuning a Veena was twice as difficult as tuning a guitar but I was sure he would face the heat when it came to the electrics. And if he continued with his taunting and didn't do his job then he was surely going to fail.

"So Miss Veena Vadini," He mocked me and I rolled my eyes at the stupid name, "How's your friend by the way?"

At that I looked up to glare at him. Was he really asking me this after the stuff that had gone down? Would he really stoop that low just to win this?

"Just shut up Maddy!" I scowled at him, "I don't want to talk to you."

He laughed at that, "Do you think I want to talk to you?" He chuckled, "But unfortunately we are stuck here together. I'm just being polite."

I scoffed at him, "You and polite?" This boy was delusional or he was definitely playing stupid mind games with me. But I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. I ignored him and went back to doing the fine-tuning. He would continue to try and spite me. The best defence I had was to ignore him.

"But tell me seriously," I heard him call out again and I mentally counted backwards from 100 so that I won't lose my cool, "Are our voices really the same?"

I could feel an uncomfortable feeling settle in my stomach as he insinuated that topic. After everything that had happened today, the last thing I wanted was to dwell on the fact that they shared the same voice. Everything about Maddy was disgusting to me and just the thought of both of them having anything similar to each other pissed me off.

"I mean, how's it possible?" I heard him say and I looked up at him from under my lashes and saw that he was still strumming his guitar but he was standing much closer to me than before. I felt all my guards and defences go up as my instincts kicked in. What was he up to?

"He can't have my awesome voice." Maddy continued and I felt my control slip a little and I spoke up before I could control; myself.

"He did,' I said fixing him with a glare, "Actually he was much better than you." I added a smirk in the end knowing that it would inflame him. Wrong move.

"Really?" Maddy chuckled and hoisted his guitar on his shoulder, "I want proof."

What? What was he even saying? I looked at him bewildered and said, "What're you saying?"

"I deserve it," He said coming uncomfortably close. He kept his guitar aside and squatted down in front of me and leaned forward, "Miss Veena Vadini," He said, "After the way you and your gang of friends complained about the same voice crap last night and after everything that happened today," He smiled in a way that chilled me, "I deserve to know how this Manik Malhotra actually sounded like."

I looked at him in shock. What was this new game? I really had to be on my guard. This man was crazy and insanely unpredictable. What would he do next? I narrowed my eyes at him and spoke defiantly, hoping to throw him off whatever plan he had, "You don't deserve anything from me."

"Oh Come on!" He drawled, "Weren't you his girlfriend? Don't you have anything of his? Recordings? Songs?" He asked in a mock confused voice but I was too stuck on his first question to concentrate on his next. How the hell did he know about us?

"How do you know that?" I asked him in shock. This was really unexpected. I could understand if he came to know about Fab5 but us? How?

"So I was right," He grinned, "I had my guesses on that Alya chick first but turns out it's you. The guy definitely had 'unique' taste." He said with sarcasm dripping in his voice and smirked.

I clenched my hands in fists as I felt him pushing the line of my patience to far, "Don't test me Maddy." I warned him, infusing my voice with as much menace as possible but it didn't have the desired effect.

"Why? I just want to know his voice." He said with a pitiful expression on his face that I totally knew was faux. "Gues you won't help me," He said, and even before I could blink, he reached out and grabbed my bag that was lying beside me and stood up.

My eyes widened in horror, "What are you doing?! I screeched while hurriedly setting the Veena aside and standing up. But I was too late; he had already fished out my phone from my bag and was currently standing 10 feet away from me.

"Helping myself," He said scrolling through God knows what. I could feel a chill run down my spine and I cursed myself violently in my head for not setting a password.

FOOLISH NANDINI. HOW FOOLISH. My mind screamed at me but I knew I wasn't at fault. I never had anything to hide on my phone and I never knew before that jerks like Maddy existed.

"Give it back Maddy!" I demanded, taking steps towards him but he was backing away with my phone still in his hand while he said, "There isn't a single song of his in this?" He laughed, "How sad."

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. There was no way I could chase after him in this entire room and anyways he would pull it out of my reach, if I even tried. Physically snatching it away from him was my last resort. But, before, I could try to reason out with him.

"Maddy, there's nothing in my phone. Give it back." I spat at him while advancing towards him.

"Recordings?" He asked, "What kind of a girlfriend are you?' He chuckled while holding the phone out of my reach.

"You're really a jerk!" I glared at him, "What are you getting out of this?" I asked. He was still tapping away on my phone but at least now there was nowhere he could run. There was a wall 10 feet behind from where he stood and a Grand Piano to his left. The only place he could go to was the right and if I blocked him there then I could easily pry it away from his hands.

I braced myself as I made my plan of action while he said, "What did you people get by accusing me of stealing his voice?" He snapped while still going backwards. The dimwit hadn't yet realized that there was a wall behind him.

"I'm telling you for the last time," I said with a voice of finality, "Give it back. There is nothing there."

"You have his number at least?" He laughed, "I doubt. Let me check."

As he said that , I realized with horror that he might actually open the contacts. I felt the gravity of the situation crash onto me full force. I had never ever done this before. After the accident, no one had ever bothered to call on that number. It was assumed to be dead. And I wouldn't have cared a single bit if he called but what Aryaman had said today flashed in my mind and I could feel myself shake,

"There should be!" He snapped, "If a watch can remain intact like that then phones? Wallets? This even sounds ridiculous."

"Some objects are recovered from the site of the blast and I'll see if I can return them to you." Nyonika had said.

No.No.No. This was impossible! I could feel my heart rate beat faster and my breath got stuck in my throat as a feeling of crushing fear combined with a tiny part of hope crashed over me. This couldn't be happening. Not now.

NO! My mind screamed.

"What the hell Maddy!" I shrieked reaching out to grab the phone from his hand but he held it far above my reach.

"What's the big deal?" He grinned, "He is dead anyways, isn't he?'

His sentence resonated in the room and I registered that he was just doing this to mock and taunt me. Like everyone else, even he believed the line to be dead. He had no idea about the implications of his actions. He was only concerned about pissing me off. But Me?

I felt like my life was hung on tender hooks. The water was up to my neck now.

And I knew that me being so flustered and afraid was only goading him on to do it. If I hadn't reacted so strongly he wouldn't have gone this far just to taunt me but I couldn't help it. The paranoia was chocking me and I said, 'You have no idea what you're doing."

That sentence did it. I watched it in split second as Maddy's taunting expression changed into a one of suspicion. He held the phone even further and I saw that the contact was already opened and Maddy's finger hovered over the call button.

"What're you so afraid?" He chuckled, "It's fishy."

Years later I would say that this moment was crafted by fate itself. You never realize how destiny works. In the next split second Maddy had already pressed the call button.

Time and space seemed to stop around me as I heard the faint click of the call going through. I realized that Maddy had put the phone on loud speaker. I shut my eyes tightly as the moment seemed to freeze. My body was numb. My mind was blank. I had no idea what I should expect or what would happen next. Would the call go through or would I hear the operator declaring the line was dead?

Nothing in my life had prepared me for this.

The eerie pin drop silence of the room combined with my racing heart seemed deafening but soon it was interrupted by another sound that had my eyes fly open in shock.

I stood frozen still, as the shrill ring of the call being placed echoed through the room once, twice and then it went abruptly dead.

It was the deadliest sound I had ever heard in my life.

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The pale white girl's eyes flashed wide open as she saw the screen of the damned mobile flash with a call. Her palms grew sweaty and her heart raced faster as the sound of the ring bounced off the walls.

No. NO.

She felt her instincts kick into gear as she lurched forward and frantically grabbed the phone from the dresser, not caring about the clock that went crashing to the floor and smashed into pieces.

In the first try, due to her sweaty palms, the phone slipped from her hands and landed on the mattress.

"F*ck!" She cursed as the second ring went through and it felt like a torture to her senses.

NO. NO.

Her mind was screaming as she grasped it again in her hands. She took one second to register the caller ID and in the next one, she pressed the red button which ended the call before the second ring could finish. She didn't know how but in the same breath, and in tremendous haste, she switched the phone off and watched as the screen flashed once and then went black.

Her breath was coming in short pants, her heart was thudding in her chest, her blood was pounding in her ears and she dropped the phone again as if it had burnt her. Time seemed to stand still as she stared at the blank screen of the phone that had flashed just two seconds ago and turned the entire world upside down.

Only one thought bounced in her mind and it tormented her to the core. Nothing would be the same again. NOTHING.

As her breathing started to go back to normal again, she looked down to see the smashed digital clock whose screen flashed a red 7:30 P.M. At that exact second she heard the thrumming rock music stop downstairs and she knew it was time.

You're dead. She directed her thoughts towards the boy downstairs. You're so dead.

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"What the hell!" Maddy's voiced pierced through the silence of the room that had descended after the the sound of the deadly ring had subsided. I heard what he said but it seemed like he was speaking from far away. I was still caught in time. I was still frozen.

Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. Fear. Apprehension. Trauma. Paranoia. Anger. Frustration. And lastly hope, everything waged a fierce battle inside me as I stood there like a statue. Unable to comprehend anything. Unable to feel anything.

"It's impossible!" Maddy's bewildered voice smashed through my senses once again, 'He is dead right?" He laughed nervously at the hilarity of the situation he was caught in. To an unbiased spectator it might seem funny but only I knew the gravity and implication of the event that had just occurred.

The sound of those two rings was still echoing in my head as if it was happening again right this second and I felt like I was caught in a time warp. Living that one single moment. Again and again.

"This is some crazy shit!" Maddy exclaimed beside me and I just wished he would stop talking. He would stop existing. Nothing mattered to me anymore. Those two rings. Those two rings had made all the difference in the world. My universe had tilted on its very axis and only one though resounded in my mind, Nothing would be the same again. NOTHING.

"People lie Nandini." He said with a humourless chuckle, "And we live in a cruel world where they even lie about death."

"My father had once declared my sister dead when she was very much alive. I don't think you need help remembering that."

"You only lie when you've got something to hide."

"Will you join me in this?"

His words flashed in my mind like glaring neon signs. Slowly and surely, click by click, I could feel the pieces in my head falling together. It felt like I had opened a door to a room filled with darkness. Right now, it was dark but I had found the room and I knew something existed in those depths.

As my mind and body reconnected again and I could feel my senses returning again, through my shell-shocked daze, I just mouthed one word, ''Aryaman..."

I had made my decision.

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Her heels made a clicking sound as she walked down the grand staircase of that heavenly mansion. She shone pale white under the blinding lights of the chandelier and normally she would be self conscious about her appearance but that night she was on a mission. The phone was clutched tightly in her hand as she glided down the staircase, her face bearing a look of determination.

He can't do this. She thought. I have to put an end to this.

As she walked through the main hall, she could hear the faint strumming of an electric guitar and she knew exactly where he would be at the moment. For the past two months, she had had heard him practice at the poolside while she observed him through the bay windows of her room. She had never dared to interrupt him before but tonight was an exception.

She slid open the French doors that led to the poolside and as soon as she stepped out, she could hear the sounds of the guitar in full blast now. She chuckled as she wondered, where the hell he had found a plug point, but then she remembered that it was him, and he did as his heart desired. The recent proof being tonight's phone disaster.

Seriously. She thought, What the hell were you even thinking? Aren't you scared?

She shook her head but a smile curved up her lips as she thought about his devil-may-care attitude that she frankly found too damn hot. She shut her eyes and let the tune that he was playing wash over her senses. The notes fell low and then went in a rapid high crescendo while falling low once again. It was an electrifying tune and she could feel the energy of it thrumming in the atmosphere.

It was Raw and angry. Just like him.

She could feel the volume of guitar rising with each step that she took and it complimented her heartbeat that was racing as well at the thought of seeing him again. Her heels made a soft sound now as the crescendo reached its peak while she rounded the corner and finally saw HIM.

He was an ethereal sight. And he looked even more unreal standing against the backdrop of the pitch dark pool and the low gleaming lights of the poolside that cast a light shade throughout. She let her eyes feast on his tall, lean and very much shirtless form as he strummed his favourite gleaming black guitar with his left hand. Her eyes took in his jet black hair which was wet from his recent shower and she followed the water droplets, down the back of his neck, below which was that dark, alluring and sinful tattoo. She watched as his biceps corded and flexed with each strum of the strings and she could feel her breath hitch in her throat. She knew now that she had to say something now because otherwise she would stare at that Greek God for eternity.

"Nice tune." She hated herself for the way her voice shook but it certainly had the desired effect as the strumming stopped immediately. She saw the muscles in his back tense a little but then he relaxed as he recognised her voice.

"Sara." He acknowledged her presence and her name had never sounded like music to her ears before. His voice was husk, silk and molten chocolate and it always broke havoc on her senses.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her joy was short-lived as he spoke to her in that rude, arrogant and snappish voice and she could feel the annoyance seep in at the tone he used.

She was smitten with him yes, but she didn't appreciate being spoken to like that.

"Won't hurt you to be nice." She snapped back. He always treated her like that. Curt and short. And it showed in the way he still hadn't turned around. She knew that it was his arrogant way of showing her that she wasn't worthy enough for him to talk to her face to face. According to him, the fact that he was acknowledging her was enough.

"Newsflash," He called back with an amused chuckle, "I'm not nice."

She chuckled dryly, "You don't need to prove that," She had known that he would show his royal attitude to her and normally she would have taken it from him, but not tonight. Tonight, she had the upper hand.

"But if I was you," She matched his tone, "I would be nice to me after the shit I had pulled." She said hoping that he would catch on to what she was trying to say.

She wasn't surprised though when he chuckled instead and even if she couldn't see his face, she knew that he was rolling his eyes. He had done this to her before; brushed her away like she was an inconsequential fly.

She watched as he pulled the strap of the guitar over his shoulder and set it aside on the lounge chair. He still didn't turn around to look at her but instead put his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans and spoke in a warning tone, "Don't start shit with me Sara. I'm not in the mood." He snapped and it was accompanied with a dismissive hand gesture that pissed her off.

She gasped. That attitude! No one had treated her like that in her entire freaking life!

"I would gladly leave you alone,'' she spat, "If you would stop doing shit to put us both in danger!"

He laughed, "Seriously Sara," His tone was mocking and deadly at the same time, "A. There is no 'us' and B. I do whatever the hell I want. Dangerous or not."

"Slow claps for your bravery," She mocked and held up the phone in her hand, "But last I remember, you aren't supposed to use your old phone."

The shot was fired. And it had the instant reaction that she had desired. He whirled around and for a moment she forgot what she was here for as she took in his breathtaking features.

His face was still shaded by the low light in the area but she could decipher his wet, black hair. The perfect doe-shaped eyes, the straight long nose and the most perfect of all, his chiseled and structured jaw. Her eyes travelled downwards to his carved out muscles and the perfectly defined abs. How did he keep getting hotter by every passing day?

"Where did you get this?" His snarling voice cut through her daze and she saw how his jaw was clenched in anger and how his eyes displayed pure rage.

"I should ask you that," She was surprised at herself for not backing off in spite of his anger, "You were told to destroy this." She waved the phone in the air and saw his eyes flicker there before they came back to her face.

He took two strides towards her and now she could feel a bit of fear crawl up her spine, "What did you do?" He asked with so much contempt that it sent a pang through her chest. But she won't back down.

"Me?" She pointed at herself, "I just saved your ass by cutting a call you received." She stated and watched as his face changed from anger to horror. His eyes flashed and she saw as his fists clenched. Different emotions were dancing on his face and she couldn't decipher a single one of them, but the predominant ones were anger and a deep reaching horror.

"Who was it?" He spoke through gritted teeth and she saw his fists clench even tighter as if he was preparing and bracing himself for the answer. She could see his shoulders tense and his muscles cord tighter and even in the shade she could tell that his expression looked like his entire life depended on that answer.

"First tell me how did you get this back?" She demanded. She knew that she was playing with fire right now but what was the point of her having the upper hand if she didn't use it to get answers from him? And besides, there were zero to none chances of him indulging her.

"I never destroyed it," He spoke and her eyes flew wide open in shock. HE was indulging her? She knew what the implication was and she felt dread crawl up her spine. The name of the caller mattered so much to him.

"I put the SIM back in sometimes," He confessed and she could feel her heart shattering. If the name turned out to be....?

"But-'' She began her question but she was cut off by him, "Just tell me who was it dammit!" He bit out and she could hear him breath heavily. Now, she knew that he won't indulge her further. His patience was tested.

"Nandini." It seemed like even the entire world had stopped to listen to that name.

It echoed loudly in the deathly silence and in the very next second he had her by the throat and she was pinned to the wall behind her. His grip was light but strong enough to make sure that she couldn't escape. Her breath got caught in her throat at the violence in his actions and she felt her body go cold with dread and fear. She struggled to get out of his grasp but she was pinned by a six feet tall angry male. It was no use. She clutched the wall behind her for dear life as she looked up to see his face.

She gasped.

His expression was unfathomable. She didn't have words to describe it. He looked like a man who was ripped in two and reborn at the same time. Rage, pain, love and devastating agony reflected in the depths of his chocolate brown eyes and she KNEW.

Nandini. That was HER, the girl he belonged to.

Her eyes raked his now unshaded face and she saw how devastatingly handsome, how painfully heartbreaking and how sinfully evil he looked. At that one second, to her, he seemed like the Devil himself.

Before she could form a coherent sentence he growled in a deadly voice, "You know right?" His grip on her throat tightened, "That I will kill you if you're lying?" He asked and maybe it was the venom in his tone or maybe because she knew that he was capable of doing that but she could feel the fear seep into her heart.

"I know," she choked out, "That's a proof right? That I'm not lying?" She reasoned with him and she saw it in his eyes that he believed her. She clutched at the wrist of his hand that was wrapped around her throat and said, "Forget about me!" She breathed, "Your father will kill YOU if he finds out!"

She watched as his expression changed into the one of fear mixed with anger and she thanked the heavens because she had finally cracked through him and he had realized what the implication was. Yes she hated that girl already but no, she won't risk his life for anything.

She let out a yelp as his grip tightened even further and he spoke threateningly in her ear, 'No one comes to know about this!" He snarled, "Do you understand? NO ONE!"

"He will find out!" She bit out, clutching his wrist tighter, "And hell! Before him I will find her!" She screeched letting her inner hatred show and now she totally expected him to choke her to death but that didn't happen. Instead, his expression turned into the one of serene, menacing calm as the storm in his eyes subsided and was replaced by deathly steel.

"You won't dare." He said smoothly and she saw it in his eyes that she or his father could turn the world upside down but they could never, never ever harm a single hair on her face as long as he was alive. It was clear to her now. His love for her was enough to kill someone or die himself.

But some part of her mind simply revolted and refused the idea. She knew that tonight's events had started a deadly game and it had to be ended before it could be taken further. The girl had to be stopped.

"Try me." She said with as much courage as she could muster. I won't let anything put you in danger. She thought to herself.

"I won't let you." He said in that same voice of deadly calm and she made up her mind.

"I have a way of reaching her now," She said clutching the phone that was still in her hand, a little bit tighter, "And you don't."

She totally didn't expect the next reaction from him as his grip loosened, he pulled away from her before entirely unwrapping his fingers from her throat. She sucked in a welcome breath of fresh air with gasp and she saw his lips curve up in a smirk before he shook his head and broke into full fledged manic laughter that was bone chilling.

She panted and stared at him in shock. The hell? Had he gone mad? Insane? She watched in her horror as he continued to laugh and Goosebumps formed on her entire body.

"You!" He chuckled, "You will find her and I won't?" He laughed harder and she realized what this was about. He was mocking her.

"You think I'm stupid?" she demanded, "You would've found her long ago if you were allowed to." She emphasized and it had the desired effect as his laughter subsided and was replaced by the look of rage.

"Fact is, you are a prisoner." She continued with a smirk, knowing that she was winning this, "I'm not. I will find her. I will stop her. I will do anything that I want with her." She said layering her voice with menace, "And guess what? You won't be able to stop me."

She saw as his jaw clenched and his eyes flashed dangerously but she wasn't going to stop. Hell would freeze over before she let that girl meet him again.

"And this," She said, holding up the phone, "Is my start."

Wrong move. Because as soon as she said this, within the blink of an eye, the phone was snatched away from her hands and before she could do anything to stop him, he howled in rage and the next second the phone was smashed on the concrete. The bits and pieces of fine glass scattered everywhere like fine rain and she watched in horror as he produced a lighter from his pocket. There was nothing she could do stop him as he dropped it on the floor and the broken pieces caught fire.

She looked up at him in shock and in the glow of the burning fire and in the inky depths of the dark night, she saw his mouth curve up in a smirk as he said in slow, husky voice, "If not me, then not you either."

With that he turned on his heel and Sara was left staring dumbfounded as Manik Malhotra walked away.

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*In a meek voice* So how was it?

Ciao!

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