Karan's POV:

As we delved deeper, the factory seemed to exhale the secrets of its past, each creak and groan revealing a fragment of the enigma we sought to untangle. The air was thick with anticipation, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were on the verge of a revelation.

"Arav's connection to Maya must have a link to this place," I theorized, my brow furrowed in concentration.

The narrow passageways led us to a room veiled in darkness, its contents concealed in the shadows. With cautious steps, we entered, and Jay's flashlight illuminated a collection of dusty old computers.

"Arav must have communicated with Maya from here," Jay deduced, his eyes scanning the abandoned technology that echoed a bygone era.

This place is making me feel sorts of eeriness.

'For once you're being productive, don't jinx it,' my mind reminded.

I had successfully buried my inner critique so deeply that its sudden emergence caught me off guard.

My hands involuntarily clenched as I battled to keep it contained.

I released a sigh of relief when Jay didn't notice my struggle.

"Look at this, Kan," Jay exclaimed, pointing to a message time stamped a year ago. He had gotten the prints of the chat to have a reference during our investigation. The message read, "I'll meet you. I need someone to talk to."

"Arav met Maya, and that's when everything changed," I murmured, my voice carrying the weight of realization.

The room echoed with a haunting silence, broken only by the distant sounds of the factory settling into its own forgotten existence. The weight of the revelations bore down on us, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of empathy for Arav, who had unwittingly become entangled in a web of deceit.

"We need to help Arav; we can't let this slip away." Jay declared, a determined glint in his eyes.

Exiting the room, we retraced our steps through the labyrinthine passages of the factory. The shadows seemed to whisper secrets of betrayal, and the air grew heavy with the consequences of choices made in the darkness.

Timeline of Events: 2006

Third Person POV:

The gentle hum of the computer filled the room as Arav sat hunched over the screen, his eyes fixated on the glowing monitor that illuminated his eager face.

The anonymous online chat with Maya had become a nightly ritual, a source of solace and comfort that eased the turbulent storm of adolescence that raged within him.

Maya's cryptic allusions and veiled hints at a clandestine meeting had sparked a hesitant curiosity within Arav, a sense of anticipation tinged with a whisper of apprehension that refused to be silenced.

"What if she's just as scared as I am?" Arav had whispered to himself, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, the cursor blinking in patient anticipation.

Their meeting, arranged in secrecy amidst the shadowy veil of the night, had shattered the illusion of youth and innocence that had shielded Arav from the harsh realities of the world.

Maya, no longer the vibrant and carefree persona that had danced through his digital screen, had unveiled herself as a middle-aged woman, her predatory gaze fixated on the vulnerable boy before her.

"I trusted you," Arav choked out, his voice laced with betrayal and disbelief.

Maya's mocking laughter had reverberated through the desolate alley, a haunting echo of shattered innocence and broken trust that resounded within the depths of Arav's fractured soul.

"It's not about trust, my dear boy. It's about power," she had whispered, her voice a venomous caress that sent a shiver down his spine.

"We have to leave," his mother had declared, her voice tinged with a mixture of sorrow and resolve.

"But why?" Arav had pleaded, his heart heavy with the weight of a secret that threatened to suffocate him.

His father's weary gaze had met his own, a silent exchange of understanding that spoke volumes of the sacrifices made in the name of protection and preservation.

"It's for the best, son," his father had replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Karan's POV:

The corridors echoed with a hollow emptiness, each step resonating with the absence of a familiar presence.

Arav's disappearance cast an eerie spell over the school, yet the faculty's response seemed strangely indifferent. The attendance sheets bore witness to his absence, each marking a casual stroke, as if erasing his existence from the narrative.

Jay and I, bound by a shared history with Arav, refused to succumb to the prevailing apathy. The walls of the school seemed to harbor whispers and secrets murmured in the subtle creaks of doors and the soft rustle of papers.

Our investigation began in the muted silence of an abandoned classroom, where shadows danced on the peripheral of our determined faces.

"Kan, this isn't right. Arav wouldn't vanish without a trace," Jay declared, his voice a quiet rebellion against the indifference that permeated the air.

I nodded in agreement, the silence around us pregnant with unspoken worry.

"The school doesn't care. We need to find out what happened," I murmured, our voices blending with the hushed symphony of uncertainty.

Our journey into the mystery of Arav's disappearance started with the neglected records of the school. Dusty attendance sheets and forgotten logs became artifacts of intrigue, each page a canvas bearing the indifferent strokes of a disinterested faculty. The puzzle pieces revealed themselves in the careless marks, an omission that spoke louder than words.

"They didn't even question it," Jay whispered, his disbelief echoing in the empty classroom. "It's like they want him to vanish."

The once-familiar surroundings of the school transformed into a tapestry of mystery. The walls whispered untold stories, the shadows playing host to the secrets that eluded our grasp. We became architects of our investigation, navigating the labyrinth of neglect that surrounded Arav's absence.

Rumors swirled like ethereal specters, the whispers growing louder as we probed deeper. The faculty's indifference became a shroud, concealing the truth we sought. The absence of an inquiry fueled our suspicion, hinting at a darkness that lurked beneath the surface.

Our exploration extended beyond the confines of the school, venturing into the heart of a mystery that seemed to transcend the ordinary.

The journey to uncover the truth had only just begun, and with each revelation, the shadows that clung to our past grew longer.

Our friendship, once an unbreakable bond, now faced the crucible of secrets that threatened to unravel the very fabric of our lives.

❛why don't we fly,
to another world,
we wouldn't have to try,
and maybe it wouldn't have been so swirled.❜

A/N:

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?!

Same question pal, same question. I was quite unmotivated to write this story further yesterday and recent events have pulled me into their melodramatic senses so anyway, we have a filler chapter here.

Well, we see Jay and Karan finding conclusions about Arav's connection to Maya and what could've possibly happened.

But, there's more to the story than meets the eye XD

I don't know what's coming ahead, don't look at me *innocent shrug*

Arav's incident with Maya is slightly mentioned here and we're seeing that Arav's parents had to take a decision after he managed to blurt out a few words about the incident without revealing too much.

That being said, the story keeps getting more mysterious, no? imma yeet myself out of the window then xD (internal cry at a soft memory ;-;)

And, this story is not likely to remain more on the subtle tones and hints, it maybe marked mature as the story progresses, gotta have some more suspense ;)