content warning for heavy topics ahead. marked between two "⚠"

Third Person POV:

Five stations.

Suresh Sir stood on the verge of sixth but hesitated. His hand hovered close to the door, but a sinking dread held him back. He already knew how this would go. No one had believed him so far-why would this place be any different? No one was ready to believe him, especially because of the gender.

Who was ready to believe it really wasn't the type of case they encountered?

'Cognitive bias meets selection bias.' He thought to himself, but someone's going to have to look past it, right? They're authorities yet they made up their minds to not stand by their oath.

With a deep, weary sigh and no sense of time or place, he slumped his shoulders. The night was only getting darker and more desolate just like his dwindling hope. The streets were quiet now, and the city seemed indifferent to his struggle. He didn't want to give up but rejection after rejection was clawing at whatever was left of his strength.

"The only reason I am talking to you instead of putting charges on you is because you're old. Do you not have a better job than making up stories or are you truly out of your mind?"

The words cut deep. His legs wobbled beneath him, his body suddenly weak. He stumbled to the nearest bench, barely able to make it there before collapsing onto the hard seat. Under the dim glow of the streetlight, he sat in silence, shaking.

He had promised he would be strong. He had vowed to fight for him. He had prepared himself for disbelief, for resistance, but hearing those words-so cold, so dismissive-made it hard to breathe. They were more than just rejections. They were a stripping away of his very humanity, one layer at a time.

He closed his eyes, but the words echoed in his mind, relentless, each one a blow to the walls he had tried to keep standing.

A hand rested on his shoulders and he looked up at the figure. His heart broke a little when he saw it was an officer but the weary look in his eyes reflected his own.

"Is it so bad to be born as our kind?"

Arav's words echoed through his mind. It was a desperate plea, really, a rallying cry for all the cases that were buried deep within the walls and hearts because no one helped them or believed them.

But he couldn't give up now, he had the very opportunity that most people yearned to have and so he struck whatever was left of his courage.

⚠

Crimson.

It flowed all around him and yet he didn't bother to stop his veins from bursting or stop the water from running.

Should've used something sharper. Why is it so hard to give up? And what is he trying to prove now that all hopes feel lost.

A plethora of thoughts ran through Arav's mind and his inner critic was being relentless.

'You're such a coward, Arav. Even death wouldn't accept you.'

⚠

A steady stream of tears traced down his cheeks. The tap filled the bucket now and it was overflowing, but his body felt like it had frozen in place, unable to move.

His parents fought again; something about responsibilities and letting their child 'loose' when he had literally just mentioned that one of his teachers wanted to meet. What would they say when they heard the reason?

Disappearing from the face of earth might as well be a better option.

Blackness took over.

He stared at the ceiling of his room, toss and turn as he will, sleep eluded him.

"Jay?" His mom was standing near his room, unsure if she should come inside.

Jay quickly got up and wiped tears that he didn't even know had flowed and motioned for his mom to come in. When she sat on his bed, he put his head on her lap, still not saying a word.

She caressed his hair, hoping to hear what was troubling him but for a long time, he didn't so she decided to break the thick silence between them.

"What's wrong, beta?"

Jay stared straight ahead at his desk. Two stacks of books were roughly arranged next to each other on the left end of the table. An old PC stood in the center while pens and paper were tossed around haphazardly. He was never a fan of neat desks but looking at it now, it brought a smile on his face. It was the only place that comforted him when the world around him seemed lost and desolate.

"I don't know, ma..." He muttered and sat up, his head feeling slightly lighter for a moment before returning to normal. "I feel lost... and confused. I fought for something to be true and when it finally did come true, I don't know... I feel like it's too much to take. Things are way different than it looked on the surface and... and I don't even know how to deal with that." He explained as he gulped in between a few times.

"You know I am here for you," His mom tried but it didn't comfort him. It was as if a wall was built between them and he had no way to jump over it. When was the last time he had a heartful moment with his mom?

Guilt tugged at the sleeves of his heart now. In all of this he had forgotten his anchor, his mom, driven by the chase of justice and while it was important... he felt more isolated than ever, even when he was surrounded by people he loved and things he always resorted to.

Could he find himself back now?

The glass of water shook in his hands and he had to set it down so it didn't fall.

Karan hesitantly looked over his shoulders, almost expecting his dad to be there. He knew he wouldn't say anything but he didn't want his dad to worry over him. He had enough worries of his own.

He quietly gulped the water and walked towards the living room where his dad was working on his laptop. Karan paused at the doorway, his fingers tracing the worn wood frame. His father's face was illuminated by the blue glow of the laptop screen, brow furrowed in concentration. For a moment, Karan considered turning back, retreating to the safety of his room. But the weight in his chest urged him forward.

"Dad?" he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

His father looked up. "Yes, beta?"

Karan took a deep breath, willing his hands to stop shaking. "I... I need to talk to you about something."

His father closed the laptop, giving Karan his full attention. The sudden darkness made the room feel smaller, more intimate. Karan moved to sit on the worn sofa, the familiar creak of the springs offering a strange comfort. His father shifted in his chair, leaning forward, his eyes searching Karan's face.

Karan forced a smile. "Yeah, just... couldn't sleep. Thought I'd see what you were up to."

His dad's face softened with concern. "It's pretty late. You should try to get some rest."

Nodding, Karan turned to leave, but paused. "Dad, if there's ever a situation that I need your help with but don't want to explain why, you'd always be there, right?"

"Of course, we made the pact years ago, I am never backing off from it. Are you in trouble now?"

"No..." He said, gulping down his saliva, "I just wanted to make sure I remembered."

"You can always ask me anything," His dad said, a soft smile playing on his lips as he patted Karan's back, "I'll try my best."

"Thanks dad."

"The person you're trying to call is out of service network area. Please try again later."

After multiple attempts at calling Riddhi, Maya gave up. A numbness cloaked her, engulfing her whole.

'Where did she disappear?' Try as she might, she couldn't think of any reasons. It had been a long time since she had talked to her but she hadn't mentioned anything about changing numbers.

Several questions lingered in her mind but it didn't add up. She needed someone to confide in, someone to reach out to and with Riddhi not answering the call, she felt worried.

She paced around the room several times before remembering that perhaps their mutual friend, Rohan, might have an idea about her whereabouts.

However, when she dialed him, she received the same response.

What is going on?

She contemplated calling her dad, maybe he might understand her... but who could sympathize with someone as tainted as her. She had tried to convince herself that this was just to clear the air and because she had done nothing, she wouldn't have to worry, but it still gnawed at her, eating her up from the inside.

Sleep eluded her so she went about the motions of making food and having tea without a thought. It was like her body had been put to autopilot mode and she was just moving along, drifting with the breeze.

The clock ticked relentlessly, each second stretching into an eternity. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Maya found herself staring at the wall when she finally lay on bed, remembering her grandma, her stories of rebellion and the resolve she had made when she was very young:

"I will find my path. I will use my fire to illuminate, not destroy. I will be the daughter of hope, and I will not be consumed by darkness."

She gulped as a tear escaped her eyes despite herself. She had promised to be strong, what happened to her now?

❛For I could not be sure that she was sane; and, in fact, there was a certain restless brilliancy about her eyes which half led me to imagine she was not.❜
- Edgar Allan Poe

a/n: ah, each character is devastated in their own way about the possibility of things ;-;

things are building up and i am enjoying writing this chapters even as i am wrenching my heart over it.

Hope you're enjoying these recent chapters!

Sara <3