"Before Edmund Hillary climbed the great Mt Everest,
People thought it was unconquerable.

Before Neil Armstrong took a step on the moon,
People thought celestial bodies were heavenly bodies,
OUT OF OUR REACH.

But now?

Even kids had scaled Mt Everest,

And

We are planning to settle on Mars.

This is all the power of belief,
Belief to conquer the impossible. "

----

The events of last night were still playing on Srishti's mind while Mrs. Sharma was snoring behind the counter. Cosmos by Carl Sagan laid open on the table, but words were nothing but dirt on a white canvas for her. For the first time, they meant nothing to her and the cosmos failed to attract the bee that always drifted around it.

Srishti took a deep breath and blinked twice to regain her focus. She shook her head and banged her fists on the poor table and began reading.

But before she could finish a single sentence, her mind drifted back to last night and she was lost, again.

The cycle of trying to read, being lost and banging fists continued till Mrs. Sharma couldn't take it. For the first time in her school life, Srishti noticed the old lady leave her counter and walk towards her.

"What happened kid? " she asked and Srishti just tilted her head. If it were some other day, Srishti would have loved making a great deal out of it, but today... She was just lost.

Mrs. Sharma smiled and sat beside her. With a hand on Srishti's shoulder, she asked, "Family issues? "

Srishti blinked at the old lady. She never knew that Mrs. Sharma even noticed her rendezvous in library, but apparently she did and as much hard it was for Srishti to believe it, she really cared.

For once, Srishti just wanted to spill everything, being the outspoken person she was. But no, she couldn't. She couldn't risk Mrs. Sharma's life too. Who knows those gangsters could be spying on her?

"I... Uh... " Srishti tried to think of something and for the first time, Mrs. Sharma cut her off. She was thankful for it though, she didn't know what to say.

"Oh kids these days... I know what's troubling you. Boy issues, right? " Mrs. Sharma said and Srishti's eyes widen.

Her mind screamed WHAT? but she decided to go with it and nodded. After all, those men were boys too, right?

Mrs. Sharma smiled smugly and clapped her hands with delight. "So... Who's the boy who managed to divert your boring self away from books? "

"WHAT? " this time Srishti did yell and stood up. "Who is boring Mrs. Sharma? "

With narrowed eyes and 5'2 height, Srishti looked anything but scary. Mrs. Sharma knitted her eyebrows and sighed. With a "Kids nowadays..." she got up and left to sleep behind her counter.

After the little chit-chat with Mrs. Sharma, Srishti decided she needed fresh air. She left the library with Cosmos tucked under arm. She wasn't going to put it back on the top shelf after she struggled to get it yesterday.

Srishti was lost her in thought again when she collided with someone and the book fell. Srishti's eyes widen at her fallen book and she rushed to get it. Her fingers brushed with someone else's fingers and she looked up to see the last person on her favorite list.

Akshat

Srishti snatched the book quickly from his reach and hugged the book, as if his touch was poisonous. Akshat noticed her reaction and smiled weakly.

His honey brown eyes looked at her dull brown ones for a split second and he walked past her. Srishti was in trance and decided to move ahead when she heard a faint Sorry.

Her guts told her it was not just for collision.

And she turned back to find no one.

Shaking her head, Srishti walked ahead and decided to walk in the class. It was a weird day for her and she wanted some normality, that she absolutely hated a day before.

Time changes, desire changes. Srishti thought and chuckled.

***

The classroom was as mundane as a calm blue sea.

Boys throwing paper balls, tick.
Girls gossiping, tick.
Nerds lost in books, tick.
Akshat's group bullying kids, tick.

Nothing new, see? She thought and walked to her seat in the first row. Some people thought Srishti was teacher's pet, did everything they told her to. But only few knew what really happened. Srishti did what she wanted to do and teachers let her go ahead with it.

I'm not disturbing the class. She argued.

Srishti felt someone nudge her and she turned back to find the new girl sitting behind her. She raised her eyebrows and the girl smiled sheepishly.

"Hi, I'm Eva." she extended her hand and Srishti shook hands with her. It was awkward for her but... new friends were always welcome in Srishti's life.

Eva took a strand of her dark brown curls and twisted it around her finger. "Thanks for yesterday. They had placed a bet on me and said if I lost, I would have to do their homework for whole month. "

"WHAT? " Srishti yelled and got up from her seat. She was shaking with anger and her fear turned into rage. But before she could storm out of her seat, the bell rang.

Not again... She stomped her foot and watched helplessly as the class left for assembly.

***

"I swear the stars are protecting those dumb bullies." Srishti thought out loud and watched Akshat leaving the school building with narrowed eyes.

She was busy formulating one hundred and one ways to torture him when she felt a pat on her shoulder and she jumped with fear. With a hand on her heart, she turned back and sighed when it was just Eva.

"You scared me gal. " she said and Eva smiled sheepishly.

"Let's go home together. "

Srishti raised her eyebrow at her and was about to say no, when the image of last night came back to her mind. She shuddered subconsciously and felt goosebumps.

"Yeah, let's go. " She said a little to eagerly and Eva nodded.

"So tell me Eva, where do you live? " Srishti asked, trying to ignite a conversation.

"The River Street."

"No way... " Srishti's eyes bulged out and her head was aching with the coincidences happening around her since the last day. "You are the one who moved in House no. 13?"

Eva grinned. "It was the cheapest house on the block with whole no. 13 is haunted drama going on. Don't tell me you believe in that stuff too, do you? "

Srishti was silent. But then with a scratch on her neck, she decided to reply. "I don't deny their existence too. " Eva raised her eyebrows but Srishti had a far away look in her eyes. "There are surely things beyond our reasoning and imagination. "

***

The night had fell again on The River Street and with it came the bright moon and its attendants to decorate the black canvas of sky.

But for Srishti, it brought fear too. She was tucked under her blankets and shivering with fear.

"One's square one, two's square four, three's square nine... " she tried to distract herself and math was the best shot.

She was lost in her thought struggling to count the square of 119. The night was eerily silent, no insects dared to sing and the moonlight was afraid to falter. The breeze stopped and then...

"Is it that house? " a faint voice stirred the silence and Srishti's breath stopped.

"I think so. " another faint voice came.

"Do you think someone saw us? " the first one said. His uncertainty was evident in his voice.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. " the second one said sternly and the discussion seemed to be over.

Seconds passed by and slowly, the noise of a ticking clock crawled into Srishti's ears. Silent tears fell from her face and wet the sheets and the pillow.

"What I have got myself into... "

Coincidence that Eva lives near Srishti or is it a making of a big conspiracy?

Coincidence that everytime Srishti wants to jump in trouble, she just can't?

Coincidence that Srishti was the one who saw those men that night?