The hostel room was quiet, wrapped in the soft calm of early morning. Golden rays of sunlight slipped through the half-open window, gently falling on the face of a girl sleeping peacefully on her bed.

She looked ethereal.

Her face bloomed like delicate rose petals, glowing softly under the warmth of the sun. Her thick eyelashes rested like shadows of moonlight, as if someone had stolen the glow of the moon and carefully placed it upon her eyes. There was a strange serenity about her - the kind that made time pause for a moment.

But peace never lasts forever.

Meera - "DHAPPAAA"

"Uth jao mharani sahiba aab kya aapke liye Lucknow ke mashur shaiyar bulau jo aapko apni shaiyri sunaege tb utthogi aap"

Meera jumped onto the bed dramatically, breaking the silence like a storm.

Meera - "Wake up now or else I will call that chudail warden for you tb vhi dekhegi aapko"

Aarohi groaned, turning to the other side, pulling the blanket over her head as if trying to escape reality itself.

Aarohi - "Kya meera tu kyu preshan krti ho mujhe Kasam se kh rhe h jb tum humari nind ke bich Aaati ho na to Aisa lgta h jaise koi taizab fhek rha ho kisi din tumko taizab ki tanki me daal dege bta rhe h"

Meera - "O madam tum na apne ye gulam hazuri hostel ki worden ko dikhana aayi badi taizab ki tanki me daalne vali. Chlo aab assembly hall me bulaya h us toba toba ne."

There was a pause.

And then suddenly-

Aarohi shot up from the bed like lightning.

Aarohi - "Mar gye hum late ho gye meera tune jldi kyu nhi uthaya hume aaaaaaa hume koi zher la ke de do hum vo khusi khusi kha lege lekin is principal ki speech nhi sunege."

Within seconds, the calm, dreamy girl turned into complete chaos.

Books fell, clothes scattered, and Meera stood there watching the mess with an amused smile.

"Same drama. Every. Single. Day," she muttered.

🎒 Assembly Hall Scene (Continuation)

The school assembly hall was already filled with students. Rows of uniforms, whispers, and the echo of footsteps created a restless atmosphere.

Aarohi and Meera rushed inside, slightly out of breath.

"Great," Meera whispered, "we're officially dead."

Aarohi ignored her, trying to fix her hair quickly, her heart still racing.

Students stood in perfectly arranged lines - or at least, they were trying to.

Aarohi and Meera sneaked in from the side like undercover agents.

"Operation Bachao Izzat," Meera whispered.

"Mission almost fail ho chuka hai," Aarohi replied, trying to control her breath.

They quickly joined the last row, pretending like they had been there the whole time.

A teacher's eyes narrowed at them.

Both instantly straightened up.

Hands behind.

Face serious.

"Good morning ma'am," they said in perfect sync.

The teacher stared for a second... then turned away.

"Bach gaye..." Meera whispered.

On stage, the principal adjusted the mic.

"Students..."

And just like that-

The longest speech in human history began.

Five minutes later...

Aarohi was already tired.

Ten minutes later...

Her soul had officially left her body.

She slowly leaned toward Meera.

"Yeh speech hai ya punishment?" she whispered.

Meera didn't even look at her.

"Shh... warna front row me shift kar denge."

Aarohi froze instantly.

"Main yahin theek hu," she said, standing straight like a soldier.

Lunch Break

The bell finally rang.

"Finally... zinda bach gaye," Aarohi sighed, dropping onto the bench in the cafeteria.

Meera sat beside her, opening her lunch box.

"Tumhe speech se zyada problem khade rehne se hoti hai."

Aarohi frowned.

"Bilkul. Standing is a scam."

Meera laughed.

"Tum life me kabhi serious bhi hoti ho?"

"Main? Bohot serious hoon... bas log deserve nahi karte," Aarohi replied dramatically.

A few seconds later-

Kabir walked in and sat across from them without asking.

Aarohi looked up. "Lo aa gaya bina invitation ka mehmaan."

Meera smirked. "Isko entry ke liye permission ki zarurat kab se padne lagi?"

Kabir shook his head, opening his bottle.

"Tum dono ka attitude na... ek din tumhe hi le doobega."

Aarohi grinned.

"Tab tak popcorn le aana, entertainment complete rahe."

There was a pause.

Something felt... different.

Kabir wasn't his usual playful self.

Meera noticed.

"Ab bol bhi do... itna chup rehna tumhari personality me fit nahi hota," she said, looking straight at him.

Kabir sighed lightly.

"Mom-Dad... Mumbai shift ho rahe hain."

Silence

.

Aarohi blinked. "Accha... toh?"

Kabir looked at her. "Toh main bhi jaa raha hoon."

The words landed. This time... heavier.

Meera's hand paused mid-air.

"Matlab... permanently?"

Kabir nodded.

"Haan. Mera admission bhi ho gaya hai... Mumbai ke school me. 12th wahi se karunga.

Aarohi tried to keep the mood light.

"Wah... bade log... Mumbai ja rahe hain. Hume bhool mat jaana."

Kabir gave a small smile.

"Tum log bhoolne layak ho kya?"

Meera stayed quiet.

For the first time... she didn't have a comeback.

Kabir continued, softer now-

"Waise bhi... mera exam jaldi khatam ho raha hai. 11th PCM ka schedule tum log se pehle hi finish ho jayega."

Aarohi nodded.

"Haan... hum toh late latif h bechare hain... late exams, late freedom."

"Lucky ho tum," Kabir said.

Both looked at him. He smiled faintly.

"Thoda aur time hai... yahan."

Meera finally spoke.

"Achaanak... sab change ho raha hai na?"

Kabir looked at her.

For a moment-

No jokes.

No sarcasm.

Just honesty.

"Haan... thoda."

Aarohi looked between them... then smirked slightly.

"Drama start hone wala hai kya? Main jaun yahan se?"

Meera instantly snapped out of it.

"Chup kar."

Kabir chuckled.

"Tum kabhi serious nahi reh sakti na?"

Aarohi grinned.

"Nahi. Kyuki life already bohot serious hai."

There was a strange silence again.

But this time.... It wasn't awkward.

It was heavy. Somewhere between jokes and laughter-

Something had changed.

As they sat there, pretending everything was normal-

None of them said it out loud...

But all three knew-

Things were about to change.

And not in a simple way.

Hostel Room

The room was quieter than usual.

Soft afternoon sunlight spread across the walls.

Aarohi lay on her bed, a book resting open on her face-not reading, just pretending.

The door creaked open.

Meera walked in.

No dramatic entry. No "choas"

Aarohi immediately sensed something was off. She lifted the book slightly and peeked.

"Tu itni chup kyu hai? Battery low ho gayi kya?" she said lazily.

Meera rolled her eyes.

"Haan, aur charger tum ho na."

Aarohi sat up straight.

"Oye attitude kam... warna aaj tumhara system reboot kar denge "

Meera dropped her bag on the chair and sat down. Too quietly.

Aarohi noticed. Her tone softened slightly.

"Okay... seriously. What happened?"

There was a pause.

Meera looked at her... then away.

Meera - "Dad ka transfer ho gaya hai..."

(Translation: Dad have been transferred.)

Aarohi blinked. "Okay... where?"

Meera took a breath. "Mumbai."

Aarohi froze for a second.

Then slowly-

"So... madam Mumbai shift ho rahi hain?"

Meera nodded.

"After exams."

Aarohi stared at her... then suddenly threw a pillow at her.

"Matlab tu mujhe chhod ke ja rahi hai? Wah dosti wah."

Meera caught the pillow.

"Drama band kar, main kal nahi ja rahi."

Aarohi crossed her arms dramatically-

Aarohi - "Haan haan, sab bolte hain 'kal nahi ja rahe'... phir seedha gaayab."

( Yeah right, everyone says 'I'm not leaving yet'... and then they just disappear.)

Meera's expression softened for a moment.

But Aarohi quickly ruined it-

"Waise Mumbai jaake attitude aur badh jayega tera. Already jhelna mushkil hai."

Meera smirked.

"Tujhe kaun jhel raha hai yahan? Main toh majboori me hoon."

Aarohi gasped dramatically.

"Sach saamne aa hi gaya."

There was a small pause.

Then Aarohi asked casually-

"And Kabir? Does he know?"

Meera looked down slightly.

Meera - "Bas... nahi bataya."

( I just didn't tell him.)

Aarohi raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting..."

She leaned closer with a teasing smile.

"Kuch chal raha hai kya jo bataya nahi?"

Meera immediately threw the pillow back at her.

"Shut up!"

Aarohi laughed.

"Pakdi gayi... pakdi gayi..."

Meera tried to stay serious but failed.

A small smile escaped.

Aarohi lay back on the bed again, staring at the ceiling.

Aarohi - "Waise ek baat bolu... sab log ek ek karke bhaag rahe hain."

( By the way... everyone is leaving one by one.)

This time... she didn't laugh after saying it.

Meera looked at her.

Something in her voice had changed.

But instead of saying anything serious, Meera lightly flicked her forehead.

"Zyada emotional mat ho. Tum pe suit nahi karta."

Aarohi instantly snapped back-

"I'm not emotional... people are just boring."

Meera chuckled.

"Liar."

And just like that-

The moment passed.

But not really.

🎬 Corridor

The corridor had finally gone quiet.

The usual noise of students-laughter, chatter, hurried footsteps-had faded as most of them disappeared into their classrooms. Only the soft echo of footsteps remained.

Aarohi walked slowly through the long corridor.

For once, she wasn't rushing. Not arguing. Not joking. Just... walking.

Thinking.

Kabir's words still lingered somewhere in her mind-

"I'm leaving... Mumbai."

She let out a slow breath.

"Great... ab sab log ek ek karke gayab hone wale hain kya?" she muttered under her breath.

(Great... is everyone going to disappear one by one now?)

A faint irritation... or maybe something else... flickered across her face.

She shook her head lightly.

She shook her head lightly-

Trying to push the thought away.

Just as she was about to walk ahead.

- A girl hurried toward her.

"Aarohi?"

She stopped.

"Haan?" Aarohi turned, slightly confused.

"Warden ma'am bula rahi hain... tumhare liye call aayi hai."

Aarohi frowned.

"For me?"

The girl nodded and quickly walked away.

Aarohi stood there for a second.

Call?

At this time?

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

Without wasting another moment, she turned and walked toward the warden's office.

Her steps were quick now.

Not rushed... but not calm either.

🎬 Warden's Office

The door was slightly open.

Aarohi knocked lightly.

"Ma'am?"

"Come in."

The warden gestured toward the phone.

"Your call."

Aarohi nodded and picked up the receiver.

Her grip tightened slightly.

Aarohi - "Hello... Papa?"

A pause.

Her expression changed.

Slightly confused.

Then serious.

"Is something wrong?"

Another pause.

Her brows frowned.

"But why?"

Silence.

Listening.

She let out a slow breath.

A quiet sigh.

"Okay... I will."

She slowly placed the receiver back.

For a moment-

She just stood there.

Still.

Something had changed.

And this time...

It didn't feel normal.

She slowly placed the receiver back.

The faint click of the phone echoed in the silent room.

For a moment-

Aarohi didn't move.

Her fingers were still slightly curled... as if she hadn't fully let go of the call yet.

Her mind kept replaying the same words.

Again.

And again.

"Papa... what do you mean?"

On the call, her voice had been calm.

Controlled.

But now-

Her heartbeat wasn't.

The warden looked at her.

"Everything alright?"

Aarohi blinked, snapping back to reality.

"Ji ma'am... yes."

But even she knew. That wasn't true.

She stepped out of the office.

The corridor looked exactly the same.

Same walls.

Same silence.

Same sunlight falling through the windows.

But something had changed.

Her steps slowed.

Her expression hardened slightly.

"Suddenly... after all these years..." she whispered.

Her grip tightened.

"Why now?"

A distant bell rang somewhere in the school.

Students' voices slowly started filling the corridor again.

But to Aarohi- Everything felt muted.

Distant.

Her mind echoed with one last line from the call-

"You have to come back."

She stopped walking.

Completely still.

Her eyes slowly lifted.

"Back... where?" she whispered.

A cold, uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

Because whatever was waiting for her-

It wasn't going to be simple.

And for the first time-

Aarohi felt it clearly.

Something going to change.

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

✨ So... this was Chapter 1.

A calm beginning... or maybe the start of something much bigger? 👀

💭 What do you think?

Why did Aarohi's father suddenly call her back?

What could be so important af

ter all these years?

And... is everything really as simple as it looks?

✨ And... before you go-

A lot of you might be wondering 👀

Why haven't I given Aarohi's full character description yet?

And where are the main leads?

Well...

There's a reason for everything. 😏

Some stories don't reveal everything in the beginning...

They unfold slowly.

And trust me-

✨ Something big is about to change.