Ahaan steadies me as I stand. He tears down the page from the file and we dash towards the door. He is correct, there is someone right behind the door. It swings open. Ahaan grabs my hand and pulls me down. We scramble behind the broken chairs and overturned tables, holding our breath.

  The silhouette of the person slowing setting foot in resembles that of a girl. She is wearing a school uniform. Tears are still falling from my eyes so her face remains blurred.

  We are crouched on our knees, hiding behind the heap of broken chairs and tables. Ahaan grips my hand tightly. He leans slightly to peek at the newcomer’s face.

  Suddenly he pulls back. In one swift motion, he bends close and shields my face against his chest. It’s the reflex of someone who has been caught looking. She has sensed it. She knows someone is watching. His hand cups the back of my head, keeping me hidden. After a few long seconds, he lifts my chin gently and wipes the tears from my cheeks.

  "I think you know her. She is Isabella, your friend. But I don't know why is she wandering around in the store room. How does her routine include this?", he whispers. The last sentence sounds almost teasing, like he’s trying to lighten the moment.

  After hearing that, I try to get up, but he stops me and pulls me back into hiding.

  "I don't think you should go. She was once your friend but you are dead to her now and we don't know what she is doing here.", he mutters low.

  I understand his concern. Still, I lift myself slightly to look.

  Isabella is scanning the room, her eyes briefing touching the tip of everything as if she’s looking for something specific. I wonder what it is.

  She’s dressed in her usual uniform, her hair tied back with a rubber band. Her face is as pale as ever. Her school bag hangs from one shoulder.

  "If I get up and leave, will she be able to see me?", I murmur and turn to face Ahaan. He acts as if I never spoke. Frustration rises inside me. How can he not hear me? There’s no logical explanation for it.

  I stand up.

  Ahaan sees me and reaches to pull me back into hiding, but this time I ignore him. I move slowly toward the door.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Just as I expected, Isabella doesn’t notice me. She keeps searching the room, absorbed in whatever she’s looking for. I slip out through the door and turn back, signaling Ahaan, who is still crouched behind the chairs, to follow me.

  He rises carefully and tiptoes toward the door. A second later, he slips out beside me.

  We don’t touch anything, not even the door, careful not to draw attention.

  It goes smoothly. And then, just like that, we’re outside.

  Now that I replay it in my mind, I realize something was wrong. when I walked past Isabella, there wasn’t even the faintest sign that she noticed me.

  As we’re about to open the main door, it suddenly swings inward. Ave rushes in, panic written all over his face.

  "Oh my god, you are here. They are coming. Hurry leave.", Ave speaks hastily.

  Ahaan peeks outside. “Too late”. His expression hardens. “They’re here. We need to hide.”

  He grabs our hands and pulls us back toward the storeroom.

  But as we turn, we see her. Isabella has stepped out of the storeroom. Now she is leaving too.

  “What is she doing here?”, Ave still manages to ask.

  “Here, this side”, Ahaan drags us to the third row at the leftmost corner. Under the table, we hid.

  Surprisingly, Isabella seems to be sneaking around just like us, searching for something in the room.

  The moment she hears someone entering, she reacts instantly. She hurries to the fourth row and slips under a table in the far right corner, hiding there.

  When she crouches under the table, my breathing turns shallow and fast. We are on the verge of getting exposed. She will see us in no time.

  I shift to the left to warn Ahaan and Ave, but they’re already staring at her.

  Before either of us can react, Ahaan clamps a hand over my mouth and presses his other hand over Ave’s. Ave is trembling, on the verge of making a sound.

  What a great place he chose to hide. Ahaan and Isabella do think alike.

  Though, to be fair, there isn’t a better hiding place in the room.

  The people who enter are the same teachers we saw earlier on the second floor.

  They move in quietly, almost mechanically, and head straight to their cabins. There are three of them. Two go to the fourth and fifth cabins in the fourth row from the back. The third walks to the fifth row, third cabin.

  They don’t speak. They don’t wait for one another.

  Each retrieves their belongings and leaves separately.

  My eyes drift to Isabella.

  She’s watching them closely, her gaze following every movement, every word. She does not seem to notice our presence. Ahaan pulls his hand away from my mouth but one of his hands still covers Ave's mouth.

  After they leave, we exchange uncertain looks, unsure whether it’s safe to move. No one dares to stand.

  Then our eyes shift to Isabella.

  We watch her closely.

  She rises slowly from beneath the table, glancing carefully from one side of the room to the other. We stay crouched. But Ave loses his balance and he falls back. The crash sound is loud. Ahaan grabs him, steadying him, but it’s too late. We all get up. Isabella’s eyes widen. She stands frozen. We wait.

  Then she utters, "Who are you all? and why are you hiding here?"

  ******************************************************************************