Chapter 4: Shadows in the Sketch

Sahil leaned over Arush’s notebook, fingers smudged with graphite, as the finishing strokes of the drawing took shape. It was no longer just a falling girl.

Now, three shadowy figures graced the page—one mid-air, descending helplessly, hair and limbs flowing like smoke. Two others stood on the edge above. Their outlines were hazy, undefined, but one detail stood out—one of them wore a bracelet with a star. The bracelet was the only part drawn in sharp clarity, as though Arush’s mind refused to blur it out.

“Woah,” Sahil murmured. “You drew this?”

Arush blinked. “Yeah… but I don’t know why. It just came out of me.”

He slipped the paper into his bag casually, unaware of how much it mattered.

Sahil, however, lingered. His eyes remained fixed on the star bracelet. Something about it gnawed at the edges of his memory. The rest of the drawing was like a dream, but that star—it felt familiar. Where have I seen it before? he wondered.

Why was that the only thing clear?

And more importantly, why did Arush draw this exact scene from years ago… a moment he never witnessed?

A chill ran down Sahil’s spine. He glanced sideways at Arush, who was now chatting with a classmate like nothing had happened. What even are they? he thought. Sashwat speaks of time travel, and Arush sketches memories buried in the past. They’re cousins… but what powers run through their blood?

Elsewhere, Shweta leaned against the cold wall of the girls' restroom, hands trembling under the tap. Her mind buzzed with fragments at the return of Siddharth, her buried emotions came flodding.

But now, a thought kept echoing louder: Was there someone else closer to Ananya?

Why couldn’t she remember clearly? Was someone hiding in her blind spot that day?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she walked into the hallway—just in time for her foot to catch something deliberately placed in her path.

She fell hard onto the floor.

The students around gasped, but no one dared to help.

Except Arush.

He rushed to her side, steady hands lifting her gently. Before he could confront the one responsible, Shweta gripped his wrist and whispered, “Don’t. He’s stuck in his own pain. It’s not his fault.”

Standing at the end of the corridor, Siddharth watched with burning eyes, cold and sharp like daggers. His jaw clenched, fist tightening until his knuckles paled.

Once, he would’ve caught her before she hit the ground.

Once, they would’ve smiled at each other in the library, fingers brushing accidentally, hearts fluttering with unsaid words. That version of Siddharth was gone now—buried under guilt, betrayal, and blame.

Arush looked back, ready to speak, but Shweta gave a slight shake of her head.

As he helped her walk away, Arush whispered, “You don’t have to suffer like this.”

They didn’t say much after that. Just agreed quietly to study together at Arush’s house after school.

Meanwhile, Sahil and Sashwat were heading home.

“Do you know the Oberoi family?” Sashwat asked casually.

Sahil nodded. “Yeah. Super old family. Mega-rich too.”

“Right,” Sashwat said. “But do you know what they actually do?”

Sahil frowned. “I think they’re into tech? AI stuff, right?”

“You’re not wrong,” Sashwat said, lowering his voice. “But there’s something else. Something the world doesn’t know.”

Sahil raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Come to my house today. I’ll show you.”

Sahil said nothing at first. His mind was still turning over the drawing… and the star. A storm was coming. And it had already begun to stir the past.

To be continued…

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