|the naive rebel|
━━━━ ♛ ━━━━

xvii| theft is an offensive crime
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

word count- 1320

before we begin,

silent readers, please do vote (atleast) it helps me know whether you are liking the story or not.

━━━━ ♛ ━━━━
INAAYAT
━━━━ ♛ ━━━━

I splash water on my face,
from the running tap, trying to wash away the dirt of my past, the dent of my darkness.

The soothing cold droplets of water tickle my cheeks, as they race from my forehead to my jaw and then, falling on the collar of my t-shirt.

I stare at my reflection, disparaging my existence.

The cracked and dirty mirror contains the image of the girl who was once broken, haunted, distressed and scared.

But not anymore.

I move a little away from the slab, the empty hostel's washroom gives me a chance to calm myself down after the tiring trip and the haunting dream, I suffered after three months.

Luckily, no one was in the tent when I had woken up shouting from my nightmare. I had spent the last day, dreading to reach the hostel and to come back to the calmness of the hostel's bed if not my home's.

I carefully lift the end of my tee, higher and higher till a scar comes insight.

Red, stitched and old.

I was thirteen when I saw him die, right in front of my eyes. My screams, his silence still rings in my ears and the redness of his blood still carved in the deepest memories of my mind.

I sigh as I let the tee fall back to its place, and I leave the washroom drying my face with the towel, I had carried.

Instead of going back to my room, I take the steps to the ground floor and take my phone out dialling a number, I hadn't contacted in months.

"Hey." I softly greet once the phone on the other side is answered.

I sit on the garden bench, closing my eyes waiting for her answer.

"Aayu? Are you fine? You sound tensed, baby."

"I dreamt of it again, boss," I inform as I feel her inhaling a deep breath.

"After three months...again? How?" She asks and I bite my lower lip, in tension.

"I saw some students taking drugs and-"

"It evoked those dreams, again."

"Yes."

"Aayu, relax. It's fine. You aren't in your past, he is dead, you have moved on."

"Have I?"

"Are you willing to start from square one? It took us three years to make you forget about the incident, to finally accept the situation and you were living a normal life until today when you saw drugs." My therapist, Fatima, says.

"Boss, I was fine for three months-no dreams, no hallucinations and then suddenly. I want to come back...I can't... I can't." I whimper, my lips flutter.

"I never knew my Aayu was this weak. Remember, how you used to challenge me-telling me that you'll defeat your past, remove all obstacles that will remind you of that dreading night. Where is that Inaayat?"

"I ain't weak, I am tired. Tired from running away, from hiding my fears. I ain't the same Aayat, I was back when thirteen. I have learnt to fight my own battles-win them, even. I know how to conquer my fears but how can I? When it keeps returning in one way or the other."

"Lies. You aren't tired. You are simply scared. Scared to lose and that is why you want to return home. Am I right.. or am I right?"

"I am not scared."

"Aren't you?"

"I AM NOT SCARED."

"You are scared to face your fears. To face those drug-abusing students, scared that your past will -"

"I said, I am not scared. I can face them. I will live here, face those students. I will be here, and will also catch the culprit. I AM NOT SCARED."

"I know you are not, Aayu. All the best." Before I can reply, she cuts the call and I stare at my blank screen wallpaper.

I am not scared.

I am not tired.

I am here to find the murderer, to give the pending justice to those innocent students who were killed.

I am not scared.

━━━━ ♛ ━━━━

"Miss, can you issue this book?" I request the librarian as she smiles at me, noting down the book's serial number against my name.

"Aayat, this your seventh book of the month. Have you read the previous ones?" She looks at me from her round glasses, smiling at me subtly.

"I surely completed them," I reply as she now gives me a full-blown smile.

"Miss, I was searching for some course Shakespeare publications but I couldn't find any except Hamlet. Are they not available?" I ask her.

"Aayat, the principal has issued them for the month. He is fond of reading, too. Reminds me, there is one Merchant of Venice's copy on the shelf 3. You can take it from there," she informs and returns to her register work.

I move towards the shelf number three, finding an old Merchant of Venice's copy kept behind the huge heaps of other books. Removing it carefully, I carry it to the counter for issuing.

For my masters, I had to make a complete thesis on Shakespearean books, and I am working on it currently instead wasting my time loitering between math and science books.

Something is better than nothing.

As I stand there waiting for the librarian to note the serial number of the book, my phone rings disturbing the silence of the library.

"Sorry," I whisper to the librarian as I move outside the library to attend the call.

"Yes ma'am," I speak greeting the warden.

We all had come back today morning from the camp, and seeing how tired we were, the officials granted us a holiday in the college, giving me a chance to focus on my reading.

"Come to my office right now." She strictly commands.

"I will be there," I reply as I cut the call and return to the library and collect my books before I go to meet the warden.

━━━━ ♛ ━━━━

"Can I come in?" I knock at the warden's office's door, pausing for her reply.

"Come in." A response comes and I enter her office, closing the door behind me.

"I told you about the test right?" She says as soon as I am inside the office.

The wooden flooring and the wooden desk give me a sudden calmness, I wasn't aware I as in dire need of.

I nod my head, wanting her to continue.

"You have to pass the test, anyhow. And for that, you would need to co-operate."

"I know ma'am. You did tell me, I am ready to do anything to stay here and help find the killer. I can't risk my position in college. What will I have to do,"

"You have to steal the question paper from the Principal's office."

I stand there looking at her face, trying to catch the moment she would laugh, or say 'it was a joke' but sadly her expressions remain neutral, no grimaces, no smiles just sincerity.

"I-I can't do that, trust me. I will get caught, for sure." I tell her the truth.

My clumsiness is to be blamed.

"You have no other option Aayat. You have to do this or you will fail." She warns as I gulp audibly.

How the heck will I steal the paper?

"How should I steal them?" I ask, scared of what she is going to suggest.

"Break into his office at night."

Bingo.

Perfect.

Mind-blowing.

Oooof.

What the actual hoot!

•
•
•

BOOM.

Till the next,
keep dodging the bullets,
ऊ.