The Evasion - Original Version

Chapter 1

"POOJAAAA, what are you still doing with your mobile," My mom shouts at me standing at the entrance of my room. "You are in your final year of M.Sc, have some seriousness towards it."

I minimize the Fidus Friends app and show her the YouTube screen pretending like I'm watching a lecture video without replying to her.

"OK. Sleep soon. You need to wake up early in the morning to get ready for your college function."

"OK mom, first you go and sleep, you need to wake up early to make breakfast for me."

"Fine. Good night."

"Good night, mom."

I recheck the online friend-finding app, but the guy who I was chatting has gone offline. Closing all the apps, I turn off my data and go to sleep.

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Next day morning

I step into my classroom and stop abruptly.

It's not my M.Sc lecture hall but my B.Sc second-year lecture hall.

I try to move out, but before I could do so, I hear someone calling me, addressing me, as Pooja Sis.

I turn to find my B.Sc junior, Nina is sitting in the front row, and she pats on the seat next to her, inviting me to sit with her.

What is my mentee doing in my B.Sc second-year lecture hall when she is in her final year of B.Sc?

Every PG student should mentor six UG students, and Nina is one of my mentees.

I go and sit next to her. "What are you doing in this lecture hall?"

"You donno, Sis? Priya Maam has announced a test on Euler's equation for unidirectional flow. Haven't you seen the mail?"

Priya Maam? How did she know about Priya Maam?

Priya Maam is not working in the college anymore, and she left before Nina joined. Also, this classroom was the second-year lecture hall for Physics Department when I was doing my UG. Due to more number of students in our department, the college decided to split the strength into two halves for our particular batch. And now Computer Science Department occupies this classroom for the same reason. Moreover, Kamala Maam is handling the Triple M (Mechanics and Mathematical Models) paper for the current batch.

"Are you sure? She is Priya Maam," I ask by air quoting her name.

"Yes, Sis. What happened? Why are you seemed to be confused?" she asks me as concern surfacing her forehead.

Yeah, confused a lot. "Nothing," I lie to her.

"Come, let's study," she says and nods her head toward my desk.

Looking at my desk, I find the Triple M notebook in front of me.

Being more confused, I keep staring at the notebook when a commotion makes me look at the entrance of the lecture hall as a group of girls enter. They are all freshers but arriving at the second-year lecture hall and sits behind Nina and me.

One of them taps me on my shoulder, and when I turn, the girl asks me, "How are you coping up?"

"For what I should be coping up?" I ask her puzzled.

"Your friend's death!!" She replies.

"WHAT?" I ask in a shock. "When and who died?"

"Vedhika.... you were also crying uncontrollably at her funeral!!"

"No way!! You must have mistaken," I refuse to take her statement.

"Maybe you are in denial, I'm sorry. But be careful. Everyone is talking that you might be the next target of the serial killer."