A Scene Ahead

Chapter 1 - Missing Persons

"17-year-old Kaiyen Patel has been reported missing as of Thursday evening," is what Eshana Sanyal hears as she hurries downstairs. Her frantic intentions of slipping her shoes on before she is late are forgotten, and her attention is diverted to the news reporter.

"Locals say he was last seen at Khulville High School for cricket training. His whereabouts have been unheard of for the past three days. If you have any information that could assist in his search, please contact authorities..." The news reporter then moved on to economics, instantly losing her interest.

It is the second person this month to vanish, and the second person from her school. The last person to be reported missing was her upperclassman, Arnav Sharma. His missing posters decorate streetlamps and whispers flurry around about him. There has been nonstop theorising about the details of his disappearance, some making much less sense than others (alien abduction, no matter how cool or gripping, seems unlikely to Eshana).

A boisterous honk accompanied by an aggressive "Hurry the fuck up, Shana!" sends her bolting out the door. A sleek silver vehicle waits outside, urging Eshana into its interior. She yells a farewell to her mother, who is on the verge of scolding her for being so irresponsible with her time and flies into the passenger seat.

Kashvi Singh scowls at her apologetic smile. "Wake up on time for once," she sighs, eyes focusing on the suburban road. Eshana laughs an apology which Kashvi just shakes her head at, too used to her tardy tactics to care anymore.

"Did you hear that Kaiyen went missing?" Eshana inquires, releasing the victorious grin she bit back.

"It's all over the news; of course I have," she answers, sparing a glance at her. "I shouldn't be so surprised you're smiling so hard."

To Eshana, morality means nothing when the bane of her existence, the blueprint of everything wrong with society, "king catcaller" (a nickname she coined after the fifth time he catcalled her), is no longer in her picture. While she hasn't actively prayed that he goes missing, she isn't particularly disturbed by his missing status. In fact, she inwardly celebrates his disappearance. She believes that it is a fine display of karma.

"The new guy arrives today," Kashvi states, changing the topic before Eshana builds up karma of her own. "I heard from Jeevi that he's really hot. Like, drool-worthy hot. I'll have to see for myself, though." She comments, violently honking at the slow driver before them. She mutters about how the elderly should be forbidden from driving but immediately retracts her statement, feeling bad.

"It's Jeevika, she finds any guy with a pulse hot," Eshana muses, stealing a sip from Kashvi's caramel latte. "Please let her be right this once, though. I can't stand another ugly guy at this school!" She jokes, making an exaggerated praying gesture. Kashvi snorts in agreement.

The grounds of Khulville High School are uncharacteristically empty, seeing as Eshana and Kashvi are late to class. They fix their uniforms and dash to their classroom, which is inconveniently located on the other side of the school. From extensive experience, they know they have a minute left before their teacher penalises them for being late.

Kashvi, being more agile than Eshana, throws the classroom door open, capturing the stares of everyone in their class. Their teacher stands by her desk with a disappointed frown targeted at them. She initiates a lecture about how the delay would not be accepted in the workforce. It is challenging to focus on it when she is being accompanied by a model.

He stands casually at 179 cm, slender, ring-clad hands tucked into the pockets of his blazer. His dark skin accentuates his bright pink lips that curl slightly as Eshana and Kashvi get scolded. His nose is sharp with a small mole on it. His curly raven hair is tousled in a calculated manner.