Under The Clear Summer Sky

8 | the school fest

10 years ago.

Every graduate of Crysalis High would swear on their lives that the Crysalis Fest was one of the best things that ever happened to them. Every student eagerly waited for the fest that happened once every 3 years.

It was justified that Anu had high expectations for the fest. It was her first time taking part in the fest and although she hadn't signed up to volunteer in any particular event, she was sure she would have fun. These were the same thoughts Maya (who was too lazy to volunteer for any subevent) and Vineet (who was too busy to sign up for any subevent) harbored.

So, it was a disappointing surprise to find out that the fest was in fact rather boring. The only people who were finding it fun were those with a big group of friends and had a lot of money to blow on the food and games stalls.

Maya, Vineet and Anu sat on the stairs on the podium, bored out of their minds, just watching people.

They hadn't spent the money they had got from their parents yet. The foods were too costly. Just one muffin was 250. The game stalls were boring. The carnival, with a lesser number of stalls and cheaper food, had been more fun than this.

"That's it! I'm done with this." Maya bounced up, looking determined. Anu and Vineet stared at her. 

"If we want to have fun and the event is boring, it's up to us to make it fun, isn't that right?" Maya waited for a reaction.

She got none.

"Come on, guys. Make an effort."

Anu looked away, resting her head on her lap, ready to fall asleep.

"You guys know that place that we're not allowed to go to?"

Again, no reaction.

"The place behind the garden and near the elementary grade block?"

Anu looked up. "Oh, the one with the roses and all?"

Maya lit up, "Yes, yes, yes. That place!"

"What about it?"

"Why don't we spend some time there?"

Anu and Vineet glanced at each other. "We're not allowed to go there though."

"When has that ever stopped me?" Maya asked, looking incredulous. Anu sighed. "So you want us to join you in your sneaky behavior?"

Maya nodded, eagerly.

A pause.

"Alright, then. Let's do this." Vineet stood up. 

Anu glanced between him and Maya. "You serious?"

"I mean, we don't have anything better to do." He shrugged.

Anu scratched her forehead. She glanced between the two of them, again. Then, she sighed.

The trio had managed to sneak in to the little rose lawn that was restricted to the students. There seemed to be no security guard in sight, oddly. Maya stretched out her legs and gazed around. Anu glanced at the roses briefly before plopping down and yawning. Vineet inspected the roses and padded around.

Even sneaking around seemed boring now. Sneaking around was only fun when there was something to get away from. There was nothing to get away from, at the moment.

Maya grinned and began, "Now what do we-"

"YOU THREE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?" the voice of the security guard thundered around them. Immediately, they made a run for it. They turned around the corner.

In this instance, the newbies and the amateur at sneaking out could be clearly distinguished.

 The amateur at sneaking out would turn right and make her way toward the main office. From there she would turn left and make her way towards the grounds where much of the crowd was collected. She could, then, easily camouflage with the crowd and get away. This was what Maya did.

The newbie would take a left and end up finding a narrow alley where the chances of them being caught was pretty high. This was what Vineet and Anu did. Upon turning left, they found a narrow alley with a wall at the end, that they could hide behind. Quickly the two of them squeezed in and held their breath.

Vineet had his hands placed on one wall, back against the school compound wall. He tried to control his breathing. Anu was right in front of him, facing him. They were standing pretty close to each other.

They heard the footsteps of the security guard.

"Kiddos! Get back here! Don't hide!"

He received no response.

He was a 40 year old man that did not have much stamina. Instead of wandering around looking for the kids, he decided to walk back to his office and make himself a cup of tea. So, he began walking back. 

After ascertaining if the guard was still there and finding he wasn't, Anu and Vineet heaved a sigh of relief.

It was then that they realized their proximity. Anu's eyes went wide and Vineet's eyes were trained on her. "Um." She moved away. 

They moved out of the wall. Clearing his throat, Vineet said, "Let's go search for Maya."

"Right. Yes."

The pounding of their hearts seemed to envelop their hearing. Anu stole a glance at Vineet. He did the same with her. A small smile graced his lips and disappeared just as quickly.

The school fest, or rather, that moment in particular became a memory that the two cherished deeply throughout their life.

✿

word count:  950 words

[behind the scenes]

Finding Maya 

Vineet and Anu, after nearly an hour's search, found Maya happily devouring cotton candy, squatting behind the food stalls. Her answer to why she hadn't searched for them was, "I wanted to give you lovebirds some alone time."