Cross-Over (Anderverse Part 1)

Chapter 1:- Window to the Past

24th October 2025
A bright afternoon, it was in the city of Kota, Rajasthan. A cluster of students were going back to their respective hostels and PGs after attending their long and tiring classes, all were wearing the same blue T-shirt, indicating that all of them were from the same coaching institute.

“Dude, you know this answer?” a student asks his friend.

“Use L-Hospital rule it’ll definitely work” he replied

“But what about boards? It won’t consider this...”

“Try rationalising then, maybe it’ll work” students were discussing the problems of the DPP they were handed over, one section got Maths, while others got chemistry.

“You remember the trick for remembering d-block?” a boy questions a girl “I only know from Scandium to Zinc”

“Yah I have the pics, I’ll forward it to you” the girl replies

Some discussed Physics, “This NLM is soo damm irritating...” holding the book, “...Please help me out with the 8th problem”

“Bro, it’s easy...” writing on the book with a pencil, “...Take the vertical component and balance it out...” it was a mix of 11th,12th and dropper students.

“Guys we have a test on Sunday” another boys asks a group “You guys prepared?”

“Fuck dude, I haven’t started it well...” everyone in the crowd were talking to each other, in duo, in a trio or in groups. All were sorted, except one.

“It’s me Arun Shukla...” our protagonist narrates, “...Age 17, height 5’10” or should I say 6, but who even cares”

Arun was the only one in the crowd who wasn’t talking with anyone else. A dull face, less youthful vibe, noticeable dark circles.

“As you can see from my face, I’m isolated. I do have friends but only two or three, I’ve stopped socialising”

The crowd slowly reduced as many reached their PGs and flats, Arun kept walking

“Yeah, I live a little far...” Arun walked till he ultimately reached his PG, before going up, he decided to have a cup of tea from the tea stall in front of the PG. He sat down and was peacefully drinking his tea.

“Arun!” he turned back,

“Vivaan!” it was his friend.

They both shook their hands and hugged, Arun had to heel up a little, as Vivaan was two inches taller than Arun.

“Damm...” Vivaan being elated, “...It’s more than a year”

“Yeah, how come you here?” asks Arun curiously.

“Oh I recently got here, after 11th” 

“Oh I see, where do you live exactly”

“Um...” he turns around and points the direction “...one street ahead, you?” Arun pointed at the PG

“So close!”

“How’s Aahana? I haven’t talked to her since I left the school.”

“She actually switched her subject”

“What?” he couldn’t believe “...After 11th mid-term?”

“Yeah, her boyfriend’s a commerce student so...”

“Ohh...” he laughed a bit “...Love should be passionate but, everything has a particular age” They both laughed a bit.

“How’s everything going on?” asked Vivaan.

Arun’s smiling face vanished and he replied by shaking his head, “Not good”

“Oh yeah, I’m really sorry, I should’ve known...”

“It’s okay” the fun and light heartedness fades out.

“Anyway I gotta go now, I’ll see you some other time, right” said Vivaan. He then left the place and Arun kept standing there for a while.

Arun entered his room, it was small; a single bed, a small study table to it’s left with, a window in front of the table, a cupboard beside the door and a shelf with books beside the window.

“Socialising is tough for me now, I can’t believe that I am the same extroverted person literally just one year back...” he again narrates, “...And yes this is my tiny room”

Arun keeps his bag beside his table, he took out his t-shirt and wore casual cloths and shorts. He took out some of the books and sheets and kept them on the table, he looked at the time, it was 1:34 pm, he thought of starting from 2 pm

“If you’re thinking what about my lunch, I already had it at the mess of the institute”

“Life was never the same for me after that, I still think...” He lied down on his bed, and starts thinking “...There were several parts that could be fixed back then, many times I think, I could go back to the past”

He looks at the window, “A window to the past... What an idea” he remained still on the bed.

He took his phone and played “A Window to the Past” by John Williams. The song started with a soothing flute.

“My work isn’t over yet...” he looked at his dark blue suitcase, “...I have more things to do...” he kept gazing, “...Bigger than JEE, bigger than my college” the song continued.

“This past of mine keeps me wondering about the future... What if I choose to accept it? Will it be good? For me? For Aru?” The song ended, he still lied still, gazing at his suitcase.

“STUDY TIME” his alarm started shouting, he came back.

“I think life’s back to normal, new normal...” he turned off his alarm.

“...We always think that our sadness is the biggest problem in the world, each and every person thinks that they go through trauma...” he sat down in the chair opened his book and started studying, “...Trauma is a joke, every wanna be psychiatrist on Instagram defines a slap from our parents as a trauma or a PTSD” he laughs while narrating, “But mine.... Mine’s is a little different or maybe cliched, it’s upto you... Now let’s not think about the future. Let’s experience the past”

The tale goes a year back.