Alternate Universe [Mahabharata]

Chapter 2

Warning: long chapter

The journey begins.

The bus was visible on the highway, traveling at slightly above average speed, as it headed towards their destination. From mumbai to elephanta caves, then homi bhabha knowledge center and then back to home. The road was smooth, so the ride were fairly bump-free. After hitting a small pothole, the bus shook, causing a student girl to gasp for air and wake up.

Shrishti Singhania breathed deeply as she tried to calm herself. Cold sweat forming on her forehead. She closed her eyes to forget what she had just dreamed.

"Shrishti are you okay?"asked vanya, who was sitting next to her, concern evident in her eyes. "You seems to have a nightmare." She said giving her a bottle of water.

"Yeah, i'm fine." Shrishti replied blankly gulping the water. She closed her eyes feeling the cold running down her throat, again having images of her recent dream.

'Weird dream! Rocks? us falling? No, no I shouldn't think about it!'

She shook her head to remove those thoughts, mentally scolded herself. She decided on listening music as in distraction. She checked the time and it's 11:45 in morning. Almost afternoon. They have been traveling for past three hours that means she slept for 1 hour.

She glanced back at her classmates, who were having fun and enjoying themselves. She faintly smiled to herself. "I wasn't expecting you to come to camp" vanya suddenly spoke.

"Even it was unexpected to me too." Shrishti softly spoke. "My mom told me I should hangout with my friends more often." She added

"Good to hear!" Vanya replied. "Want to hear music?" Shrishti questioned not wanting continued on the topic.
"Sure!" the class representative happily replied.

Shrishti handed her one of the wireless earphone to vanya and turned on some soft lofi music.

Friends? Her friends?

Shrishti thought, she never really had much interacted with any of her classmates. Just here and there for school work but never talked so causally. Even with vanya, she just interacted if it's because of group project.

She herself was surprise when the word 'friends' came out of her mouth.

Shrishti was always the quite one, more like silent observer. Because of her silent behavior everyone thought she was rude and isn't very friendly. But deep down she also craved for a true friend. Now she wished, she truly wished.

Shrishti glanced out of the window, softly humming to the music. Blankly staring far away at the landscape. She again thought about her dream.

'That didn't made any sense!'

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It was past 1o'clock in afternoon, they had finally reached their first destination. Vanya was the first one to get down followed by Shrishti. Standing in the shades of trees waiting for everyone to get down.

Her classmates kept getting off the bus, one by one, chatting loudy. Shrishti realised that she missed so much. Their silly talks, some lame inside jokes and much more, maybe.

The others started to take off their luggages from the bus trunk. She took her suitcase and was about to walk off, when she saw saanvi trying to carry the snack box by herself. Seeing her struggling to carry the box, she decided to join.