Aru Shah: Different Perspectives

Aru Shah and the End of Time: Chapters 1 & 2

A/N: This is the very beginning of Aru Shah when she opens the lamp. It's written from her classmates' perspective instead.

Poppy Lopez marched up to the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, practically teeming with anger. Aru Shah! That liar. She'd made a fool of them, and now they were going to get her back. 

Poppy pressed the museum's doorbell after trying the doors. "Let's hope this doesn't take too long," she said to Burton and Arielle. 

Burton snorted. "It will. You know she's going to lie. And keep lying." 

Arielle put her nose in the air. "We'll make her tell the truth this time." 

Poppy nodded and grinned. "Everyone know the plan?"

Arielle and Burton nodded. The group was silent for a moment before Aru Shah opened the door. 

She was wearing Spider Man pajamas and her smile fell as her mouth literally dropped open. 

"I knew it!" Poppy exclaimed. "You told everyone in math class that your mom was taking you to France for break."

Aru's face crumbled for a moment before she forced it back into her stony I'm-lying face. "My mom had a top-secret mission with the museum. She couldn't take me."

Hah. Poppy snorted just as Burton threw down his penny. "You cheated me!" he cried. "I gave you two bucks!" 

Poppy almost smiled - that was the one thing Aru Shah had lied about that was actually funny. 

"And you got a vintage penny - " Aru started to remind him, but Arielle interrupted. 

"We know you're lying, Aru Shah. That's what you are: a liar. And when we go back to school, we're going to tell everyone."

"You told us you have an elephant," Poppy said. How could Aru have an elephant - she lived in a museum.

Aru pointed at a stone elephant behind her. "I do!"

Poppy laughed. "You said you rescued it from India!"

"Well, Mom said it was salvaged from a temple, which is fancy talk for rescue -"

Poppy scoffed. Aru was lecturing them about fancy talk?

Burton pulled out his phone and began filming as Arielle accused, "And you said you have a cursed lamp!" 

"The cursed lamp is real," Aru announced. "I can prove it."

Dubiously, Poppy, Burton, and Arielle followed Aru into the museum. 

"Where's your mom anyway?" Poppy asked. 

"In France," Aru said pompously. "I couldn't go with her because I had to take care of the museum." 

"She's probably lying again," Barton said. 

"She's definitely lying," Arielle agreed. "That's the only thing she's good at."

Even though Poppy agreed, she did think that was a little harsh of her friends. Especially when Aru wrapped her arms around herself, looking hurt.

"I thought you said you had a condo downtown, but this dump was the address in the school directory," Arielle said. "So you actually live in a museum?"

"No? Look around - do you see my room?" 

And she's still lying, Poppy thought. 

"If you don't live here, then why are you wearing pajamas?" Arielle asked.