A Dark Love

Chapter 2

Pia stepped off of the bus and looked around. The bus ride had been pretty tiring, but thank God, she had slept well while on the train.

Her surroundings looked calm and serene compared to the city's usual hustle and bustle. It was almost evening, and she was starting to worry. When she glanced around, she spotted a tea stall at the side of the road. Without any other options, she approached it and asked the man there, the directions to the college.

He eyed her curiously. "Mam! You are not properly in Dehradoon. You can go two ways. You could take the road, which would take an hour to get to the college, but the next bus into the city won't be in for another half hour."

"Oh, no. It's getting dark. I need to go there soon. Isn't there any short cut or something?" She was starting to freak out.

The man said cautiously, "There is a way but..." His voice trailed off.

"But what?" she asked.

"There is a way through the jungle. It directly opens near the college entrance and would take only fifteen minutes, but it's both dangerous and unsafe to venture into the woods alone, especially after dark," the man replied.

She was pretty sure she had to report to the college within the next half hour before it closed... She had to take the jungle route.

She had to hurry before it got dark. The stallman had warned her that the forest gets mysterious and dangerous then. After he told her about the path she should take, she thanked him and started to walk towards the jungle.

An old man, sitting there, who have been watching Piya, says to himself, "This jungles are full of mystery, some unknown person will care to unravel it. Sometimes the traveller chooses the path. But sometimes, the path selects the traveller. "

Keeping to the path, she picked her way cautiously through the forest. She figured she was halfway through the jungle, when suddenly she noticed a blur move past her. Immediately she stiffened, but when she turned around, there was no one. Starting to get scared, she quickened her pace.

The wind blew eerily as if to warn her... It made her even more uneasy. She started to sweat.

"No, no, no... No, I can't die like this. God, help me. Mamma, help," she muttered, her fear increasing. She started to run as if her life depended on it.

Then she saw the clearing. Yes! She squealed with joy at finding herself in front of the college.

With a sigh of relief and with a huge smile plastered across her face she ran towards the college, and away from the forest.

**************

Tanushree, better known just as "T," was sitting at a table in the college's cafeteria. Her minions sat across from her.

"T, you should date Kabir this year. I mean, he is, like, the hottest guy at our college. You could rule them all. Remember Panchi and Danish? You could beat their record, too. Everyone thinks that they are the golden couple and the star students, but this time we could totally show them who has the real power."

T nodded.

Just then Kabir entered the cafeteria, drinking from a water bottle.

She walked towards him and greeted, "Hey K! I have been looking for you."

"You have? Why?"

" I... uh..." She struggled for an answer.

A loud noise interrupted her: Misha, riding with her skateboard. She is an annoying junior and Panchi's little sister.