Smiles and Shadows
The evening air had softened by the time they stepped outside.
The noise of the market had faded into distant echoes, replaced by a quieter calm. Streetlights flickered to life one by one, casting long shadows across the pavement.
They sat together on a low stone ledge, snacks in hand.
For once, everything looked… normal.
But Liu still felt out of place.
Khushi was in the middle of yet another dramatic retelling of something that had definitely been her fault.
"—and then he said 'Miss Khushi, this is highly inappropriate,'" she mimicked in a deep voice, flipping her imaginary coat. "And I said—"
"You ran," Zia finished calmly.
"I strategically retreated," Khushi corrected.
Kirti smiled softly, feeding crumbs to a small animal that had wandered near her feet. It sat unusually still, as if it trusted her completely.
Liu watched them.
Listened.
But didn't feel like she was in the moment.
Zia noticed first.
"You've been quiet," she said gently, turning slightly toward Liu. "More than usual."
Khushi paused mid-sentence. That alone was rare.
"Yeah," she added, softer this time. "You can talk, you know. Or don't. But… don't carry everything alone like some tragic main character."
Liu blinked.
"I'm fine," she said automatically.
Harley, standing slightly apart from the group, didn't react.
She was watching.
Always watching.
Anaya, who had been sitting with them, tilted her head slightly, observing the group dynamic with quiet interest.
"You have good friends," she said to Liu, her voice light but her eyes sharp.
Khushi immediately brightened.
"Of course we are amazing," she declared. "Elite level friendship. Very exclusive."
Zia sighed, but there was a small smile on her lips.
Even Liu let out the faintest breath of something close to a laugh.
For a moment—
It almost felt real.
They started walking back toward the dormitory soon after.
The path was dim, lit only by scattered lamps and the glow of distant buildings.
Their footsteps echoed softly.
Khushi was still talking.
Kirti walked beside her, listening.
Zia stayed near Liu.
And Harley—
Harley slowed down.
Just slightly.
Her gaze lingered on Anaya, who walked ahead with an easy, effortless calm.
Too effortless.
Harley's eyes narrowed.
"Suspicious…" she murmured under her breath.
No one heard her.
Night settled quietly.
Too quietly.
The dormitory halls were calm, almost too calm after the chaos of the day.
Inside their room, Khushi collapsed onto her bed without even changing.
"I'm dead," she mumbled into her pillow. "If that professor finds me tomorrow, tell him I moved countries."
Liu didn't respond.
Within minutes, Khushi was asleep.
Completely.
Peacefully.
Liu envied that.
She sat by the window, knees pulled close, staring out into the night.
The sky was dark.
Still.
But her mind wasn't.
It hadn't been for a long time.
Something felt wrong.
Not outside.
Inside.
A faint unease crawled beneath her skin—
Then suddenly—
Pain.
Sharp.
Violent.
Liu gasped, her body tensing as she clutched the side of her neck.
The mark.
Itwas burning.
No—
Worse.
It was spreading.
A dim glow pulsed beneath her skin, faint at first… then stronger.
Her breathing became uneven.
The pain didn't stop.
Seconds stretched.
Then minutes.
She tried not to make noise.
Tried not to wake Khushi.
But it felt like something was tearing through her from the inside.
Ten minutes.
Ten long, unbearable minutes.
And then—
It stopped.
Just like that.
The glow faded.
The pain disappeared.
Leaving behind only silence…
And the faint outline of something larger than before, hidden beneath her collar.
Liu's hands trembled.
"What… is happening to me…" she whispered.
Far away.
In a building that never saw daylight.
A screen flickered to life.
Symbols moved across its surface like living things.
A figure stood in front of it, their face hidden in shadow.
"Target confirmed," a voice said calmly.
Another voice responded from the other side of the screen.
"Observation phase ends soon."
A pause.
Then—
"Prepare retrieval."
The screen went dark.
Morning came too quickly.
Liu hadn't slept.
Dark circles shadowed her eyes, deeper than before.
Her body felt heavy.
Unstable.
As if something inside her hadn't fully settled.
The classroom buzzed with low chatter.
Students filled their seats.
Among them, someone new sat quietly near the window.
Ayushi.
She looked… ordinary.
Brown eyes.
Square frame.
Hair a mix of black and brown, loosely tied back.
Nothing about her stood out.
And yet—
She wasn't paying attention to the room.
Her focus was on the small glowing screen in her hand.
A call.
"…yeah, I'm here," she said quietly. "No, they don't suspect anything."
A pause.
Her eyes lifted slightly.
Just for a second.
Scanning.
Observing.
Then she leaned back in her chair, her expression returning to something neutral.
"Relax," she added softly. "I'll handle it."
The call ended.
Ayushi placed the device down.
And finally—
She looked toward Liu.
Liu felt it.
That same unease.
Again.
Stronger this time.
Something had started.
And whatever it was—
It wasn't going to stop.