Chapter 1: The Poisoned Tiffin
The elite St. Jude's Academy in Kota was buzzing with tension. Today wasn't an ordinary day; the International School Inspectors and news reporters were due any moment for a grand inspection. A single mistake could ruin the school's reputation forever.
In the staff room, the atmosphere was deceptively calm. It was lunch break. Five teachers sat around the large mahogany table, sharing their meals. Among them was Miss Eleanor, who looked pale and exhausted. No one knew that the previous night, consumed by a blind rage due to a heated family dispute, Eleanor had done something unthinkable. In a moment of mental breakdown, she had mixed a lethal cleaning chemical into her own leftover food, intending to end her misery.
But sleep had wiped her memory clean. That morning, she had mechanically packed that same poisoned tiffin and brought it to school.
As they laughed and shared their food, the tragedy struck. Eleanor took a few bites, drank some water, and suddenly, her face turned blue. She began to gasp for air, her body convulsing violently before she collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
The other four teachers—Catherine, Sarah, Diana, and Maria—froze in horror. They knew the timing couldn't be worse. If the inspectors or the media saw a teacher poisoned in the staff room, they would all be blamed. Their careers, their lives, and their freedom were now on the line.
Just then, the sound of a heavy door opening echoed through the hallway. But it wasn't the inspectors.
A 13-year-old boy, Aiden Vance, stood at the doorway. His eyes were cold, and a faint, mysterious smile played on his lips as he looked at the chaos. He wasn't surprised. It was as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.