**Chapter 1: The Shadow in the ruins
Viraj sat at the very last bench of Class 10B on the third floor, his black hair falling slightly over his brown eyes. He stared out the window, ignoring the maths lecture droning on at the front. Down on the school ground, younger children from the primary section ran around laughing, chasing each other without a single worry. *I remember those days,* he thought. *No exams, no pressure, no responsibilities—just pure fun.*
A shadow blocked his view. Pratik—tall, athletic build, with that strange grey-white hair that always made him stand out—leaned over the desk, grinning. "What are you looking at, hero?"
Viraj pushed him back gently. "Stay away from me, idiot. If the bald sir sees us, he'll kill both of us."
Pratik pointed toward the front where the maths teacher—nicknamed "Baldy" by every student—was scribbling the solution to the current problem on the board. "Look, Baldy's already writing the answer. Pay attention, don't disturb me."
But Pratik kept inching closer, poking Viraj's shoulder. Viraj scooted his chair away. The noise finally caught the teacher's attention. Baldy marched over, stopping at the fourth bench with arms crossed. "What was I just teaching?"
Both boys froze. "Sir…" Viraj mumbled.
Pratik jumped up dramatically. "Sir! I know the answer!" he shouted.
The entire class turned to stare. Laughter spread like wildfire. Minutes later, both Viraj and Pratik stood outside the classroom, arms folded, facing the empty corridor as punishment.
When the final bell rang, school was over. They grabbed their bags and walked out to the main gate together. Pratik nudged Viraj. "Race to home? First one wins money."
Viraj raised an eyebrow. "How much?"
"Winner decides," Pratik said with a smirk.
Viraj snorted. "I know you're a sprinter. Don't cheat." Pratik started teasing him about being slow and "too studious," so Viraj just sped up his walk, leaving his friend laughing behind.
When Viraj reached home, his mother was already standing at the door, arms crossed. The second he came close, she asked the question he dreaded: "What were you and Pratik doing during maths class?"
"Nothing, Mom, really—"
"Oh, really?" She stepped forward. Viraj backed up quickly. "Uh… I forgot something at school!" He turned and started jogging away—slowly.
His mom grabbed his collar in one swift move and pulled him inside. The lecture was long and loud: how he was wasting time, how Pratik was a bad influence, how he needed to focus on studies if he wanted a good future. Viraj nodded through it all, ears red, until she finally let him go to his room.
Inside, his older brother was sitting at Viraj's computer. "What are you doing on my PC? Mom just shouted at me—if you mess something up, I'll get blamed again!"
"Relax," his brother said calmly. "I'm just doing my assignment. The Wi-Fi in my room is terrible. Nothing bad, promise."
Viraj sighed, changed into comfortable clothes, and collapsed onto his bed. Tomorrow was another day.
The next morning, on his way to school, Viraj took his usual shortcut past the half-finished building that had been abandoned for months—grey concrete pillars, twisted metal rods, plastic sheets flapping in the wind.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. "Aaaaaah! Help me!"
The voice came from inside the building—panicked, female, terrified. Without thinking, Viraj sprinted toward the sound.
In the dim, dusty interior, sunlight cut through broken windows in thin beams. On the ground lay a girl in a bright red dress, trembling, her face pale with fear.
"Hey—what happened?" Viraj knelt beside her, pulled his water bottle from his bag, and gently splashed some on her face.
Her eyes flew open. She grabbed his arm tightly and pointed with a shaking finger. "There… look there…"
Viraj followed her gaze.
In the deep shadows at the far end of the floor, something unnatural moved. Twisted limbs. Glowing eyes. A shape no normal human should ever see. His heart slammed against his ribs. Every instinct screamed to run—but his body refused to move.
To be continued…