Ivan returned home from school at 2:30 in the afternoon. Seeing Vikas's car parked outside, he knew they had arrived. After a brief "hello" to everyone, Ivan headed upstairs to freshen up before joining them for lunch. Ishaan, Myra, Vikas, and Arya were already seated at the table.
As they ate, Ivan spoke up casually, "Something strange happened at school today. My friend Zoya's companion, Twinkle, was telling me about her brother. He left home one night ten years ago and never returned." Ivan paused, glancing at the faces around the table. "Twinkle said he looked exactly like me—as if there was no difference between us at all."
A heavy silence fell over the room. The three of them nearly choked on their food, paralyzed by shock. They knew the truth—they had killed that boy. But they also knew they hadn't buried him. Ishaan's mind raced: How could a body left in the middle of the road simply vanish? Vikas and Arya were plagued by the same haunting thought: Has it really been ten years, and no one found him? We never buried him... so where did the body go?
Once lunch was over, Ivan retreated to his room. Seizing the moment, Ishaan, Vikas, and Arya huddled together in a secluded corner of the house, their faces pale with dread.
"This is maddening," Vikas hissed. "Ten years. It's been ten whole years! Has no one found that boy's remains? We threw his body in that shack and just left!"
"What shack?" Ishaan interrupted in a harsh whisper. "Have you lost your mind? We left him right there in the middle of the road and bolted!"
Arya cut in, eyes wide with urgency. "No, Ishaan, get a grip! You killed him on the road, yes, but Vikas and I carried the body to the shack and dumped it there. You were standing right behind us, watching the whole thing. Have you forgotten?"
"You're the one who's losing it!" Vikas snapped back. An intense argument broke out between the three, their voices hushed but desperate as they tried to keep their dark secret from leaking beyond the walls of the room.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Ivan lay on his bed, lost in thought. The words echoed in his mind: A boy who looked exactly like me... why was there no difference between Amardeep and me? Where did he disappear ten years ago?
His thoughts drifted back to the morning. I accepted that Uncle Vikas was just surprised to see me, but why that reaction? Why that blood-curdling scream? Did he know Amardeep? Did they kill him? Is Amardeep truly dead?
Back in the secluded room, the debate raged on. Vikas looked at Arya and said grimly, "We have to go back there. His skeleton should still be there."
"If someone took the body, why?" Ishaan questioned. "Would someone really take the fall for a murder? Only a fool—or someone incredibly calculating—would do that."
Arya nodded solemnly. "First, we check the spot. If no one has found him, the bones must still be there. But if we find nothing... then we are in serious trouble."