The next morning, Arjun woke up earlier than usual. Normally he loved sleeping late, but today something felt different. The thought of the mysterious new girl kept coming back to his mind again and again.
He quickly got ready for college and left the house. On the way, he kept wondering about her.
"Who is she? Why did she look so quiet? And why did she disappear so quickly yesterday?" he thought.
When Arjun reached the college gate, his best friend Rohan was already waiting there.
"Oi Arjun! Why are you so early today?" Rohan asked with a teasing smile.
Arjun tried to act normal. "Nothing… I just woke up early."
Rohan looked at him suspiciously. "Hmm… I don't believe that. Something is going on."
Before Arjun could reply, the college bell rang and students started rushing toward their classes.
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere was the same as always—students chatting loudly, some scrolling on their phones, and a few trying to finish homework at the last minute.
But Arjun's eyes were searching for only one person.
And then he saw her.
She was sitting in the last row near the window. Her long black hair covered part of her face, and she was quietly looking outside, as if she didn't care about anything happening in the classroom.
Arjun felt his heart beat faster.
"That's her," he whispered.
Rohan followed his gaze. "Who?"
"The new girl," Arjun said softly.
Rohan looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "Oh… so that's the reason you came early today."
Arjun ignored him and kept looking at her. There was something strange about her. She looked calm, but also distant—like she didn't belong there.
Just then, their class teacher walked in.
"Good morning, everyone," she said.
The students quickly became quiet.
"I want to introduce someone to you all," the teacher continued. "We have a new student joining our class."
Everyone already knew who it was, but still they turned to look at her.
The girl slowly stood up.
"My name is Maya," she said in a soft voice.
That was all she said.
The teacher smiled. "Maya recently transferred here. I hope all of you will help her feel comfortable."
The class nodded, but whispers immediately started.
"Where did she come from?"
"She looks so serious."
"Maybe she's shy."
Arjun kept staring at her. Maya sat down again without saying anything else.
During the entire lecture, Arjun couldn't concentrate at all. His notebook stayed almost empty while his mind was full of questions.
After the class ended, Rohan nudged him.
"So… are you going to talk to her or just stare forever?"
Arjun hesitated. "I don't know what to say."
"Just say hello," Rohan laughed. "It's not that hard."
Arjun took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the last row.
Maya was packing her books into her bag.
"Hi," Arjun said nervously.
She looked up at him. Her eyes were deep and calm.
"Hi," she replied.
"I'm Arjun," he said. "If you need any help in college… you can ask me."
For a moment, Maya didn't say anything. Then she gave a small smile.
"Thank you."
Her smile was simple, but it made Arjun feel strangely happy.
Before he could continue the conversation, another group of students came to talk to her.
Feeling a little awkward, Arjun stepped back.
"See? That wasn't so hard," Rohan said when Arjun returned.
Arjun shrugged. "She seems… different."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know," Arjun said. "It's like she's hiding something."
Later that afternoon, the college day ended and students began leaving the campus.
Arjun was walking toward the gate when he suddenly saw Maya again.
She wasn't walking toward the main road like everyone else. Instead, she was heading toward the old building behind the college.
That building had been closed for years.
Arjun frowned.
"Why is she going there?" he murmured.
Curiosity took over.
He quietly followed her from a distance.
The path behind the college was quiet and almost empty. Trees surrounded the area, and the old building looked dark and abandoned.
Maya stopped near the entrance.
For a few seconds, she just stood there.
Then something strange happened.
She slowly looked around… as if checking whether someone was watching her.
Arjun quickly hid behind a tree.
His heart was beating fast.
"Why is she acting like that?" he thought.
When he peeked again, Maya had already entered the building.
Arjun hesitated.
Everyone in college said that building was locked and unused.
So how did she go inside?
After a moment of thinking, Arjun decided to follow her.
He slowly walked toward the door.
But as soon as he reached it, he heard a faint sound from inside.
It sounded like… someone whispering.
Arjun froze.
"Maya?" he called softly.
No answer.
The whispering sound stopped.
Suddenly, the door creaked open by itself.
Arjun felt a chill run down his spine.
The hallway inside was dark.
And at the far end of the corridor… he saw a shadow moving.
His heart started pounding.
"Did Maya come here alone…" he whispered.
"Or… is someone else inside with her?"
And at that moment, a quiet voice came from the darkness.
"Arjun… you shouldn't be here."
Arjun's eyes widened.
It was Maya's voice.
But somehow… it sounded completely different.
To be continued…