Chapter: The Plan Above the Clouds
The digital clock inside the airport waiting room blinked softly.
02:47 AM
Most of the airport was quiet.
Only distant announcements echoed occasionally through the large terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Inside their private waiting room, twenty-five exhausted students were scattered everywhere.
Sleeping bags.
Couches.
Some sleeping on the floor.
Some leaning against bags.
After the desert… after the storm… after the chaos…
this was the first proper sleep they had in days.
Almost nine hours had passed.
---
Percy's Alarm System
Suddenly—
A loud clap echoed through the room.
Percy stood in the middle dramatically.
"RISE AND SHINE, SURVIVORS!"
Everyone groaned.
Alex threw a pillow at him.
"Die."
Ash pulled her blanket over her face.
"Five more minutes."
Ren muttered from the couch.
"Why are you like this at 3 AM…"
Percy grinned proudly.
"Because our flight leaves in fifteen minutes."
That woke everyone.
Chaos exploded instantly.
People grabbing bags.
Searching for shoes.
Checking passports.
Lyra bumped into Matt.
"Sorry!"
Matt blinked sleepily.
"I'm still in the Sahara mentally."
---
JJ Still Asleep
In the middle of the chaos…
One person was still completely asleep.
JJ.
Curled inside a sleeping bag like a small burrito.
Keifer walked over.
He crouched beside her.
"JJ."
No response.
He sighed.
"Jayjay."
Still nothing.
Percy leaned over and whispered loudly,
"Baby sistah is dead."
Keifer glared at him.
Then without another word…
He simply lifted JJ in his arms.
Princess carry.
JJ mumbled sleepily.
"…five minutes…"
Keifer smirked.
"Too late."
Percy immediately started laughing.
"BRO JUST STOLE HIS GIRL."
Aries crossed his arms.
"Careful."
Percy added dramatically,
"Protective brothers watching."
Keifer rolled his eyes.
"Relax."
But he still held JJ a little tighter as they walked toward the boarding gate.
---
Boarding the Flight
Their private jet to Ladakh waited on a quiet runway.
The cold air hit them instantly.
Lyra hugged herself.
"Okay… India is freezing."
Ash laughed.
"Wait till Ladakh."
They climbed the stairs into the jet.
Inside it was much smaller than the previous aircraft.
Two sections.
Front seats.
And a small lounge area in the back.
The HU administration guards sat near the front.
Watching quietly.
But they kept their distance.
That meant something important.
For the first time…
The students had space to talk privately.
---
The Secret Meeting
Soon a group gathered in the back lounge.
Care
Cole
Lyra
Ash
Alex
Keifer
And the six students from Hell University:
Ace
Race
Matt
Mia
Zein
Allison
JJ slept across two seats while Keifer sat beside her.
Everyone spoke quietly.
Care leaned forward.
Her expression calm.
Focused.
"Listen carefully."
The HU students immediately straightened.
This conversation mattered.
Care looked at each of them.
"You get only one chance to escape."
Ace nodded slowly.
"We know."
Care continued.
"The last day in Ladakh… when we leave for the airport."
She tapped the small table between them.
"That's when it happens."
Matt frowned slightly.
"How?"
Care's eyes sharpened.
"There will be two cars."
"Your administration's car."
"And another car."
She paused.
"Identical to the Thailand group's vehicle."
Kiefer leaned forward.
"You're switching the cars?"
Care nodded.
"Yes."
Race blinked slowly.
"That's… insane."
Cole crossed his arms.
"Continue."
Care spoke calmly.
"The guards will watch from distance. They won't approach unless they suspect something."
Lyra added quietly,
"So we give them nothing suspicious."
Ash smiled slightly.
"They'll think everything is normal."
Care continued explaining.
"When everyone moves toward the airport… you six get into the wrong car."
Ace frowned.
"The Thailand car?"
Care nodded.
"Yes."
"The guards will believe you're still inside their vehicle."
Alex leaned back.
"And by the time they realize…"
Cole finished.
"You'll be gone."
---
The Second Escape
Matt crossed his arms.
"Then what?"
Care answered immediately.
"You don't go to the international airport."
Zein looked confused.
"What?"
Care pointed to herself and the others.
"Indian students don't need international flights to go home."
Ash nodded.
"So we leave the group."
Lyra added,
"And take a domestic flight."
Cole said the destination quietly.
"Goa."
All six HU students froze.
"Goa?"
Care nodded.
"Yes."
"There's a private mansion waiting there."
Ace stared at her.
"You prepared a hideout?"
Care replied simply.
"It's already yours."
Silence filled the lounge.
---
Visa Solution
Allison suddenly asked the biggest question.
"What about visas?"
Care didn't even hesitate.
"You'll receive permanent educational visas."
Matt blinked.
"That's impossible."
Care shook her head slightly.
"No."
She looked at them calmly.
"You'll transfer to a university in India."
Ash smiled.
"Our university."
Lyra finished softly.
Aranya University.
Zein whispered slowly.
"You arranged admissions… too?"
Care nodded.
"If you agree."
Ace leaned back in disbelief.
"This is insane."
Race shook his head.
"Not insane."
He looked at Care.
"Strategic."
---
Cole's Question
Cole had been quiet the whole time.
Watching her.
Studying her.
Finally he spoke.
"How?"
Everyone looked at him.
He continued.
"You planned visas."
"Admissions."
"Transport."
"Safe house."
"Replacement vehicles."
"And immigration bypass."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"When exactly did you do all that?"
Everyone turned toward Care.
She leaned back in her seat calmly.
"When we were in Delhi."
Lyra smirked slightly.
Ash chuckled quietly.
Cole stared.
"In a few hours?"
Care shrugged lightly.
"I have my ways."
Alex muttered beside him,
"That's the most terrifying sentence she says."
Keifer laughed quietly.
"You're telling me."
---
Unexpected Emotion
For a moment no one spoke.
The HU students looked at each other.
Six people who had grown up in a place where survival meant watching your back every night.
Now someone had quietly built an entire future for them.
Mia's eyes suddenly filled with tears.
Before Care could react—
Mia stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you…"
Zein immediately joined her.
Wrapping her arms around Care too.
"We didn't even know you… and you did all this for us."
Care looked a little surprised but gently patted their backs.
"You asked for help."
Allison smiled softly.
"You're unbelievable."
Even Ace—who rarely showed emotion—stood up slowly.
He walked over.
For a second everyone expected his usual cold expression.
Instead…
He pulled Care into a firm hug.
Like an elder brother protecting a younger sister.
"Thank you," Ace said quietly.
"For everything."
Care blinked slightly.
Then gave a small smile.
"You're safe now."
Race looked away quickly.
"Don't get emotional. We haven't escaped yet."
Matt laughed softly.
"Still… this feels different."
Mia nodded.
"For the first time… we actually have hope."
---
The Flight Continues
Outside the window…
Dark mountains slowly appeared in the distance.
The first signs of Ladakh.
The next battlefield.
Inside the plane, Percy suddenly shouted from the front cabin.
"WHO ATE MY CHOCOLATE?!"
Everyone in the lounge jumped.
Ash groaned.
"Chaos has returned."
Lyra laughed.
"Good."
Cole leaned back in his seat quietly, still thinking about the plan he had just heard.
Alex stretched lazily.
"Honestly… this group is insane."
Keifer glanced at JJ sleeping beside him.
"Yeah."
He smiled slightly.
"But somehow… it works."
The plane continued flying toward the cold mountains of Ladakh.
And toward the moment when everything would change.