Vaibhav woke up with a jolt.
His eyes flew open.
And the first thing that came out of his mouth was—
"I'M ALIVE??"
The classroom froze.
Thirty pairs of eyes snapped toward him.
Vaibhav blinked.
Chalk board.
Desks.
Fans whirring.
Students.
…School.
He swallowed.
Then—
The class burst into laughter.
Claps echoed.
Someone whistled.
Someone banged a desk.
Vaibhav looked around in slow-motion confusion.
He leaned toward Shlokh and whispered, "Bro… what happened? Did I die again in class?"
Shlokh tried very hard not to laugh.
Then whispered back, "Holy boyyyyyy… you just announced your survival in the middle of Maths."
Before Vaibhav could recover from that humiliation—
A familiar, deadly voice cut through the classroom.
"Vaibhav."
Every bone in his body stiffened.
The maths teacher stood near the board—arms crossed, face unreadable.
He pointed to the blackboard.
"Come here."
Vaibhav stood up like a man walking to the gallows.
As he moved forward, he muttered under his breath, "Great… survived existence… now I'll be killed by trigonometry."
The question was already written.
A trigonometric identity.
And for once—
Luck showed mercy.
He had solved this exact question last night.
Vaibhav picked up the chalk.
His hands still trembled…
…but memory was steady.
He wrote.
Line by line.
Step by step.
No mistake.
No panic.
When he finished, the class went quiet.
The teacher examined the solution.
Then, just one nod.
"You may sit."
That was it.
Vaibhav walked back in disbelief.
From the back benches—
"Sir, we were clapping for timepass…"
"…but looks like he turned hero today."
Soft laughter followed.
Shlokh leaned closer and whispered,
"Holy boyyyyyy… dramatic entry."
Then added with a grin,
"Genius."
Vaibhav finally exhaled.
Slowly.
Deeply.
He was alive.
Still confused.
Still shaken.
But—
Alive.
And for the first time that morning…
---
(Scene 2: After School)
The final bell rang, and the entire building exhaled.
Vaibhav and Shlokh walked down the staircase together, bags hanging loosely from their shoulders. The corridor buzzed with students rushing out, laughing, complaining, living their normal lives—something the trio could only pretend to do.
As they stepped onto the school ground, Shourya jogged toward them from his block.
"There you two are!" he shouted. "I swear, today felt like a year."
Vaibhav smirked. "Bro, everything feels like a year to you."
"Shut up," Shourya grinned. "Let's go eat. My soul is weak, my stomach is crying."
The three of them walked out of the school gate together, heading toward the small street shop they always visited.
The shopkeeper looked up as they approached.
Vaibhav leaned forward dramatically.
"Bhaiya, what do you sell here?"
The shopkeeper deadpanned, "Food."
Shourya instantly burst into laughter, bending forward and slapping his knee.
Shlokh bit his lip, trying so hard not to laugh that his shoulders shook.
Vaibhav just stared at the shopkeeper.
"…Fair enough. Three plates."
Soon, hot samosas and crisp masala dosas arrived.
The trio dug in like they hadn't eaten in days.
Halfway through the dosa, Shlokh paused and frowned.
"Bro… I swear I feel hungrier than usual today. And tired. Like… really tired."
Shourya pointed a finger dramatically at him.
"Look at that! Even the school's brightest student, the teachers' golden poster boy… also has weaknesses!"
Shlokh rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
Vaibhav chewed silently for a moment, mind elsewhere.
Paper is coming soon… and I have nine chapters of backlog out of fourteen… perfect… amazing… death is near…
He turned to Shlokh.
"Bro, what's your condition in chemistry?"
Before Shlokh could answer, Shourya slapped the table.
"THIS! This is exactly why I didn't take PCM. Even while eating, you bring up torture."
Vaibhav shrugged helplessly. "Real pain never leaves you."
They all laughed, finishing the last bites of their food.
The afternoon sun dipped slightly.
Crowds thinned.
The energy slowed.
Shlokh stood, brushing crumbs off his uniform.
"Alright, home?"
"Yeah," Vaibhav said.
"Let's go," Shourya added, stretching his arms above his head.
And with that, the trio split up at the crossroads, walking toward their own houses—still joking, still talking, still pretending everything was normal…
…even though something inside all three of them had already begun to change.
---
Scene 3 — Home: Sweet and Salty Home
Vaibhav finally reached home.
The moment he stepped inside, his mother's voice came from the kitchen—sharp, suspicious, classic-mom mode.
"Tell me one thing… did you eat something outside again today?"
Vaibhav froze.
"…Uhhh—no?"
His mom stepped out, spatula in hand, eyebrow raised like a judge delivering a verdict.
"Oh really? Then why do you look full? And why are you avoiding eye contact?"
Vaibhav gulped.
"A-actually, I'm just… tired."
His mom crossed her arms.
"Hm. I made your favorite food today. Don't tell me you already stuffed yourself outside."
Vaibhav tried his best innocent smile.
"I swear, Maa… just ONE dosa. And half a samosa. Maybe one-and-a-half—BUT that's it."
She sighed dramatically.
"You boys will eat anything from the street. At least wash your hands and come eat properly. And don't lie to me—you always look guilty when you lie."
Vaibhav muttered under his breath, "Why is my face my enemy…"
"What did you say?!"
"NOTHING! Coming!"
He rushed to wash his hands, and for the first time that day…
he felt completely normal.
Safe.
Home.
---
Final Scene — Peace
After dinner, Vaibhav went to his room.
The tiredness of the entire day finally settled into his bones.
He lay down on his bed, exhaled deeply, and placed a hand lightly over his chest—
Over the black stone.
A faint pulse echoed, calm… steady… quiet.
He closed his eyes.
For a few minutes, he focused on his breathing.
In…
Out…
In…
And slowly—
sleep pulled him in.
---
The Dream
Before sunrise…
A voice echoed through the darkness of his mind.
Ancient.
Calm.
Unhurried.
"Density is justified by fools.
Men create their own weight."
The words rippled across his consciousness like a wave of light.
Vaibhav's eyes snapped open.
His heart thumped.
He looked around his room—dim, quiet, untouched.
No presence.
No voices.
Just silence.
He turned his head toward the clock.
4:11 AM.
Too early for school.
Too late to go back to sleep.
He sat there for a while…
Wondering what the voice meant.
Wondering why it sounded like wisdom….
Peace off..
Chapter -6 HOME: FATUITY
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