In dawn, the servants entered school grounds for their work. "How's it goin'?" Two male servants aged in thirties greeted the watchmen and went about their work when one of them named Babu closed around the clock tower's tiles and found stains mixed with the brown tiling.
Curious to the dried dark liquid which was distinctly visible upon close observation, he followed the trail to find a body lying under its pool of blood.
"Aahh! Brother! Brother!" He let go of the broom he was sweeping previously, like it was lit on fire.
Babu's brother, Golu was in the playground, snatching weeds when he heard his partner.
"Aye? Why are you cleaning your clothes? It was cleaned yesterday by your wife!" He commented seeing him rubbing his clothes furiously.
Babu stretched a pointed finger to the direction, as Golu followed it. The chaos began in the premises.
An hour later in Girls' hostel, Jasmine was up and shining with nude make-up to hit the tracks.
"No training for today." The lady on watch stopped her from leaving the gate.
Jasmine stared at the woman in disbelief. "You are the one who kicks us out to run when we want to be busy sleeping and now this? Why?" The changed behavior of this diligent woman appalled her.
"Instructions of Dean." Watchwoman answered stoically.
Jasmine stared the woman in braids and uniform such that fit for running anytime, anywhere when need arose to. Knowing she won't be able to outrun this one she tried to know the reason for such instruction. "Yeah so, I have to go and ask Dean why it is shut."
Thinking to be able to pass her, she was shocked to be thrown back inside five steps away. Damn this woman has strength!
"Go back and sleep."
Angrily Jasmine revolted, "I had prepared for loosing two inches of waist and you..." Seeing her tantrums were not working, Jasmine walked back upstairs in defeat.
Two minutes didn't pass when the watch found Jasmine down again. She cracked her knuckles in front of Jasmine.
"What? I am not going out! Just exercising on stairs." Giving a mean smile, she went back up. The security was equally tight in Boys' hostel which was excessively dramatic. The players never failed a day's drill which irritated them as it is.
Having badly hurt, Sweety needed to be treated immediately. It was due time until Rob returned back to his senses after violently vomiting the contents of champagne and pasta he ate that afternoon.
Just when he saw himself fine, he was met with two dead bodies. One of them was alive thankfully, just sleeping unconscious.
Quickly he had Sweety under observation and took her with difficulty down the tower, considering her weight, he was tempted to leave her just there but going back to the things she did for him in the past hours; Rob carried the girl on his back and made a run to get her safe.
Sweety found herself in a white room and clean surroundings with fewer furniture. When her eyes fell on the glass showcase of liquids and syringes, she realized she was being treated here.
The word treatment brought the cause to her mind. Panicked, she got up in an instant from her bed. "Oww!" Her neck and back hurt from the sudden waking up.
Sitting like that she roamed her eyes around, there was a considerable silence everywhere until she decided to get on her feet. Coming out of the room which was the Sick Bay, she saw the familiar corridors.
"So I'm in the hostel."
It was a matter of minutes before she reached her room which was two stairs high. It was painful but she needed to be in her own space. On the way she found the watchwoman Meera staring at her peculiarly. Sick bay was located on the ground floor to ease immediate treatments in emergencies. Why was she looking like she was a ghost?
Sweety felt Meera was about to say something but the woman only kept on looking. With a straight line smile, Sweety went up.
The entire floor was silent. Probably sleeping still. She entered her room and first saw her face in the mirror to which she gasped. No wonder that woman was looking at her scared.
As much the school shut its opening activities for the morning, the school was continued for the day.
"Really? But they didn't let me out to exercise! And we are supposed to go to school? How ridiculous!" Jasmine said hearing the news to be ready on time for the school is to be resumed.
Simran nodded, "There was some cleaning and shining required for the ground tiles due to which they did not want us to mess it."
Jasmine scoffed, putting her straight ironed hair back in style. "Tiles! We are going to walk on those. Ultimately, it is to be messed!"
They were speaking when Sweety holding her bag came out of her room limply. She turned to the corridor when Jasmine, Simran and others swept their eyes on her.
"What happened to you?" Simran asked the impounding question seeing the girl appeared bruised in the corner of her lips, elbow and wrists. "Were you kept hostage last night?" Simran figured the bruises to be the reason.
Such a 'hostage' news caused the world of girls to forget their work and pay all their attention to the new news.
Sweety opened her mouth to say no when the announcement blocked it through the speakers.
"Miss Sweety Roulette, you are required at the reception immediately!"
"Your parents? But school will start in 30." Simran asked to which Sweety shrugged. She did not know what was happening.
Rolling her eyes, Jasmine concluded, "Don't worry yourself Simran. She never says a word when she is supposed to."
Sweety looked at them, their faces told they believed it as truth. "Let me see what is it down. I'll tell you everything after I am done."
"Sure! We'll await your 'honest' response." Jasmine went away after saying that. These days she was being tingsy as to not knowing how to get close to Frank Wilson. Previously she hoped to ignite differences between Mr. Wilson and Sweety but that seemed to have no effect. And how the hell did she get back her locket? She should have destroyed it for good!
"Thanks man. I owe you my life." Rob thanked Tyler who contributed in yesterday's escapade. The mystery caller who rang Rob's phone periodically, giving off Julia's location.
Tyler smiled in content and jabbed, "I didn't expect your phone to have been in working condition after yesterday."
"It was safe in bushes. Just few scratches." He noted staring at the display of his phone badly cracked.
Post pleasantries, Tyler got to crux. "What happened to her?"
"She is resting in Sick bay."
"I am not talking of her."
Rob paused applying ointment to his bruises, switching off the speaker, he took the phone towards ear. "Taken care of." The tone let off from Rob was not one Tyler ever came across, neither did he wanted to.
Tyler knew, if his ex-friend Rob had enveloped his identity, he might have killed him by now for troubling him to get back the locket. Gulping shortly, Ty changed the conversation.