Adi found that he wasn't getting replies. He frowned. Normally she would answer after ten calls. He became worried. Something wasn't right. He got up and left the hospital.
He jumped out of the window and landed on the next building. He could fly. Not for a long time but this ability helped him in critical situations. He knew her dormitory room and jumped on the balcony. It wasn't hard to spot her.
She lay on the floor with books around her. The books he gave were strewn around her. He knew that something had happened. He opened the door and entered the room.
She was breathing but her breathing became slow. She wasn't responding to him.
"Vachi!"
Adi had no other choice. He opened his palm and a leaf emerged. The leaf floated and then fell on her forehead. She was then enveloped in a green light and then slowly her breathing stabilized.
Adi found that she was recovering now so he took a last glance and left.
Vachi felt like she was dreaming. She fell into a long dream and then she fell asleep.
It was dawn when Vachi woke up. She didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. She just felt like she was tired. It was good that she didn't have to go anywhere because the academy department party was today. She just had to be ready in the evening.
The party was not very good but Vachi met all her classmates. They were very much engrossed in eating and socializing. She watched the triplets eat the same food and act like cartoons.
Vachi roamed around and sat near the water fountain. She could see the other department parties from there. The villains had loud music blasting. The minions joined the villains and they were dancing.
Unlike villains and minions, sidekicks and superheroes had different parties. Vachi was hidden in the shadow so she wasn't noticed. She watched a fight too.
A super handsome guy was sandwiched between a girl and a guy.
"You like this kind of person," the guy poked at the handsome guy and asked the girl.
The girl apparently speechless, just stood there motionless.
"I'm not interested in her."
The handsome guy left the two of them.
He was really very handsome. Vachi watched him and calmed her heartbeat. She didn't want to develop a crush again. Prior to this, she crushed on stars and idols. This guy was similar to them.
"You are really discerning," A voice came from behind.
She jumped up.
Adi stood there wearing formal wear, like a prince from a movie. How long was he standing there?
"Hi!"
"You like him?" He asked.
"Whoa. He is so cute. I just like to see him."
"You know, liking starts that way."
"Ha. I'm not interested in relationships. I have much on my plate and I don't need a guy disturbing me."
Adi didn't say anything but sat beside her.
"You seem suddenly more familiar. Maybe because we are friends now, right."
"Maybe. So how did you read yesterday?"
She remembered the pamphlet.
"Is everything written in that true?"
"Well, I'm the descendant so it should be the truth."
"Oh."
They sat in silence.
"You know, my twin brother is here somewhere. I feel him near but something blocks us from getting close."
That should be worse. Near but can't meet.
"Your aptitude is not suitable for a minion, right?"
He smiled. Come to think of it, he was also handsome. Just because of his character and attitude, Vachi didn't acknowledge this fact. He was particularly cool in this outfit. Normally he looked like a serious and mischievous person but he was clearly not that. He should be someone who was very caring, sharp, smart, and camouflaging type of guy.
He clearly has villain attributes but he acted very well in minion class. If she hadn't seen him in action, she wouldn't have believed this.
"So why are you out?" She asked him.
"I saw you here so I came out."
"Oh."
This was becoming awkward very fast.
"Why didn't you stay inside? I thought parties were your thing?"
Well, parties were. But today it felt like something was different. She felt like she was different from yesterday and something was inside her that she didn't want to know.
"I don't know. I felt like coming outside."
They stayed there talking about nonsense the entire evening. It felt good. Vachi had only Avni as a friend.
And their class difference made things just as difficult as she had predicted. Avni didn't meet Vachi after they joined the academy.
Maybe the class differences will make them familiar strangers.
She would try her best to stop that. But she felt that this could really happen.
The next day was a day off. So Vachi had nothing to do.
There was a knock.
Vachi was surprised to find Avni standing there with food.
"You sure talked with the guy for a long time."
Wait, what?
"What are you saying?"
"Yesterday evening, I was waiting to meet you but you guys were so engrossed that you didn't notice me. So tell me, do you like him?"
"What? No!"
Avni laughed and cackled.
"Why are admitting it so fast, huh?"
Now Vachi had a headache. She didn't see Adi that way and she told so but Avni didn't believe.
Anyway, they ate and Avni told her all about sidekicks and superheroes.
There were eight superhero class members and one hundred sidekicks.
Compared to Normals, that was a bigger number.
"This year, the sidekicks made a bet that they will the Entry Cup. All the superheroes are super poised at them. I don't know how villains and minions do this. The tension can be felt from yesterday. So that's why they had different parties."
Well, Vachi's idea was becoming true. She had felt that the sidekicks were actually more powerful than the superheroes and that was somewhat right.
"So what do you say, how should we form teams?"
"There are a total of four hundred in our year and second years are nearly five hundred and lastly, the third years are seven hundred."
Vachi kept talking and thinking. Normally each team consisted twenty-five members. But she knew no one would join Normals not even her Normal seniors. So it was fine for Normals to form fifteen to twenty member team.
"How about me, two superhero friends of mine join your class?"
It's okay.
And Adi got his best friend to join them too. Adi had a reason. He wanted to observe the teams from a far perspective. His best friend just wanted to lie down and rest.
The Entry Cup was a yearly game to showcase team coordination. Any year student can form a team with any other, regardless of their specification. But no one really followed the rules. So the teams rarely had combinations but one group dominated in every team.
Consider Vachi's team which was dominated by Normals. Anyway, this was the norm. The only novel thing was that there were three superheroes in her team.
She didn't do anything but signed up. She got fifteen ID cards. The game was simple. Just snatch the ID card of your opponent. The team with the most ID cards won.
The whole academy was buzzing about this competition. It was a good way to show your abilities and gain recognition. The audience was the staff, lecturers, professors, and fourth-year students. There was a huge screen hanging in the middle which showed everyone the perspective they wanted to see selectively. This kind of technology was only available to the academy.
Vachi hadn't experienced in this and she had three years left before she could. She just waited for the members to arrive. The Normals arrived pretty early. They were not much excited but their attitude towards this game was easygoing. Everyone understood the truth here. They wouldn't win so they just came here for the fun of it.
The competition was actually among superheroes and supervillains. They alternatively won every year. So this year, the bet was on supervillains. Vachi didn't bet because she didn't like the odds. And because she didn't quite understand the team best.
But when Adi arrived, he quickly placed money and bet that their team would win. She didn't say anything. His money, his choice. Anyway, she didn't see them winning anything in the near future.
"Hi, beautiful. I'm Ansh. Nice to meet you."
Ansh was a tall, lanky guy with smiling eyes. He quickly became familiar with all the Normals. It felt like he was one of them.
Avni came with her classmates soon.
Now Vachi was surprised. It was the handsome she had net the day of the party. Actually, the guy she watched from behind the fountain.
Avni introduced them.
"This is Hima and her brother Chandra."
Well, Vachi felt that the more you run away from things, the more they chase you.
"So our team will be called Team 2320."
No one objected to that. And with the sound of the music blast, the match started.
All the teams headed inside the forest illusion and chose their home grounds.
Vachi then started making plans when the enemy attacked them.