One month later-
Inside A bustling classroom, students chattered away, their voices filling the air with excitement. Suddenly, the door swung open, and the teacher entered, prompting an immediate hush as everyone hurried back to their seats.
"Settle down, everyone," the teacher announced firmly. "Today marks the beginning of your 12th-grade journey. Let's maintain good behavior from the start."
Despite the teacher's plea for silence, a few students in the back continued to whisper and giggle.
"Listen up," the teacher called out again. "We have three new faces joining us today. Could the three of you please stand up and introduce yourselves?"
Rising to their feet were two identical-looking girls and a tall, handsome boy with dark skin and a confident demeanor.
Pointing towards the boy, the teacher prompted, "Introduce yourself, please."
Meanwhile, from the rear of the classroom, a girl leaned over to her friend and whispered, "That boy has such a cool vibe, don't you think?"
"And he's really good-looking despite his dark skin." Another girl said
The boy caught wind of their conversation and raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "What's with these people? They're so wired "
Clearing his throat, he confidently introduced himself, "I'm Aria Roy, transferred here from Nextfly College."
Following suit, the twin girls introduced themselves as Manika and Anika from Burmanagar College.
Just then, a voice called out from the doorway, "May I come in, sir?"
The teacher's eyes widened in surprise. "Samiul? Is that you?"
Indeed, it was Samiul—but he looked completely transformed, taller, more handsome, and exuding a newfound charisma.
The entire class turned to look at Samiul in astonishment.
"No way, is that Samiul?" murmured one male student.
"How is this even possible?" another female student whispered.
"He looks like a model now!" Another female student whispered.
The atmosphere in the classroom buzzed with intrigue and curiosity as everyone tried to make sense of Samiul's remarkable change.
After taking his seat, Samiul noticed that all eyes were still fixed on him.
Samiul thought to himself, "Have I really changed that much? First, the facial recognition software couldn't identify me, and now everyone in the classroom is giving me strange looks."
Turning to his side, Samiul glanced at the unfamiliar girl beside him and silently wondered, "Who is she? I've never seen anyone like her in this school."
The girl noticed Samiul's curious gaze and smiled, saying, "Hi, I'm Anika."
"Oh, sorry about that," Samiul replied. "I haven't seen you in class before, so I was curious."
"I'm a new transfer student," Anika explained with a smile.
"Ah, I see," Samiul responded, taking out his books from his bag.
Meanwhile, from another side of the room, Joy, Nohi, and Naem were seated, their eyes still fixed on Samiul.
Whispering to each other, Joy remarked, "How did this son of a bitch become so handsome all of a sudden?"
Nohi shrugged, replying, "Doesn't matter. He'll get beaten up so badly outside of school that his face will look like dog poop."
As the class began, three hours passed, and it was finally time for lunch. The teacher left the classroom.
Samiul took out his lunchbox from his bag when suddenly a boy approached him.
"Hey, Samiul, what's up?" the boy named Sobuj greeted.
Samiul smiled back, replying, "Hey, Sobuj, not much, just settling in."
"What happened to you, man? Did you get plastic surgery or something?" Sobuj asked curiously.
Samiul chuckled and shook his head. "No, nothing like that."
Sobuj continued to ask Samiul various questions about his transformation, and soon, other male and female students joined in.
Observing the commotion from a distance, Aria turned to the student beside him and remarked, "This class is so strange. What's the deal with that boy? Everyone seems shocked."
The student nodded knowingly. "Oh, that's Samiul. He used to be short and not so good-looking just a month ago, and suddenly he's transformed this much. It's quite shocking for everyone, including me."
After a few moments, Samiul walked outside and sat on a bench beside the school pond. He thought to himself, "I managed to dodge their questions for now. I told them about my workouts and exercises—even tho it's not true, but it's up to them whether they believe me or not."
A crow flew down from a nearby tree and perched beside him.
"Hey kid, looks like you're having a tough time at school. I warned you not to go or start school . School won't change your fate—it's already fixed" the crow remarked.
"I know, but I just want to live like a normal person, even for a little while," Samiul replied.
"Let me remind you of something. Every human who agreed to the angelic contract has already passed their test. You're the last one left, and that makes you the weakest," the crow said seriously.
"I know I'm weak. That's why I struggle. I always try my best, but I end up failing every time," Samiul admitted.
The crow nodded knowingly. "Yes, I've always seen you as weak from the beginning. That's why I decided to have a little fun with you that day.
Aria was looking at Samiul from behind and saw Samiul was talking with no one.
[ The crow is invisible to other human ]
33 Days ago ------
[ Now this part of the story is about the 33 days which is skipped in the story ]
Samiul, Tanvir, Samiul's mother Tanisa, and Samiul's father Sajib were gathered around the dinner table. The atmosphere was tense as Sajib broke the silence, announcing, "I will be out of the country for a month. Tanisa, help me pack my things."
"Dad, where are you going?" Tanvir asked, seeking clarification.
Sajib remained silent, adding to the air of unease. Tanvir then spoke up again, "Are you angry with me, Dad?"
"I don't want to talk with a failure son. Show me good marks in your half-yearly exam, then we can talk properly," Sajib retorted, his words cutting through the silence.
"Dad, he's just a child. Your words hurt him," Samiul interjected, defending his younger brother.
Turning to Samiul, Sajib's tone shifted, "And what about your results, Samiul? Focus on your grades before lecturing others."
The room fell silent once more, tension hanging heavy in the air.
Breaking the silence, Tanisa spoke softly, "You didn't mention this trip earlier. Is this a sudden job project?"
Standing abruptly, Sajib replied curtly, "Just pack my things first."
With that, Sajib and Tanisa left the dining table, leaving behind a lingering sense of unresolved tension.
---
Later that evening, Samiul lay on his bed, thoughts swirling. "So much happened today, but I can't shake off last night's dream," he mused to himself.
Sitting up, Samiul reflected, "Today showed me who my true friends are." Determined, he pulled out his phone, opened Vbook (a social media platform), and began blocking certain accounts from his friend list.
Samiul lay down in bed, his eyes closing as sleep overtook him.
When Samiul opened his eyes again, he was startled to find himself tied to the same cross-shaped pillar from his recurring nightmare. Fear gripped him as he realized he was stuck in the frightening dream once more.
"Oh no, not again," Samiul thought, feeling scared.
Suddenly, just like the night before, scary creatures emerged from a pool of blood, and a dark portal opened, starting the torture all over again.
As the creatures hurt him, Samiul struggled to understand. "It's just a dream, right? Why does this pain feel so real?" he wondered out loud.
He was screaming from inside but his mouth didn't open.
Time dragged on as the torture continued relentlessly, making Samiul feel like it would never end.
In the middle of the torment, the crow showed up in the nightmare, putting a sand clock to look at time passing.
To be continued..