Indhu POV
It began like any normal day.
The school bell rang, corridors buzzed with half-sleepy energy, and we — the V5 — gathered near our class, laughing way too loudly about Rohan's terrible mimicry of our history teacher. (Honestly, if exaggeration were a subject, he'd top.)
That's when Swetha stopped mid-laugh.
"Guys…" she squinted toward the corner beneath the old staircase. "Was there always a locker there?"
We all turned.
There was something there.
Not a normal locker — it was much smaller, barely up to Aditya's hip. The color was strange too: ivory with a soft lilac tint. It looked… misplaced. Like it didn't belong to our school at all. What confused me more was that even teachers passed by without noticing it. I don't know why — but it felt invisible to everyone except us.
"We don't even have lockers in our school," I said, stepping closer, curiosity beating common sense.
Aditya tilted his head. "This feels like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Like, open it and boom — portal to the underworld."
"Okay, drama king," Charlotte rolled her eyes.
Still, none of us walked away.
The hallway was empty. First period hadn't started yet.
Rohan tugged at the handle. Locked.
"Challenge accepted," he grinned, pulling a paperclip out of his bag. "Emergency locker-breaking tool."
"Why do you even have that?" Swetha asked, laughing.
"You never know when mystery will attack," he replied, crouching like a movie spy.
That's when Charlotte leaned closer.
"Guys… look."
Scratched faintly into the metal, half-hidden by rust, was a name.
Charlotte.
Below it — 10:12.
The air shifted.
"What happens at 10:12?" I whispered.
Aditya shrugged. "We wait."
The bell rang.
10:12 AM
I didn't hear a single word the teacher said during first period. None of us did. Every few seconds, our eyes flicked to the clock.
Exactly at 10:12, the classroom door creaked open slightly. The teacher glanced up, then went back to writing.
That was our cue.
One by one, we slipped out.
Back near the staircase, the locker door was… open.
"We didn't open it," Rohan said.
"It opened on its own," Swetha replied, eyes wide.
Inside were five letters, neatly stacked. No dust. No rust. No age.
Each had our names written on them.
In our handwriting.
My heart thudded.
With shaky fingers, we each picked one.
Inside my letter:
You once thought of applying for head girl next year, but buried the idea thinking no one would believe in you. Today, you'll speak confidently in English class — and everyone will listen. You'll surprise yourself.
I swallowed.
By the end of the day…
Everything came true.
I answered confidently.
Swetha volunteered for a drawing game and stunned everyone.
Someone quietly told Charlotte she was their role model.
Rohan fell asleep and turned it into comedy.
Aditya lost his pen — and found a thank-you note from a junior instead.
By the time school ended, we rushed back to the staircase.
The locker was gone.
Just… gone.
No one remembered it. Everyone said it was never there.
I was fully convinced we'd just experienced something magical.
Until—
A senior caught us near the gate.
He looked exhausted. Embarrassed. Slightly annoyed.
"That locker?" he sighed. "That was mine."
We froze.
Turns out — he'd hidden it under the stairs to propose to his crush. The letters? Not magical prophecies.
They were hers.
We'd completely ruined it.
He scolded us — but not harshly. More like a disappointed elder brother. Took a deep breath… and let us go.
We walked away in silence.
Pure. Awkward. Guilt.
Then, just near the gate—
We burst out laughing.
"I knew it was too small to be magical!" I wheezed.
"WE REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS DESTINY," Rohan laughed.
"I feel bad," Swetha said, laughing anyway.
"Same," Charlotte added. "But also… this is so us."
Yeah.
We always get into trouble.
And somehow… we always survive it together.