📍 CHAPTER 23 — “Shadow Ka Target Kaun?”
Subah ka time tha, par classroom 12 ki darwaza khula dekh kar Mehreen ekdum ruk gayi.
Kal raat to unhone clearly door band kiya tha… fir yeh kaun khol kar gaya?
Aarav peeche se aaya aur dheere se bola:
“Don’t panic… pehle dekhte hain andar.”
Dono jaise hi andar gaye, ek ajeeb si smell aayi—
jaise purane kagaz, mitti aur thodi si burned-plastic jaisi.
Mehreen ne apni sleeves se nose cover ki.
“Aaj to yahan aur bhi heavy feel ho raha hai…”
Aarav ne bina kuch boli, sidha blackboard ki taraf dekha.
Us par chalk se ek line likhi thi:
“SIRF EK KO CHUNA JAANE WALA HAI.”
Mehreen ki heartbeat literally ruk gayi.
“Ek ko? Kaun sa ek?!”
Aarav chalk writing ko closely check karne laga.
Yeh handwriting… definitely kisi student ki nahi thi.
💥 1. The Mark Appears
Mehreen ne apna bag desk par rakha…
aur usi moment usse ek cold shock feel hua.
Desk ke upar ek symbol tha—
chalk se nahi, kisi grey powder se bana hua.
Lotus.
Wahi lotus jo unhone hidden room me dekha tha.
Mehreen ke haath se bag gir gaya.
“Aarav… yeh mere desk par kyun hai?
Lotus symbol… mere desk par hi kyun?!”
Aarav ne turant uska haath pakda.
“No. Don’t touch. Symbol random nahi hota.
Kisi ne specific desk ko mark kiya hai.”
Mehreen ka gala sukh gaya.
“Matlab… main?
Mujhe choose kiya gaya?”
Aarav ka face stiff ho gaya.
“Ho sakta hai… ya phir koi hume confuse karna chahta hai.”
Par Mehreen ka face pale hota ja raha tha.
💥 2. Aarav Gets Another Warning
Bell bajte hi students aana shuru ho gaye.
Classroom normal behave kar raha tha…
except ek cheez.
Aarav ki seat par ek folded paper rakha tha.
Bilkul neat fold… jaise kisi ne carefully rakha ho.
Aarav ne dheere se khola.
Isme likha tha:
“Next chosen will be the closest.”
Aarav froze.
Closest? Matlab… Mehreen.
Mehreen ne uska expression dekha aur paper kheench liya.
Usne padte hi chair hold kar li, warna gir jaati.
“Aarav… it’s me. They’re after me.”
Aarav ne turant paper chhupa diya.
“Nahin, listen. Main hoon tumhare paas. Kuch nahi hoga.”
Mehreen ki aankhon me tears aa gaye.
“Par kyun? Maine kya kiya?”
Aarav kuch jawab nahi de paya…
kyunki khud use samajh nahi aa raha tha.
💥 3. New Teacher’s Suspicious Entry
Door se ek unfamiliar aawaaz aayi.
“Good morning, class.”
Ek new substitute teacher andar aayi.
Grey saree, sharp eyes, calm posture.
Students confused ho gaye—
kyunki unki regular teacher to sick leave pe thi…
par school ne kab substitute bheji?
Teacher ka naam board par likha gaya:
“Ms. Kavya R.”
Par kaafi students ne notice kiya…
wo chalk pakadte waqt uski ungliyan thodi blackened thi.
Jaise usne kuch powder touch kiya ho.
Aarav ne Mehreen ko slow whisper kiya:
“Notice kiya? Uske nails…”
Mehreen ne slow nod kiya.
“Haan… same grey powder jaisa symbol par tha.”
Un dono ke dil ek moment me suspect ho gaye.
💥 4. The Strange Roll Call
Class shuru hota hai.
Par roll call ekdum weird style me hota hai.
Normal teachers alphabetically names bolti hain…
but Ms. Kavya randomly bench numbers call kar rahi thi.
“Bench 3… Bench 6… Bench 1…”
Students confused.
Jab wo “Bench 4” boli—
Mehreen ne haath uthaaya.
Us moment teacher ne usko ekdum intense nazar se dekha.
Aisi nazar… jaise wo Mehreen ko pehchanti ho.
Aarav ka blood freeze ho gaya.
Teacher ek sec ke liye bilkul still khadi rahi.
Then normal tone me boli:
“Okay… noted.”
But Aarav ne clearly dekha—
teacher ka pen mehreen ke naam ke andar ek dot banata hua.
Aarav whisper karta hai,
“Yeh koi simple attendance nahi le rahi.”
Mehreen ka throat dry.
“Mujhe pata tha… kuch na kuch aaj hoga.”
💥 5. Lunch Break ka Chaos
Lunch break hote hi sab students bhaar nikal gaye.
Par Mehreen aur Aarav classroom me hi ruk gaye.
Mehreen trembling voice me boli:
“Aarav, mujhe lag raha hai koi mujhe track kar raha hai.”
Aarav ne uska hand hold kiya (sirf support):
“Jo bhi hoga, hum milkar handle karenge.”
Suddenly, unke peeche se cupboard ka door thapak se band hua…
Dono ekdum ghoom gaye.
Cupboard me koi nahi tha.
Par ek chhota sa slip bahar pada tha.
Aarav ne uthaya.
Ispar likha tha:
“The chosen sees the shadow first.”
Mehreen ka haath Aarav ke haath se slip ho gaya.
“Matlab… mujhe shadow dikhne wali hai?”
Aarav ne stubborn tone me kaha:
“Nahi. Hum phir jaayenge us hidden room me.
Waha answers milenge.”
Mehreen ki aankhon me darr tha,
par wo gusse me boli:
“Fine. Mujhe yeh cat-and-mouse game nahi khelna.”
💥 6. Hallway Ki Flickering Lights
Dono classroom se nikle hi the ki hallway ki lights ekdum flicker-flick-flick karne lagi.
Aarav ne torch nikali.
Mehreen ke saamne wall par ek black shadow run kiya…
bilkul fast… bilkul silent.
Wo hawa nahi thi.
Wo kisi insaan ke jaisa nahi tha.
Par shape definitely human thi.
Mehreen ne literally choke kiya:
“AA—Aarav… woh… woh kya tha?!”
Aarav ne uske shoulder pakde.
“Shadow. But tumne dekha…
Matlab—”
Mehreen ne uski baat kaat di.
“Don’t say it. PLEASE.”
Aarav chup ho gaya.
Lights ek sec ke liye band ho gayi…
aur jab wapas jali…
wall par ek fresh message tha:
“ONE OF YOU WILL BE TAKEN.”
Mehreen ne Aarav ke arm ko pakad liya tightly.
“Taken? Matlab… kidnapped? Ya kuch aur?”
Aarav ne message ko wipe karne ki koshish ki…
par powder uske haath me chipak gaya.
Same grey powder.
Same.
💥 7. Ending Twist — The Teacher Knows
Dono bhaagte hue wapas classroom 12 ke paas pohochte hain.
Aarav door kholne hi wala tha ki peeche se ek calm voice aayi:
“Aap dono yaha kya kar rahe ho?”
Dono ghoomte hain.
Ms. Kavya unke peeche khadi thi.
Uske haath me file thi—
same old file jise Aarav aur Mehreen ne hidden room me dekhi thi.
Mehreen ka breath ruk gaya.
“Aapke paas… yeh file kaise?”
Ms. Kavya ne dheere se muskuraya.
Aisi muskurahat jo supportive nahi…
jaise wo kuch zyada jaanti ho.
“Aap logon ko toh yeh milni hi thi.
Aakhir… selected students aise hi hotay hain.”
Aarav ek kadam peeche hota hai.
“Selected? Matlab kya?”
Teacher ekdum near whisper me boli:
“Shadow kisi ko random choose nahi karta.”
“Wo sirf unke paas jaata hai… jinke paas kuch lautaana hota hai.”
Aarav aur Mehreen dono freeze.
Usne file unke haath me thama di.
“Jitna samajhna hai… issme hi hai.”
Teacher turn lekar chali gayi.
Aarav aur Mehreen stunned khade rahe.
Chapter ends with:
File me ek naya page tha jo pehle nahi tha…
jisme seedha likha tha —
‘THE NEXT SHADOW HOST: MEHREEN A.’
Mehreen ke haath se file gir gayi.
✨ Chapter 23 Completed