Ever since that assembly, the world had flipped on Arman.
Whispers followed him down every hallway. Teachers avoided his eyes. Students stared like he was infected. All because someone pretended to be him — the Thought Broker — and used his power to humiliate a teacher.
And the worst part?
They did it perfectly.
Rina walked beside him, her face calm but tense. "They're not just copying you," she murmured. "They're trying to erase you."
He nodded. "Then I'll make them show their face."
---
The computer lab — locked.
His secret meditation zone, where he trained his mental focus, where he thought clearly — shut down. A sign on the door read:
"Under Maintenance – Students Keep Out."
Arman frowned. "This isn't random. They're blocking me."
"They know what you do in there," Rina said quietly. "They know too much."
He looked around.
Someone had been watching.
---
That night, back in his dim bedroom, Arman stared at the mind-map he made on his wall. Red strings. Names. Questions.
Who could mimic his abilities?
No one was born a Thought Broker — unless… they weren't mimicking at all.
"What if they have help?" Rina asked. "A whole team spreading rumors, planting audio, watching you."
"A team…" Arman whispered.
It made sense. The scale of the lies. The speed. The coordination.
He needed to find the weakest link.
---
He found him the next day. A shy boy who hung around school, playing mobile games near the lab.
"Hey, Sayeed," Arman said. "Want 500 taka? Just deliver this note. Don't read it."
Sayeed nodded fast and ran off with the folded paper.
Inside was a single line:
"Rina knows your secret. She's exposing you at 8 PM tomorrow."
It was bait.
---
Next Day, 7:50 PM.
The school courtyard was quiet. Rina stood under a flickering light, alone.
Then came footsteps.
Someone in a hoodie stepped out from the shadows.
"You shouldn't have interfered," the voice said. Male. Cold.
"You're not Arman," Rina said.
"No," the faker replied. "I'm better."
That's when the floodlights turned on. Arman appeared from behind a tree, phone in hand.
"Smile," he said. "You're live."
The faker froze.
Then… he laughed.
And slowly pulled off the hood.
Rina's eyes widened.
Because the face underneath—
was hers.
---