Novel Name: Where Spirits Learn to Breathe
Complete darkness. Only the sound of a thought:
"This world is so boring... there is no paranormal activity... and humans aren't reached advanced technology... ahh... my life is boring."
The scene shifts to Jaipur, in a high school classroom. On the last bench, a 16-year-old boy is sitting with his head down. His name appears: Vansh, Age 16.
Some boys approach Vansh and rudely tap him on the head.
One of them says in a mocking tone,
"Hey, Laudo, give your lunch."
Vansh, looking slightly scared, raises his head and replies in a normal tone,
"I didn't have a lunch box today."
The boy, still teasing, says,
"Oh really... so today you didn't bring our lunch, huh?"
He tightly and flamboyantly squeezes Vansh's cheeks and continues in a mocking tone,
"Come on, Vansh. You are our friend, and it's a friend's responsibility to share something with friends, aren't you? Hey, check his bag."
One of the boys in the group grabs Vansh's bag. Vansh tries to take it back, but the boy who was squeezing his cheeks slams Vansh's face onto the bench table.
The boy's name appears:Saurabh.
Saurabh's appearance:fair skin, black eyes, messy hair, handsome.
Saurabh says teasingly,
"See, I told you he is lying to us."
The boy checking Vansh's bag is Lokesh.
Lokesh's appearance: brown skin, black eyes, modern mullet hairstyle.
Lokesh says in a teasing tone,
"Hey, I found it!"
Saurabh replies,
"Ahh... let's go then. And Vansh... you better not lie to us next time."
He tightly presses Vansh's head onto the table.
Other students either just watch, ignore the situation, or some secretly enjoy it. A few genuinely feel bad but don't dare intervene.
Saurabh was about to punch Vansh, but Lokesh stops him.
Lokesh says in a normal tone,
"I think we should go now... this damn lunch break will end in a few minutes anyway."
Saurabh clenches his jaw but finally releases his hold on Vansh. The two boys leave the classroom with Vansh's lunch box.
Vansh watches them go, then lowers his gaze at his table, disappointed in himself for not standing up.
Some students laugh.others still ignore the scene, while a few look sad for Vansh but do nothing.
Vansh's thoughts:
"Why do they bully me? Is it because they want lunch or something? Nah... they do it to feel stronger and superior. They bully weak people to feel power. Ahh... but this is the rule of nature: the strong always suppress the weak. No matter how much abuse or wrongdoing the strong commit, they always silence the weak, like powerful politicians who commit rapes, crimes, and illegal acts, yet reporters and media remain silent. Why? Because they have power. Weak people can do nothing because they have nothing. We can't do anything. After all, this is nature's law: if you are weak, you cannot survive; if you are strong, you get everything. Humans need to evolve with their environment and situation, or else they will be wiped out like many species in history. But how can I become strong? I try to learn to fight, but I'm inconsistent. I try to gain confidence, but confidence comes from skills, and I have none. The only skill I have is sketching... useless."
Suddenly, Vansh feels a tap on his shoulder. He looks scared. On his right side, a girl his age taps him.
Her name appears: Vaibhavi.
Vaibhavi's appearance: black hair in double ponytails, full lips, sharp eyes, sharp and perfect nose, fair skin.
On Vaibhavi's right side is a boy, Yash.
Yash's appearance: brown eyes, fair skin, wavy hair, sharp jawline, sharp eyes.
On Vaibhavi's left side is a girl, Ritika .
Ritika's appearance: black hair in double braids, fuller lower lips, sharp eyelids.
After Realizing that they were his friends, Vansh relaxed.
Vaibhavi shook Vansh's shoulder.
Vaibhavi said in a normal tone,
"Are you all right, Vansh?"
Yash asked in a worried tone,
"After we entered the class, we heard that Saurabh bullied you again?"
Ritika added in a concerned tone,
"Yeah, tell us. We can complain about this."
Vansh replied in a normal tone,
"Yeah, I'm fine… don't worry. And there's no point in complaining… after all, you know whose son Saurabh is."
Ritika said in frustration,
*"Yeah, yeah… we know… son of that bullshit politician."*
Yash looked at his friends and changed his tone to cheerful, trying to lighten the mood:
"Hey, hey… no need to be frustrated. Well, Vansh, you can eat with us—have our lunch."
Vaibhavi said normally,
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Lunch break is going to end soon anyway."
Ritika walked to her bench and brought her lunchbox to Vansh's table.
In a cheerful tone, she said,
"Let's eat."
Vansh looked at his friends and thought,
"Well, the best things in my life are my friends, Lavanya, and my mom."
After they finished their lunch, the bell rang. They all stood up and washed their hands. They returned to their benches and attended class.
At the end of the day, Vansh packed his things into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the classroom.
Vansh thought,
"Well, Lavanya messaged me to come to the chemistry lab… she usually doesn't do this. Well… let's go then, see what the matter is."
As Vansh walked toward the chemistry lab, his mind wandered:
"Well, Lavanya… she's popular, but not excessively. And she was the one who…"
Flashback:
A boy around age nine sat at his desk as some other boys of the same age looked at Vansh's sketch of Rouse. They burst out laughing. One boy said in a mocking tone,
"Look at this sketch… I can do this without practice… haha!"
They were about to tear the sketch when a girl's voice came from the background,
"Hey! Stop it, or I'll complain to the teacher!"
The boys dropped the sketch and walked away. A nine-year-old girl came to Vansh. It was Lavanya.
Lavanya's appearance: round cheeks, full lips, sharp and large eyes, double ponytail hairstyle.
In a sweet voice, she said,
"Hey, are you okay? What were they talking about? By the way, my name is Lavanya."
Lavanya looked down at the table and picked up the sketch of Rouse. The sketch was remarkably realistic for a nine-year-old. In amazement, she said,
"Hey… this looks almost real! How did you make it? No way those boys could make this without practice… it would take at least ten thousand attempts to reach this level."
Child Vansh only looked at Lavanya, captivated by her appearance. She looked at him and squeezed his cheeks. In a teasing tone, she said,
"Hey, what are you staring at, ahh? By the way, you didn't tell me your name."
Vansh, enjoying her touch, replied in a normal tone,
"My name's Vansh… Do you really like my sketch?"*
Lavanya said cheerfully,
"Of course, Vansh… please, can you make one for me?"
Vansh looked into Lavanya's eyes and nodded.
---
Five years later, after the bell rang, Lavanya sat with Vansh. Everyone had left the class and packed their bags. Suddenly, someone hugged Vansh from behind. His body tensed.
It was Lavanya. Smiling, she said in a cute voice,
"Vansh, I have to tell you something…"
She paused.
"I have feelings for you… will you accept it?"
Vansh looked shocked and surprised. How could someone like her have feelings for him, after all the bullying?* He asked in surprise,
"But… but… I got bullied every day, and you're the one who protected me… but it's supposed to be me."
Lavanya replied calmly,
"That's why I want you as my boyfriend… so I can protect you, Vansh. I really like you."
Vansh looked at her and asked nervously,
"And what if our relationship doesn't work?"
Lavanya smiled and said calmly,
"It will last… because in relationships, the girl must propose first. Girls have emotional sense—they can see the chance for a healthy relationship."
Vansh smiled and hugged her.
---
Present time:
Vansh remembered these moments as he reached the chemistry lab. The door was open. He thought maybe Lavanya had come early.
Inside, Vansh looked around, searching for her. Suddenly, he heard a girl's voice, intimate in tone. Vansh froze.
"Who the hell is doing this? Ah… leave it… where is Lavanya?"
The sound grew louder and more familiar. Vansh's face tensed and his body went on alert as he slowly walked toward the sound.
It became clear. Two people were kissing. The boy was Saurabh, and the girl was Lavanya.
Vansh's heartbeat raced. He got closer, shocked, surprised, and broken.
No one else was there.
He froze, feeling as if someone was screeching across his skin. His throat went dry, his mind blank.
"Lavanya??" he whispered in disbelief.
Saurabh and Lavanya stopped. Saurabh step back from Lavanya and look back at Vansh. Lavanya looked at Vansh expressionless. Saurabh's mocking smile appeared.
In a teasing, mocking tone, he said,
"Hey Vansh, look what I got… yours… oh, sorry, it's mine now."
Vansh clenched his fists, knuckles white, jaw tight. Tears streamed down subconsciously.
He walked slowly toward Saurabh, rage and heartbreak in his voice,
"Why… why… Lavanya? If you wanted this, you could have broken up… how could a girl like you do this? Is Saurabh blackmailing you?"
Lavanya, expressionless, said coldly and mockingly,
"Why would you think I can't? Of course I can… every girl does this when you have nothing."
Vansh felt as if someone was clawing at his heart.
In a broken voice, he asked,
"What about our five years of friendship and two years of relationship?"
Lavanya said coldly,
"I didn't care about those hollow and cheap feelings."
Vansh clenched his jaw and lunged at Saurabh.
"Bloody jerk!"
He punched, but Saurabh dodged and countered, punching Vansh in the stomach. Vansh fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.
Lavanya said coldly,
"See why I left you, Vansh… because you're weak and have nothing."
Saurabh bent to Vansh's level, grabbed his hair roughly, and said in a mocking tone,
"If I wanted, I could literally kill you here. And guess what? I wouldn't even go to jail… my father is a politician, he handles everything. But I didn't want to kill a weakling like you. You better leave Lavanya and stay within your limits."
Saurabh let go, stood up, and walked toward Lavanya. Vansh, still holding his stomach, watched both of them. In his heart, he thought,
"Lavanya… I know you're not like this… tell me what happened. You can't leave me like this. I know you so well.". Vansh try to reach Lavanya.
Saurabh stopped and kicked Vansh's face in frustration, mocking him,
"Laudo, I told you to stay within your limits… ahh… let's go, Lavanya."
Saurabh grabbed Lavanya's hand, and they walked toward the door.
Suddenly, the door opened. Vaibhavi entered. She looked at Lavanya, happy at first, but then saw Saurabh holding Lavanya's hand and the lipstick marks on his lips and neck. Vaibhavi understood immediately. She ran to Vansh and supported him to stand.
Saurabh laughed and walked out with Lavanya.
Vaibhavi turned to Vansh, anger and worry in her eyes. She helped him to a chair and said in a worried tone,
"Vansh, I understand what happened here… but I can't believe that Lavanya, a girl like her, could do this."
She bandaged him.
Vansh thought,
"Again, the powerful win, and the weak lose… so this is how nature works."
Vaibhavi said in worry,
"Vansh, I think we should complain…"
Her face fell in disappointment, thinking about Saurabh's father being a politician. She looked at Vansh and said,
"Well Vansh… we should go home. It's late."
Vaibhavi supported Vansh, and they reached his home. Vansh lay down on the bed, expressionless.
Vaibhavi sat at the edge of the bed, thinking,
"I didn't expect something like this… two years of relationship destroyed in a few minutes… I can't understand Lavanya… she seemed so innocent. I should talk to her."
Vansh said in a blank tone,
"Vaibhavi… what do you think she did this? I didn't do anything wrong… I loved her so much… she was the one who proposed…"
Vansh cried and covered his eyes with his hands. Vaibhavi felt a heavy lump in her throat, tears spilling.
Vansh whispered in broken words,
She was the one who said this beautiful line: 'This relationship will be long… because the girl must propose first… she can sense if a relationship will be healthy But what happened to her now?
Vaibhavi tapped his head. Vansh slowly drifted to sleep, exhausted.
Vaibhavi got up and walked to the door. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was her mother. "Hey Vaibhavi beta… come home, it's getting dark outside."
Vaibhavi didn't respond, cut the call, grabbed her bag, and left. She went straight to her room and sat on the bed. She thought,
"I hope Vansh doesn't attempt anything… I know he's not like that, but still…"
Vaibhavi lay down and closed her eyes.
---
A few hours later, scene shifts to Vansh's home. No one was there his mother was out of the city for work.
Vansh's room. He scrolled through Instagram to distract himself. His feed was full of sad content. Suddenly, a reel appeared—Aravalli Hills were about to be destroyed for mining. only above 100 meters would remain and outher will get destroy.
Frustrated, Vansh muttered,
*"What the hell is this? They want to mine Aravalli Hills, destroying Jaipur and nearby cities… This will affect even Delhi .
He put down his phone and got out of bed. He thought,
"Corruption is at its peak… is there no one to save this country and restore it as a golden bird? But what can we do? It's nature's law: the powerful always win, and the weak suffer."
Vansh went for a night walk. The memory of today's incident haunted him.
No matter how I try, I can't distract myself… why did Lavanya do this?
He grew sadder. A few minutes later, returning home, he saw many puppies, dogs, and some cows. They clung to him, showing affection. Vansh's tears flowed.
"These animals… it's painful. As a citizen of Bharat, I can't help them… but I promise, when I grow up, I will definitely help them."
He let them into his house's courtyard, then went inside and picked up his phone. He watched a horror story.
"Well, those spirits… they seem like an adventure… I've never seen spirits in real life… but I don't want to. They look scary, like they are made to kill humans."
Vansh lay down, set aside his phone, and closed his eyes. The incident replayed in his mind.
He felt something strange, as if someone was watching him… and then he fell asleep.
Vansh woke up and looked around. He realized… he was not in his room.