She Never Walked Away
Najma didn't raise her voice.
She didn't rush.
She simply stepped between Twinkle and the boys.
"Last warning," Najma said calmly.
One of them scoffed. "And what are you going to do?"
Najma tilted her head slightly—as if assessing a threat that didn't exist.
Then she moved.
It happened too fast for Twinkle to follow.
A sharp twist of the wrist.
A knee to the stomach.
A body hitting the ground.
The laughter died instantly.
Najma turned, grabbing another by the collar and slamming him into the wall. His breath knocked out of him in a wheeze.
"Run," she said quietly to the third boy.
He didn't wait to be told twice.
The remaining two tried to get up.
They didn't succeed.
Najma stepped back, breathing steady—until a flash of pain crossed her face.
Twinkle stared. "You're bleeding."
Najma looked down.
A dark stain spread across her sleeve.
The boy she hadn't noticed had slashed her arm with something sharp before falling.
Najma swayed.
Twinkle caught her just in time.
"Najma! Stay with me!"
Her voice shook as she called an ambulance, her hands slick with blood.
Najma smiled faintly. "You should… listen better next time."
Twinkle sobbed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I didn't—"
Najma's eyes closed.
The hospital lights were too bright.
Too cold.
Twinkle paced the hallway, arms wrapped tightly around herself.
Saraswati arrived first—panic etched across her face.
Ranveer came seconds later.
"What happened?" he demanded.
Twinkle broke. "It's my fault. I told her to disappear."
Ranveer's jaw clenched—but his focus stayed on the operating room doors.
"She came back anyway," he said quietly.
Hours later, a doctor emerged.
"She lost a lot of blood," he said. "We need a transfusion. Immediately."
"What blood type?" Ranveer asked.
The doctor listed it.
Silence followed.
"No one?" the doctor asked sharply.
Ranveer stepped forward. "Test me."
They did.
It didn't match.
Rangeer arrived, breathless. "Test me."
Minutes later, the nurse returned.
"It's a match."
Everyone froze.
Twinkle stared at him. "You… match?"
Rangeer nodded slowly, confusion on his face.
The doctor didn't waste time.
As Rangeer was wheeled away, Ranveer stood frozen.
Why would Rangeer match when no one else did?
And why did Najma's blood refuse to belong?