Chapter 2: Settling In

 JWALA’S POV

Third class at Astralis was about to begin, and I was already feeling like a nobody. What would it take to prove my worth?!

I glanced at my palm. Another text from my mother. Of course. She seemed more excited about me being here than I was, constantly checking in as if I were still in her shadow. I had thought that coming 380 million light years away from home would give me some space, some peace from her hovering, but no. She was relentless.

Sigh. I thought Astralis would be a fresh start, but instead, I found myself missing Jupiteron Academy. Not the people, per se—I never really had any deep connection with my so-called “friends” there—but at least I knew where I stood. Even if my mother hadn’t approved of any of them, it was easier. Now, those friends were probably going to some run-of-the-mill university on Jupiter.

But me? I had no doubts about getting into Astralis. I was meant for greater things.

Or so I thought.

Slowly, the weight of this place was sinking in—the vastness of the curriculum, the sheer brilliance of everyone around me. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I had imagined. Everyone here was a genius in their own way, and that realization was gnawing at me, feeding my insecurity.

Take the girl sitting in front of me, for instance. She was absolutely gorgeous—curly black hair that practically glowed, with an air of intelligence about her. I had learned her name was Pruthvi. I had wanted to befriend her, thinking maybe she’d be the type who’s all beauty and no brains. But no, that wasn’t the case. She was smart, outgoing, and always seemed to have the right answers in class.

 And then there was the other girl. The shorter one. For a while, I thought she was a guy—short purple hair, those ridiculous glasses—but then she spoke up in class. Antariksh. That was her name. I couldn’t quite figure her out yet. She was always with Pruthvi, like a shadow, and they seemed inseparable.

I wanted to make friends with Pruthvi, but Antariksh was always there, like an obstacle in my way. Something about her annoyed me, and I couldn’t put my finger on it yet. But if I had any hope of standing out in this sea of brilliance, I needed to break into their circle. I just wasn’t sure how.

A knock on the door yanked me out of my thoughts, and there he stood. The flash of red from his hair was almost blinding, the color so vivid it momentarily threw me off. I couldn’t help but stare. He wore a sharp black suit and held a coffee in his hand like he owned the room.

“Excuse me,” he said, his deep voice slicing through the air. The whole class fell silent, an unusual stillness settling over everyone. All eyes were on him, but he seemed to look at no one in particular.

He walked in with a calm, almost commanding presence, then looked up at the class. “Good morning. I want to begin our first physics class at Astralis with a question. A question that, under normal circumstances, might have been considered difficult,” he paused, eyeing the room. “But since you’ve all been handpicked as the brightest minds from different corners of the galaxy, this question should require little thought.”

He turned and began writing on the blank screen in front of us, his movements smooth, assured. Everything about him reminded me of Tej.

Tej—my brother. He was the eldest in our family of four, the one who stood out with his fiery nature. We both inherited the fire trait from our father, while my mother and my two sisters were, in a way, ordinary, without any pronounced powers. And then… tragedy. A violent, incomprehensible incident that left only my mother and me alive.

Tej had been my guiding light. He was studying physics, just like this man in front of me, and he had taught me to love the subject. He was strict, but kind, always pushing me to be better. But when he was gone... that light vanished, leaving nothing but a void.

And now, looking at this professor—Agni, they called him—I couldn’t help but feel like I was staring at a ghost. There was something about him, something in the way he moved, in the way his red hair shimmered like flames, that reminded me of Tej.

My heart pounded as I stared at the question, trying to make sense of it, but it was no use. The integrals, the variables—it all swam in front of my eyes. I glanced around the room, noticing some of the others already working, confident and focused. Of course, they were. Everyone here was a genius.

I clenched my teeth, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on me. This was my chance to prove I deserved to be here, but I was stuck. Then I saw her again—the purple-haired girl, Antariksh, scribbling furiously in her notebook.

I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t stand her being so far ahead, so effortlessly smart. The answer was probably right there in front of her, and I didn’t even have a clue where to start. Without thinking, I acted.

I reached over and snatched her notebook right out of her hands.

“What the—” Antariksh gasped, her eyes wide in shock. I didn’t give her a chance to react.

And then I raised my hand. His gaze rested on me and I felt my raised hand shake.

“Yes? You seem to have the answer.” 

I stood up. My heart was beating against my ribs. I looked down at her solution. What kind of a solution was this?! It was gibberish. I had not seen such bad handwriting since my friend at jupiteron academy. But I was now standing in my place and the whole class and..Agni were staring at me. So I just read off whatever was written there. Some random symbols and solutions. I mumbled and turned numb. I didn't know what I was saying. Oh why was I so impulsive?!!!! 

My voice quit on me and I can swear I was bathed in perspiration. I swallowed hard and looked up at Agni.

“It's jwala isn't it?” He Said, his eyes flicking to the namecard on my desk. I nodded.

“This is a place to learn. We have not come to prove ourselves right. Please have enough sense to check and understand your answer before rambling on any nonsense and expecting it to be right.”

Pruthvi’s eyes were locked on mine as she took the notebook from my hands, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. My fingers twitched as I clenched them in my lap, desperate to keep my composure. My vision blurred as tears threatened to spill. I blinked them back furiously. “Sit down, Jwala,” Agni said, his voice cold and unyielding. It wasn’t a suggestion; it was an order.

I sank into my chair, feeling the weight of a thousand stares boring into me. My cheeks burned with humiliation, but I refused to let the tears fall. Agni turned his attention back to the rest of the class, his piercing gaze scanning the room. Fewer hands were raised now, the earlier confidence of my peers faltering under his scrutiny.

And then, there she was. Antariksh. Her hand was raised, trembling like a leaf in the wind. She looked hesitant, almost terrified, but there it was—that quiet determination in her eyes.“Antariksh,” Agni called, his tone softer but firm.

Wait. How did he know her name already?

I glanced at her, trying to piece it together. She stood slowly, clutching her notebook like it was a lifeline. Her voice was shaking, barely above a whisper. “Speak up,” Agni encouraged, though there was a slight edge to his words. “Take a deep breath and answer.” She did, her voice steadier this time. And to my utter disbelief, she was right. Every word, every calculation—it all made sense now. The scribbles in her notebook, the ones I had dismissed as nonsense, were correct. I stared at her, my jaw tightening. She had done that on purpose. She’d made her notes look chaotic, knowing I’d assume it was gibberish. That little—

But no. That didn’t add up. She hadn’t even known I was going to grab her notebook. It wasn’t some elaborate scheme to humiliate me… was it? And yet, what stung the most was Agni. The way he looked at her, the way he said her name like it was already familiar to him. How did he know her?Antariksh sat down, visibly relieved, as Agni nodded at her. “Well done,” he said simply, his praise carrying more weight than any grand compliment could.

Pruthvi leaned over and whispered something to Antariksh, and the two exchanged a small, conspiratorial smile. My chest tightened. Who was she? Why did she seem so… comfortable here, despite her obvious nervousness? And why did Agni seem to notice her in a way he didn’t notice anyone else?I stared at my desk, the questions swirling in my mind, each one adding fuel to the fire of my frustration.

Antariksh. I wasn’t going to let her outshine me. If she thought she could win over this class, this professor, this university, she had another thing coming. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

ANTARIKSH'S POV

I was slowly settling in, while Pruthvi seemed to be on a much faster track than I was. 😅😂 Chemistry was still my favorite class, and Sameer always had lunch with Pruthvi and me. Our friendship was beginning to feel like it used to, bit by bit. Agni and Neer’s classes were manageable, though I was still terrified of Agni. On the rare days when Neer and Agni joined us for lunch, I couldn’t help but feel a little happier.

Agni wasn’t the carefree buffoon he used to be at Plutonian Academy. He had turned into a strict, no-nonsense person. Sameer occasionally cracked jokes in class, but Agni rarely did. As Pruthvi and I started making more friends, it became painfully obvious that more than half the girls in our class were swooning over Agni. They turned into these annoyingly high-pitched, overly-polite versions of themselves whenever he was around.

But Agni seemed completely oblivious to all of it.

I kept telling myself I didn’t like him. He scared me to death, and the last thing I wanted was to be like those girls desperately seeking his attention. I stayed quiet in his classes, kept my head down, and tried to blend into the background.

But being invisible was getting harder. Once I got comfortable around people, I couldn’t help being a little loud and outgoing. And then there was Jwala. From day one, she seemed to hate me. I wanted to apologize to her after class for what happened—sure, it was her fault for snatching my notebook, but I’m a certified people pleaser. And Jwala? She was smart, pretty, and absolutely terrifying.

Pruthvi made it even harder to get on Jwala’s good side. For instance, once in the 3D cafeteria, Sameer, Pruthvi, and I were having lunch together as usual. It was one of those rare days when Agni and Neer joined us at the table.

I was struggling with a homework question from Agni’s class, furiously scribbling in my notebook and then tearing out the page in frustration.

“Hey, Antariksh! Whatcha working on?” Sameer asked, leaning over to look at my notebook.

I grunted in reply.

“Is she learning Klingon?” Sameer asked, earning a snicker from Pruthvi.

“It’s this stupid question! I have no idea how to solve it!” I huffed, glaring at the half-formed integral equation I’d been trying to figure out.

“Looks like something out of Agni’s homework,” Sameer said, peering at my scribbles.

“Yep,” Pruthvi confirmed with a nod.

“Here, let me try.” Sameer reached for my notebook, and I handed it over, but not before warning him, “Don’t you dare tell Agni about this.”

“I don’t think he even cares,” Sameer replied with a shrug.

“Yeah, but Antariksh wants to impress him,” Pruthvi teased, earning her a glare from me.

“I’m just trying to do the bare minimum,” I muttered. “I’ve only managed five questions out of twelve.”

“You should’ve listened to me and just copied the solutions from that book I found,” Pruthvi said smugly. I had no idea how she managed to cheat her way through assignments and still ace every test.

“Yeah, I know you cheated,” I shot back, “but I want to be able to explain the answers if he asks someone to do them on the board.” I shuddered at the thought.

“Whatever, dude. It’s not cheating. He didn’t say we couldn’t use other books. In fact, he even said we could refer to them,” Pruthvi argued.

“Notice how he said refer, not copy down the solutions,” I retorted.

“I only copied like four questions, that’s all,” she said with a shrug, then smirked at me. “It’s not like I’m trying to impress him.”

Oh dear lord, she’s never going to let this go, I thought as I glared at her.

Just then, I spotted Neer and Agni walking toward us. I panicked, snatching the notebook from Sameer’s hands and bending over the table to hide it.

“Hey—!” Sameer exclaimed, but stopped short when he noticed me frantically pointing with my eyes. He glanced behind me, saw them coming, and gave me an exasperated look as if I was the most ridiculous thing ever—right after the pudding theory of the atom.

Neer and Agni sauntered over. I tried my best to act normal, but it was hard when I felt like I was sweating through my jacket.

“Why were you bent over the table?” Neer asked.

“Uhm… uh… well…” My words tangled together like my thoughts. Gosh, why was I stuttering?!

“She’s trying to hide the fact that she asked me for help with your class’s homework,” Sameer chimed in with a sigh, leaning back in his chair and looking at Agni. It was as if like their eyes were communicating with each other,"this girl is ridiculous"

“Not really!” I blurted out, panicking. “I just… dropped my pen! Yep, that’s it. Dropped my pen under the table.”

Agni gave me one of his signature smirks—half amused, half disbelieving—as he pulled out a chair and seated himself directly across from me. “You do realize I don’t care where you get the answers from, right?”

The heat rushed to my face and ears so fast it was a wonder I didn’t combust on the spot. I could feel Sameer and Pruthvi’s amused gazes burning into me, even though I was staring straight ahead, desperate not to make eye contact with anyone.

“I’m going to solve all the problems in class anyway, whether you do them or not,” Agni continued, his tone so casual it almost made it worse. “Of course, if you havent solved any of them, you’ll look like an idiot—that’s another story. But then again…” He glanced at me for just a moment, his smirk deepening. “A lot of students don’t have to worry about that. They’ve already done a great job proving themselves to be one.”

Was he calling me an idiot?!

Pruthvi stifled a laugh, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, while Sameer made a show of biting his tongue, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

I opened my mouth to retort, but all that came out was an indignant squeak. Agni’s smirk grew wider, and I swore I saw a flicker of amusement in his fiery eyes before he turned his attention to Neer, leaving me flustered and very aware of my inability to form coherent sentences under pressure.

I swear to god, I could feel all my brain cells evaporating in that moment. After about 20 minutes, Sameer, Neer, and Agni left to prepare for their next classes. There were still about ten minutes left. Pruthvi excused herself to go get some MORE food, and I sat at the table, pulling out the notebook again to see what Sameer had done so far. I wasn’t quite aware of my surroundings, but then I felt a whack on my head. I turned around to see Jwala standing there. I nearly evaporated my brain cells again.

"J-Jwala?" I tried to clear my throat; my voice had been reduced to a squeak.

"Little Miss Antariksh!" Jwala said. "You’re so smug with professors. No wonder you’re always ahead in classes. You know, some of us work really hard."

"Y-yeah, I-I w-work hard as well! Uhmm… b-but you must be as well," I stammered, desperately trying to get on her good side. I was even ready to revere her like the two girls standing on her either side did, just so that she wouldn’t be all over my case.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Let’s talk about Agni. You’re always trying to cozy up to him, aren’t you?!"

"Wh-what?! N-no!" I squeaked again.

"Oh, please! You’re a pathetic loser. And geez, look at you. You really think Agni would bat an eye? For all we know, you could be a guy!" Jwala yelled in my face.

Wow. Her words stung, even though I knew she was wrong. But… something about her… something about the way she said ‘pathetic loser’… It filled me with feelings of dread… familiar feelings. Someone had already spoken to me this way… but who?

I was taking a trip down the horrible memories road when I realized Pruthvi had come back.

"Excuse me?!" she yelled at Jwala.

Jwala turned, her smirk faltering for a split second, but then she squared her shoulders and sneered. "Oh, look. What’s the matter, Pruthvi? Can’t let your little friend fight her own battles?"

Pruthvi set her tray down with a loud thud and crossed her arms, her expression fierce. "Oh, she can fight her own battles just fine. But unlike you, she doesn’t need to stoop to cheap insults to feel important."

Jwala scoffed, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "Cheap insults? Please. I’m just stating facts. Antariksh here is—"

"Antariksh here," Pruthvi interrupted, stepping closer, "is ten times the person you’ll ever be. She doesn’t need to put others down to prove her worth. You, on the other hand, seem to thrive on it."

The two girls flanking Jwala shifted uncomfortably, exchanging unsure glances.

Jwala’s face twisted into a sneer, but before she could retort, Pruthvi added, "And for the record, Agni doesn’t care about appearances. He cares about brains and character—two things you clearly lack."

I didn’t think it was possible for Jwala’s face to turn any redder, but it did. She opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly at a loss for words. Finally, with a huff, she spun on her heel and stormed off, her entourage trailing behind her.

She turned to me, her expression softening. "You okay?"

I nodded shakily, though my chest still felt tight. "Yeah. I think so. Thanks for… you know, stepping in."

Pruthvi plopped down beside me and pushed the tray of snacks toward me. "Anytime. Now eat something. You look like you’re about to faint."

I managed a small smile and took a bite of whatever she’d brought. The food didn’t do much to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me, but it was a start.

As I chewed, my mind drifted back to Jwala’s words. That feeling of dread… of familiarity. Someone had spoken to me like that before. But who? And i slowly realised...though i was not ready to beleive it. Dr Sanki? 

Pruthvi must have noticed my silence because she nudged me gently. "Hey, don’t let her get to you. She’s just bitter."

I forced a smile, but the unease lingered. "Yeah. Maybe."

AGNI'S POV

Freshers were definitely less arrogant compared to students in their second and third year. Freshers carried this raw energy, a mix of humility and curiosity, untainted by the arrogance that seemed to grow with familiarity. They were also more confident than the students in their fourth or fifth year, whose confidence seemed to erode under the weight of increasing responsibilities. And freshers—well, they were more hopeful than students in their sixth, seventh, or eighth years, who’d been through enough to know that hope sometimes had a bitter aftertaste.

Now, I didn’t get to teach students in their third year—I was still a fresh-faced professor back then—but these observations weren’t made from the lectern. No, these were from my own time as a student at this university. I lived these stages, watched my peers evolve, and saw how the years shaped people. The patterns were unmistakable, a predictable rhythm to student life.

But even in the sea of predictable patterns, there were always outliers. Weirdos, if you will. And one such outlier was Antariksh.

Admittedly, the first time I met her, I didn’t think much of her. In fact, I thought she was a guy. She had this short, cropped hair, a funny name that rang a bell and she was always nervous and jumpy. Naturally, I decided to mess with her a little—because back then, I was kind of a jerk. Intimidation was my go-to; it worked nine times out of ten.

If I’d known she was a girl, I probably would’ve added a flirty edge to my tone. Not that it makes it any better. Like I said, I was kind of a jerk.

I never wanted to be a teacher. The idea of standing in front of a bunch of students, pretending I cared about their grades or their futures, wasn’t exactly my dream. But when I learned about the facilities at Astralis University and how they could greatly benefit my research, I gritted my teeth and signed up for a year of teacher training.

The course was absolute nonsense. I hadn’t endured anything that useless since the few months I spent learning coding and data analytics—tasks that robots could easily handle but somehow still required human brute force. Teacher training was worse. They wasted our time with things like “building a connection with the student.” I remember rolling my eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck. Students would already be swooning over me—I knew that much. The last thing I wanted was to make friends with them or, worse, give them hope.

But it was different with Antariksh.

She wasn’t like the others. For starters, she was hella smart. But for some reason, she always held back, like she didn’t want people to notice how sharp she actually was. Why? It bugged me. And then there was the way she acted—always so friendly with Sameer and Pruthvi, like she’d known them forever.

I won’t lie, I liked teasing her. Watching her get all flustered, the way her face turned red and she stumbled over her words—it was hilarious. But sometimes, it also made me feel like a jerk. Maybe because teasing her didn’t feel like just another way to pass the time. It felt…different.

I didn’t know why. Not yet, anyway. 

Perhaps I was jealous of the fact that Antariksh was so friendly with Sameer and Neer yet so jumpy around me. It didn’t make sense. I mean, they were my best friends—my only friends, really—but seeing her so at ease with them and so on edge with me? It stung.

I’ve never had a lot of friends. If I look back, it’s always been Sameer and Neer, and that’s it. No one else really stuck around. I’m an orphan. Garud Sir—Sameer and Neer’s father—was the one who picked me up from an orphanage in the Pakshistrot system. I don’t even know how I ended up there. I don’t have any memories of my parents, no stories, no clues. Just…emptiness.

Garud Sir was a resident in Pakshistrot back then, but he was moving to Solar System One to build an academy on Pluto—Plutonian Academy. He must’ve seen something in me, though I have no idea what, because he decided to take me along. That’s how I ended up in his care, splitting my time between his family and bouncing in and out of foster homes.

The foster homes were…what you’d expect. Most were fine, some were bad, none of them felt like home. I was a rebellious kid, hard to handle, always fighting back, always testing limits. That’s why I never stayed in one place for too long.

Maybe that’s why it bothered me so much to see Antariksh so comfortable with Sameer and Neer. They were her safe place, just like they’d been mine. But with me? She was different. Guarded. Nervous. And for some reason, I wanted to break through that wall. 

I didn’t know if it was because I wanted her to trust me, or because part of me hated how much I wanted her to. It felt...weird. Most girls would swoon over me without me even trying, but Antariksh? She seemed perfectly content pretending I was invisible. Like I didn’t even exist.

Why was she so scared of me?

It stirred something in me—this strange mix of frustration and curiosity. And maybe something more. She made me want to be…nice. To her, specifically. But why? That question gnawed at me, and I hated not having an answer.

These contradicting emotions held me back. Instead of trying to correct my behavior, I stuck to what I knew—harmless teasing, bothering her just enough to get a reaction. It was a way to keep my distance while still…being close. A twisted sort of compromise.

Because deep down, I knew breaking through her walls would mean letting my own guard down. And that wasn’t going to happen. Not with her. Not with anyone.

That’s just how I was.

PRUTHVI’S POV

Antariksh has been my best friend ever since we sat together at Plutonian Academy. Back then, she was very outgoing and lively. Somewhere along the way, she became extremely shy and insecure. She was very rich and the only child of her father, Dr. Sanki. Everyone knew Dr. Sanki. He was one of the most famous scientists and was also involved in the great research tragedy of cyborg ethics. His wife had supposedly passed away in this tragedy, but not a lot of people knew he had a daughter.

Dr. Sanki’s views had always been very different from those of general society. Despite the fact that his wife had passed away, he still did not question the ethics of the field he had chosen to work in. When I first befriended Antariksh, I had no idea she was Dr. Sanki's daughter. My parents were also against Dr. Sanki’s work, but for all we knew, he had discontinued it after being questioned by the solar system and galaxy authorities. This is why, when they found out I had just befriended the daughter of one of the most hated men in the galaxy, they were okay with it to an extent.

In fact, I slowly started feeling sorry for her.

Antariksh had always been very lonely. She was homeschooled, with personal tutors arranged by Dr. Sanki. Professor Garud managed to convince Dr. Sanki to send her to Plutonian Academy. While Dr. Sanki was a hard and insensitive man, he still greatly believed in education. He donated loads of money to Plutonian Academy. The entire dwarf planet of Pluto had been converted into a flourishing academy.

Dr. Sanki was strict and overbearing, but he wasn’t altogether too mean. Yes, he was cold and distant when it came to Antariksh. He constantly chided her and made fun of her, but he was nice to me. By "nice," I mean he didn’t mind me much. I was allowed to visit her house. I still remember the first time I visited her.

—------------

Dr. Sanki’s house, Sanki Manor, literally spanned an entire mini asteroid. I loved that place. It even had a swimming pool, laboratories, and libraries. There were a few shops and hotels, but Sanki Manor was huge. And most of the time, Antariksh lived there alone. It felt like a desolate place, as if an uninhabited city had suddenly been abandoned.

“Hi!” Antariksh was waiting for me on the surface.

“Hello!!!” I yelled.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I never had anyone over at my place!” Antariksh exclaimed.

“Yeah, doesn’t look like a lot of people visit here, huh?” I joked.

Antariksh ran across the yard, and I followed. My mind was still trying to register the fact that she literally lived on an entire asteroid. We got into an elevator, and it descended underground. A strange woman, with unfocused eyes, greeted us.

“Oh, look, that’s my maid,” Antariksh said.

I gaped at her. “Maid?!”

“Yeah… well, don’t be fooled, she’s a robot,” Antariksh said, shrugging as if everyone in the universe would have something as rare as a maid. The “maid” brought us hoverboards.

“Are these hoverboards?!” I shrieked, half-mad with joy.

“Yeah,” Antariksh scoffed. “And I made sure yours is purple.”

“Thank you!” I said. Antariksh shifted uncomfortably.

“Don’t say that… I’m not the one paying for it,” she said.

I gave her a confused look. “It’s my father… you know, Dr. Sanki. He paid for these,” she continued.

We roamed around the asteroid, through alleyways and teleport devices which zapped us across the asteroid in seconds. There was an amusement park too—still under construction, and no one was there. We operated some machines ourselves. We had lunch at a restaurant on the asteroid which Dr. Sanki owned. Antariksh had an awesome life! She could literally walk into any restaurant on the asteroid and eat for free, as long as it was owned by Dr. Sanki.

We were lying down in the grass of an abandoned park when it slowly started getting dark.

“We should go back to the manor now,” Antariksh said.

“Yeah… it’s getting dark,” I replied.

“I wish we never had to leave… I don’t want to go back…” Antariksh said sadly.

When we descended into the living room, I could see Antariksh tense up. At first, I couldn’t tell why she had suddenly become stiff, but I followed her gaze to the huge living room, where Dr. Sanki was sitting on the large couch. He immediately got up and made his way over to us. The way he walked and held a frown made me feel Antariksh’s fear seeping into me.

“Antariksh,” he said.

“Yes, Dr. Sanki,” she replied.

That was weird. Why would someone address their own father as “Dr.”?

“I’m leaving the asteroid tomorrow. I’ll return in a week,” he said.

“Okay,” Antariksh said.

“I didn’t have to tell you, but since you have to go back to Plutonian, I don’t want you to bother me by calling me and asking for arrangements to be transported to Pluto,” he continued. He turned to me then, and I could feel the back of my neck turn cold with sweat. But then he actually smiled. Wow… just a minute ago, he had been giving Antariksh such a stare that it looked like he was seeing right through her soul. But now he smiled at me and spoke in the same disciplined and controlled manner.

“I need to speak to your parents, Pruthvi, and ask them if they can pick Antariksh up and drop her at the hostel at Plutonian,” he said.

I nodded.

“I need to let them know that Antariksh is an unruly and clumsy child by birth, and they can blame those genetics on her mother,” he added.

I nodded hesitantly... This man was so weird.

—--------

Our friendship had grown into me being the protective one. I liked shielding Antariksh. It made me feel heroic sometimes—like I was her knight in shining armor, even if she didn’t always notice.When the sign-ups for the annual science fest at Astralis came around, I took it upon myself to handle the details.

“Hey, Sameer, Antariksh and I were thinking of signing up for the science fest,” I told him after class one day.

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Sameer said, his face lighting up. “First, you’ll need to submit your project idea. Then, depending on how good it is, a student committee will shortlist entries. If you’re selected, you’ll get to work with your professor and other students.”

“That’s cool,” I nodded, already excited about the possibilities.

As Antariksh and I started walking out of the classroom, Sameer called me back. He leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and whispered, “Hey, listen, this is the perfect opportunity to get Antariksh to work with Agni.”

My eyes widened, and a smirk tugged at my lips. The wheels in my head started turning.

Antariksh turned back to glance at us, curiosity flickering in her eyes, but I quickly told her, “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up after submitting our names.”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and walked off. As soon as she was out of earshot, I jotted down her name for the physics project and mine for chemistry—exactly opposite to what we’d agreed upon earlier. Sameer, who was collecting the forms, raised a knowing eyebrow at me but said nothing.

As I handed him the paper, a thought struck me. “But what if Antariksh flips out when she realizes her name’s under physics? She’s always said she likes chemistry more.”

Sameer’s grin widened, his confidence unshakable. “Don’t worry about that. She won’t back out. She’s too scared of disappointing Agni, especially if they get paired. She’ll stick with it—and she’ll do great.”

I shook my head, laughing under my breath. This was a gamble, no doubt about it, but if it worked, it just might be worth it.