By 9:30 PM, the atmosphere of Alia, Yelina, and Pranchi’s room had changed completely.

Lights had been switched off, and the three of them were sitting in the dark, covered with a single blanket and using flashlights to create shadows on their faces.

“Listen! Listen! Listen!” Yelina said, her flashlight wandering over the room as she announced her news. Pranchi was still wearing her headphones, but she found her head being unceremoniously ripped from her shoulders by her roommate. “Hey! Get that off my head!” Pranchi whined.

“Listen to me first, my dear,” said Yelina. “I’m trying to set a mood here!” Her annoyance was evident in her voice, so Alia chuckled knowingly.

“Alright, alright. Lay it on us, Yelina,” she said. Yelina leaned in close and spoke in the most dramatic hushed tones possible, “I overheard something really interesting today. Deep within the forest behind our hostel is a giant abandoned well.”

Alia blinked her eyes in surprise. “A well? What’s all this for? To draw water?”

“No, no! This well is completely dried up,” said Yelina.

“If there’s no water in it, then why are you telling us about it?” Pranchi asked.

“The reason why it’s dried up,” replied Yelina, ignoring Pranchi’s question, “is because this place used to be known as the Jheelam Forest long ago, before the university was established.”

“Jheelam?” asked Alia. “What does that mean?”

“Jheelam is a special type of tree,” said Yelina. “If you soak its bark in water and drink that, it’ll cool you down from head to toe! It’s absolutely perfect for the hot summers!”

“Cool down my head? Just give me some Rooh afza,” said Pranchi sarcastically.

“Because of people like you and your Rooh Afza, no one appreciates natural things like they used to! My Ammi always says that Jheelam bark water is ten times better than any man-made syrup! Anyway, moving on. Decades ago, people used to walk on a dirt path that passed through this forest. Since the forest was so wide, people would get horribly dehydrated at night. So, the King of Arunachal Pradesh built a number of wells in this forest for the travelers’ sake. One of the largest and deepest wells was dug in the northern part of the forest - right over there, behind our hostel building!”

“So what happened to it?” asked Alia, clearly interested now.

“Global warming, time, and the lack of use of the dirt path,” replied Yelina. “The well dried up eventually, and it was declared a Forest Reserve later on. There are also barricades to prevent people from entering it.” “To keep the animals safe?” asked Pranchi.

“To an extent, yes,” answered Yelina. “But mostly it was done to prevent illegal logging of the Jheelam trees. Anyway, ever since then, this place has been off-limits to the public.”

In the following three months, Yelina somehow found a way to bicker with Ruchika on a daily basis.

Whether it was in the canteen, or the class, or just a simple sarcastic remark, these two never ever saw eye to eye on anything.

Most of the arguments ended the same way, too.

Alia and Pranchi would drag Yelina away before things could get worse….

…while Lily would quietly pull an irritated Ruchika in the opposite direction.

Eventually, it got so common that other students had stopped noticing it at all.

After classes Alia rarely returned straight to the hostel.

She preferred spending her time in the university library, reading about old kingdoms and folklore rather than studying for her upcoming exams. Fortunately for her, the librarian had given up asking for what she was looking for and just smiled whenever she arrived at the History section. As for Yelina, she waged an eternal war with the hostel warden.

Sometimes, she would ring the office bell and run away before anyone could catch her.

Sometimes, she would convince her juniors that the hostel warden was checking rooms randomly.

The woman never knew when Yelina would turn up, so she was always on edge.

Days passed by, and soon enough,

weeks turned into months.

It was only by pure coincidence that the three of them had become best friends. And before long, an unforgettable friendship was born.

The first semester exams ended, and the girls were granted a 15-day holiday by the university. Everyone was having fun, but there was still one thing left for the three of them.

That very evening, after Alia’s last exam, the girls repeated their ritual from months ago.

Yelina turned to Alia and Pranchi with a mischievous smile. “The time has come.”

“What time?” asked Alia.

"For our ultimate mission," Yelina declared.

“Are we planting a bomb, omg?” Pranchi shrieked dramatically. “No, we are not planting a bomb!” said Yelina, rolling her eyes.

“Oh my godddd, so where is the bomb going off?” Pranchi asked.

“It’s going off at the Jheelam Well!” Yelina announced. Pranchi stopped joking, and excitement and nervousness seemed to bubble inside Alia’s chest. “You have studied so hard, Alia,” said Yelina gently, looking her in the eyes. “You’ve never done a night-out! You’ve never been caught doing something you shouldn’t! For our 15-day vacation, we are going to stealthily sneak out tomorrow night and have fun near that old well!”

“Are you insane?” asked Pranchi. “You said there are barricades and gates all around it!”

“I have a plan,” said Yelina. “Tomorrow at 11:30 PM, right after mess dinner, we put it into action. The hostel warden always locks the doors at night, but she keeps all the keys in her office. Alia, you can distract the warden by telling her that there’s some kind of emergency. While she’s talking to you, I will sneak in and steal the keys from her. Then, Pranchi, you can keep an eye out in the corridor while I open the gates for you two. We will all be able to sneak out into the forest!”

“I…” Alia started. “I don’t know, Yelina…”

“Trust me!” laughed Yelina, clasping their hands together. “It’s going to be an amazing adventure!” And with that, the three of them erupted into cheers, not knowing that someone had heard them.

Right outside on the neighboring balcony, Ruchika stood in the shadows.

Once she heard what the room had sounded like, her eyes narrowed. She went back into the room and took out a notebook from her bag, scribbling down everything she had heard. She had been observing the three of them for quite some time now, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get them in trouble.

Lily walked by and peered over Ruchika’s shoulder. “Are you making a drawing, bro?”

“It’s not a drawing!” Ruchika snapped. “It’s a masterplan!”

Lily raised her eyebrows. “Well, masterplan, or not, it looks quite bad! You should work on your art skills!” Ruchika pushed Lily aside. “Mind your own business!” Lily shrugged. “Whatever man. I’m going downstairs to get some soda.”

Inside Yelina smiling confidence that everything go according to plan.

But outside the Jheelam Forest waited in silence as though it already knew what tomorrow night would bring.

Next Chapter THE ESCAPE