Monica walked towards the hearing room. She was going to expound everything that had happened in the boys’ dorm to the higher officials. It was the day after the incident. It was an afternoon.

Monica walked in to the room. Lt General, Brigadier Shah, Lt Colonel Upadhay, all were there in the room along with a few other officials. They had stayed behind after they heard about the incident.

Lt Gen: Major Monica Stephen Ronald, you may proceed.

Monica: Jai Hind Sir. I am grateful for the time and your decision to listen to what I have to say. Let me start with the reason for which I came to IAA. I didn’t come here just for interacting with the cadets but for a mission. Lt Colonel Upadhay had sent me here regarding an alleged link sleeper cells had with IAA. We had no information about what the involvement was, so I came here to keep an eye on the students and faculty in IAA. I have been studying everyone here, but I couldn’t find out any leads regarding it. So, I thought that everything was fine. But a few days before, when I was walking in the forest near the academy, I found an informer watching IAA from the forest and I chased him, but I couldn’t get hold of him. I had informed about all these developments to Lt Colonel and Brigadier Shah. And as for yesterday, the cadets were taken for a night out in the forest and all the faculty other than the ones who went with them to the forest were in the IAA party. And as the lead singer and his assistant who were supposed to sing at the party were drunk, Ali, I mean Cadet Ali Umer Baig was asked to sing and he stayed back for that. And for Cadet Ansh, he had developed high fever since last afternoon and the doctor had advised him to stay in the dorm and not to go to the forest. He was probably waiting for Ali to come back when he was shot.

Lt General: It was very unfortunate.

Monica stared down due to sadness.

Monica: It is indeed. He was a good kid. When I was going back to my quarters, Cadet Ali had joined me till boys’ dorm. When we reached the dorm, he went inside and that is when I found two men going inside the dorm and I followed them. When I tried to listen to the footsteps, I could hear three men other than Ali and Ansh. Two wearing boots and one wearing formal shoes. Ali and Ansh were wearing normal slippers when I found them. One a party wear and other a night wear. As the intruders were armed, I had to shoot both, but I couldn’t find the third person. But I am sure that the person is definitely an army personal. He was either wearing the uniform or party clothes. And for the other two who were shot, they have been identified and they are the lead singer and his assistant who were said to be drunk before the party. It was a well planned and executed mission by them. They came here to take something or to keep something in the dorm. Their prime motive was not murder as they were not expecting anyone at the place. When they found Ansh, they shot him.

Lt General: I just can’t believe that an army personal is involved in this mess. We need strong evidence to prove it. And as for the people who are killed, its high security lapse from the security personnel that such people entered IAA with weapons. The party planners have to be questioned, so do the security guards.

Monica: I have them under interrogation Sir. We will get information from them soon.

Brigadier Shah: I am at lose of words.

Monica: Don’t worry Sir, someone among us is selling us out and we will find that person soon.

Lt General: We will have a formal hearing of the killing of both the intruders later. There will be a team filing a report on that Major Ronald. But don’t worry, you did the right thing and I am sure that you will come out clean. You may proceed with your investigation.

Monica: Thank you Sir. Jai Hind.

Monica saluted everyone and walked out of the room.

******

Ali laid on the hospital bed watching the sun going down in the horizon. He was there since last night. He had a thorough check up and a psychologist had talked to him. He didn’t say anything about him shooting the man. Monica had whispered in his ears while hugging him not to speak about it that she will take the responsibility and he agreed to it. Ali missed that hug, he missed Monica. It was peaceful in her hug and the minutes in the hospital bed, alone or surrounded by nurses, doctors or other cadets were so cold and grave. Ali felt sad for Ansh. Ali was never nice to him. Ansh was a good person, a really good person. He didn’t deserve to die. Ali hated that he had left Ansh alone in the dorm, he hated that he was not there to save him. Ali closed his eyes and a tear drop escaped them.

*******

Monica stood outside the interrogation room. Captain Susant Vaidya came out.

Monica: What are they saying?

Susant: Nothing much. They are saying that the music troupe was found online, and organizers had checked their office directly by going there and the locals confirmed that they had been there since more than an year.

Monica: So, we should speak with the troupe.

Susant: We already talked to them Ma’am. They are genuine. But the lead singer and the assistant joined recently as their previous singer got in to a severe accident last month. These two came for audition and they were selected.

Monica: Do we have an address for the men?

Susant: Yes, Ma’am.

Monica: Then let’s go there tomorrow. I am not sure if we can find anything useful but still we have to try.

Monica walked towards her quarters. It was night. She was hurt and tired and weak and she wanted to stop feeling that way, but she didn’t know how to. Monica found Diksha on the way. She was returning after dinner.

Diksha: How are you Ma’am?

Monica: I am fine Diksha. How are you guys holding up?

Disksha: Not very good. All are broken and shocked and hurt. Many are not eating since last day. Especially Ali, he won’t even talk.

Monica: I can understand. You are a strong girl Diksha. Keep them together.

Diksha: I will.

Monica smiled and walked further.

Diksha watched Monica walking away. She wished that she could tell Monica about what she felt. She wished that she could tell Monica that when Ansh had said that he was in love with her, she had believed that, and she wished it was real and when he said that he was only kidding, then she had scolded him hard and had cried and had hit him. Then when he fell sick the next day, she had gone and apologized for being rude and he had said that he had always found her amazing and they can try dating maybe and she had smiled to that she couldn’t wait to come back from the night out and see him and ask him how he was.

Diksha wished that she could tell Monica that she was not eating dinner at the mess but was crying her heart out alone in the girl’s bathroom near the pool so that no one found her sad and broken. She wished that she could tell Monica that she can’t take the pain anymore and she will wither away soon, that love hurt so much but she didn’t. Diksha was a strong girl and strong girls held the saddest secrets.

********

Monica opened the door to her room and got inside. She opened her cupboard and found Charles’ diary. She sat down on the table and read through them.

‘In your eyes there is the secret of the Atlantis

I try every map and every ancient scroll I have got

But you are so tough and so out of world to understand

Never in my life did I need someone this much

It’s so surprising that you kept me home by your side

I was a wanderer who never wanted to take some rest

But in your arms, I found the solace I was searching for

Come on come on, I see the sun is going down

There could be pink and orange lights in the horizon

We will hold hands and walk through the beach road

Talking in silence to the soft whispering waves

This world is so long it will take us a life time

But with you nothing to me is impossible

This clouds you see are changing shapes every time

Let us find in them the elephant and the wolf

We can ask the starlight about the histories

Of the planets and distant galaxies, it sees

We can sleep on the meadows with thick green grass

And wake up seeing dew drops reflecting the Sun

Let‘s go where the snow is more than angle deep

And see if we can view the purple morning dreams’

Most of Charles’ poems were sad but this one was happy. His diary was more like a bible for her. She opens a page and reads from it. It usually helps her mind to calm but it didn’t today. She knew that nothing would help her today. It was all a matter of minutes. If she had left the party earlier, Ansh would have been alive. She has failed to save another life. It was all her fault. Monica could no longer read the diary; her eyes were blurry with tears. She folded the book and kept it in the cupboard. She found her service gun inside it and she took it and kept it on other side of the cupboard where she usually keeps it.

Monica changed her clothes and went to sleep.