Her Dark Knight

Preface

The Inspector rushed in the city hospital; a case was handled to him. A boy was found unconscious in the forest near the city. The boy claimed that it saw some kind of creepy creature in the forest. The boy was isolated after getting separated from his tracker troop, after a hectic search of hours the boy was found unconscious in the deep forest, but there were no tracks of any animal attack on his body.

The Inspector rushed inside the ward room, the boy was sitting on his cot, beside him was siting a lady in mid-thirties, the boy himself was around 18 years of age. The inspector came inside and said, “I am from Mumbai Police, I am here to interrogate him.” The lady replied, “Please have a seat.” The inspector sat on the stool and asked the boy, “What did you saw in the forest?” The boy seemed to be afraid as he looked towards his mother, she took his hand in hers and nodded towards him. On assurance the boy replied, “A creepy shadow.”

The inspector noted down and asked, “Why were you there?” The boy replied, “I was trekking with my friends when I heard someone calling my name, when I went to the direction of voice, I lost my troop. When I walked in the direction further, smoke filled up the surrounding and I saw the creepy shadow.” The inspector gave a weird expression and stood from his place and asked the last question, “Are you sure it wasn’t a bear or something else?” the boy nodded and the inspector left the room.

As he walked out, he saw the boy’s father coming towards him, the inspector greeted him and said, “You should avoid showing horror movies to your lad.” the boy’s father replied, “You know officer, he does not watch T.V.” saying so the father walked away towards the ward where the boy was kept.

20 years later

Chapter 1

Hyena

“Hyena please get up time for a wash.” The metallic voice of my piggy alarm rang up until I got up and switched it off. I woke up and looked at the empty bed in my room. My roommate hasn’t showed up yet. Today was the first day of my college, and last night was my first night in St. Mary Girls Hostel, I slept late in night as I felt very inconvenient in this new place. This was my instinct I never got adapted to new place soon, it would take me again few weeks to settle here. The cold weather in Sunburg suited me best as it reminded me of my own place in Greenland.

I got up and rushed to the washroom in my compartment, until my partner arrives, I would be the boss here. A warm shower in the cold atmosphere was the best, after the shower I put on my simplest dress and a sweater over it, my aunt has oven it for me. I opened the door of my room and walked through the alley between various compartments, hoping that I would get someone to accompany me to the college but before that I was going to take a breakfast in the cafeteria of the hostel, I looked at the sign convection and reached the cafeteria. It was large, the canteen in my old graduate college was not even half of it. There were few girls in the cafeteria, I hoped those were the one in the first year with me. I hopped through the tables and got an empty one, I put my bag on the chair and went to the counter to order some breakfast. It arrived soon; the taste was good as I gulped the water down a girl sat on the table with me.

I tried to talk to her but I was never good in this kind of stuff, like breaking the ice. The girl came with some breakfast and then she asked me taking the first bite, “College?” it took me while to grasp what she said but then I answered the question, “College of Medicine.” She chewed the bite and then said after few chops, “First year?” I nodded instantly. She said then, “I am Tanu, College of Architect. My roomie can help you she is also in the same college and is your senior. Don’t be shy your one is a good college except your fifth semester seniors, especially boys.” She warned me.

After scoring good in the graduates, I decided to be a pharmacist- okay who I was fooling to, I wanted to be a surgeon but my budget would never afford the high fees of any reputed medical college, so according to my budget this college and hostel fitted me best, even I had no interest in medicines, but I was happy that it had a close resemblance to medical profession.

I got up and walked towards my college, it was just a ten minutes’ walk from hostel, I entered the college gate. The infrastructure was quite good; I would admire the architect for his remarkable work on the building that showed the design of the bricks.

While staring at the building I accidently got bunked into a guy, I fell down as if I was stuck by a wall. Without seeing the face of the guy, I said, “Sorry, I am extremely sorry.” I raised my sight to meet a face of brilliant beauty, he was handsome, extremely handsome. His jawline was nothing less than perfect, his dark eyes were deeper, deeper than sea. For moments I got lost on them, but then the voice pulled me out of it, “It’s okay.” He started walking away, he wore a brown leather jacket, his body was in perfect shape, he walked away. I restored myself, throwing myself at such boys wasn’t kind of my nature but again there was something in him.

I walked into the classroom; half of the class was already filled with students. I walked on the third bench and took the seat; the girls were already busy in chitchatting among themselves. I was feeling a little lonely but then a beautiful girl with a top-class dress and all the attractive looks joined me. I could hear most of the boys already whispering about her, she sat beside me. I wanted so hard to talk to her but I was never good at such stuff.

“Hey, I am Diana White. How about you?” the girl asked me.

“Hyena Sherrif. Nice to meet you.” I smiled and replied.

I was sure, I had heard the name before. Suddenly my memory shone up and I asked, “Are you the one staying at St. Mary Girls Hostel room no. 71?” The girl looked at me in puzzled look but then she drew a piece of paper from her bag and replied, “Actually yes.” I was so glad to hear that she was my roommate. She added, “Well, I think you are my roommate, aren’t you?” I smiled and nodded.

“Well, that’s glad to hear, actually I would have surely visited you after college there are some things, I want to make you aware of.” Multiple sighing sounds from the girls’ side interrupted her, we turned to notice that all the girls were staring at the doorway, we too turned our heads. I still did not believe my eyes, it was he, the guy I bumped in this morning. Diana said, “What’s so interesting in him?” I stared at her and then back at the boy, he did not even pay any attention to the sighs and even did not raise his sight towards girls. He simply walked towards the last bench and sat down, alone.

We returned to our topic, Diana was about to say something when our teacher entered the classroom. She was a middle-aged woman, she was wearing a simple suit, we all stood on our places and greeted her. She smiled and asked us to sit. “I am Mrs. Rohini Segal; I am your class teacher as well as your Analysis teacher. To begin with the topic first I will make you aware of the certain rules.” The lecture began for rest of fifteen minutes she gave us along ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ list. She warned us to maintain strict discipline and follow the dispensing rules in the practical lab. Then she started to give us our roll numbers. One after the other each one of us was called by name and given our respective roll numbers.

“Darren Clarke.” Our teacher said, “Yes Miss.” A voice I heard this morning, it was him, Darren Clarke. I was about to turn around but the next name was mine, “Hyena Sherrif.” “Yes Mam.” I replied immediately, “Roll Number 58.” I noted down, I was a neighbour of him. “Diana White.” The next roll number, I was glad to hear that, my roommate was my bench mate and now my neighbour too. We smiled at each other.

The rest of the class was given there roll numbers, everyone figured out who their neighbours were, after all we had to go with them until our graduation. Luckily, I was blessed with my roommate. Diana resumed her conversation, “I was about to tell you something. Actually, I already have my house here.” I was not sure how to react to that but she continued, “By mistake they rented me a place in the hostel but I won’t be staying them on a regular basis but I will be there whenever I like so you can enjoy the complete room to yourself.”

I did not know how to react owning a complete room by myself was a kind of royalty but leaving all alone was a compensation for that royalty. I did relay on my roommate to make me feel home but to what I had heard minutes before was all end to my hopes. I think it was clearly depicted on my face because what she said next was convincing, “Hey, don’t be upset I will be there by tomorrow and until you go familiar with this place I will be staying there on regular basis. Now just cheer up, smile suits you better.”

I smiled and replied, “You are nice, Diana. But I don’t want to bother you about that, there’s no need to stay in the hostel for me.” Diana replied, “Actually, I am started to feel more at home. I want to try out a new living place its nothing like for you and all that.” I smiled, something in her was family like, she smiled back and said, “By the way my friends call me Shree.” I smiled and said, “Ok, Shree.”

The bell rang, after few minutes our new teacher entered the class. He was a very formally dressed man, with his looks he seemed to be in his mid-thirties. He introduced himself, “Good morning students, I am Mr. Randy Watson, your pharmaceutics teacher.” Pharmaceutics an interesting subject, related with the pharmaceutical preparations and formulations, a class I was looking forward to. There was no introduction session our class began with a direct introduction to our subjects. For fifteen minutes our teacher explained us about the subjects and then the topic took a sudden shift towards the laboratory assessment, he instructed us about the special care and precautions to be taken in the lab.

The bell rang and our class was dismissed. It was a lunch break. Everyone headed towards the canteen, I too got to the canteen. Diana headed out of the campus for some work, so I was left alone. Somehow, I managed to make up with some girls that look alike me. Roshni, Anushka and Ruby were my new friends, I was having my lunch in the canteen when our seniors entered the scenario.

“Hey fresher’s it’s your first day in the college, so there are some unspoken rules for the relationship of Senior-Junior.” One of the seniors spoke. "First of all, the fresher boys stand here in a row." Another senior spoke. All the boys those were present in the canteen started gathering in front of the group of seniors. The seniors made them stand and asked them for introduction. It seemed that it was less introduction and more ragging. We just watched the show, somewhere in the depths we knew that the next turn will be ours.

The introduction of our class boys was going on, we could here our seniors laughing, teasing and passing comments. Then all of a sudden, the laughing stopped and one of the seniors shouted, "Hey, you, right in the corner. You are a fresher, aren't you?" Everyone turned their heads towards the corner which our senior was asking for.

It was him, Darren Clarke, he was sitting on the table with an expression that nothing was going on around him. Our senior shouted again but he did not respond, then our senior asked one of the boys about him. I heard someone calling out his name. Our senior shouted again, "Hey, Darren Clarke, come here." This time he stood up and walked to the direction but he did not stop there on the contradiction he stopped at the counter; he made some payments.

There was utter silence prevailing in the cafeteria, no one knew what was about to come next. One of the seniors, blocked his way on the cafeteria door and asked him, "Are you deaf or something?" He gave the senior cold look; everyone was expecting some action but the bell rang and the suspense ended. Seniors called of their session and left for their classes, he left too.

We hurried to our practical labs it was our practical session now. The teacher was not in yet, the lab assistant told us to accommodate places according to our roll numbers and we did so. Serena was not present yet and so was Mr. Rude, the nickname I gave him after the event at cafeteria. I was standing alone on my workplace with two vacant places around me.

Luckily Diana was the first to enter the lab and soon after her Mr. Rude entered the lab and as he did so, whispers began in the labs. Our teacher entered the lab, he introduced us with the lab assistant and the rules and regulations of lab. After the short 'to do and not to do' session our first practical began. We were placed in the group of three and we three were on the same group.

The practical was preparation of simple syrup and was simple, luckily there was not a lot to speak to each other beside Mr. Rude didn't seem interested either in chit-chatting. Diana took over the charge of making labels and Mr. Rude did some measuring and fetching of necessary commodities. I was handed with the task of making the mixture. Within minutes the mixture was prepared, the practical session ended up soon and at the end we did not share a single word with each other. The first day of my college was good indeed