The school day was finally over. Bells rang, hallways buzzed, and students rushed toward the gate like freed birds. But one girl sat quietly in the waiting hall—Minha. Her eyes stared blankly at the exit door, her expression unreadable. A strange silence surrounded her, like even the air was too afraid to disturb her thoughts.
Suddenly, she noticed Aleena Batool walking alone. Minha stood up and approached her. Her footsteps made no sound.
"Hey," she said in a voice that felt both calm and strange—like a melody sung backwards.
Aleena blinked. "Oh… hi?"
Aleena blinked. "Oh… hi?"
Minha tilted her head and smirked. "I added a new line to my song today… Want to hear it?"
Aleena stayed quiet.
Minha leaned closer and whispered:
"Every criminal is innocent… until it's proven that they are the devil wearing human skin."
At that moment, Noor ul Huda walked by and noticed the tension.
"Minha, what are you talking about?" she asked, half-joking.
Minha turned toward her, her voice now darker, lower.
"You… Noor ul Huda. You see the future, don't you? But did your future ever show you… yourself burning in silence while everyone else smiles?"
Noor ul Huda froze. Her eyes widened. The air around them shifted—like a cloud of ice had just passed through.
Before she could respond, two girls standing at a distance gasped.
Ayesegul whispered to her younger sister Gull-e-Amna, "Did you see that?"
Gull-e-Amna nodded slowly. "Yes… Minha has no shadow."
Both of them stared at her feet. The fading sunlight painted the ground with silhouettes of trees, benches, and students—but Minha had none. Not even a blur. Just empty space beneath her.
"She's not normal," Ayesa whispered. "I think… she's something else."
"I can't even feel my power when she's near," said Gull-e-Amna, clutching her necklace tightly. "I can't use my abilities on her. It's like… she's from another realm."
On the other side, Minha turned and slowly walked away. Aleena Batool and Noor ul Huda remained in silence. Aleena left, visibly shaken.
But Noor ul Huda stayed frozen—her eyes flickering with unseen images. She was seeing the future again.
Scenes flashed in her mind—fire, screams, darkness, a girl drowning in her own voice… and then, black.
Suddenly, a hand landed gently on her shoulder.
It was Zanib Aman.
"What happened, dear Noor ul Huda?" she asked softly.
Noor didn't answer.
Zanib looked at her carefully. "You saw something again, didn't you?"
Noor nodded slowly. "Yes… but I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone. My powers don't allow me. If I try, they punish me. It hurts."
Zanib sat beside her and said in a mock-serious voice, "Okay… you don't have to tell me. But I swear if it's about me falling in love with our math teacher, please just give me a head start to run away."
Noor chuckled slightly, wiping a tear.
Zanib continued, "Or wait—is it about me forgetting my assignment again? Because that's not a vision, that's a weekly routine."
Noor finally smiled. "You're impossible."
"Exactly," Zanib said, throwing an arm around her. "And I'm your impossible best friend who's here to make sure you don't drown in your spooky visions."
They both laughed, and the heaviness in the air lightened—just for a moment.
But far away, behind the waiting hall glass, Minha stood still and watched them.
Her lips moved silently.
She was humming her song again.