After reading the haunting message on the chalkboard, no one said a word. The air in the staff room turned cold, and the silence pressed down on them like a weight.
"Let's get out of here," whispered Swarali, tugging on Apurva's sleeve.
The girls hurried out of the room and locked it again, pretending nothing had happened as the bell rang for the morning assembly.
Later that afternoon, they gathered in their usual classroom during the short break. Everyone looked tense.
"So… who's M.K.?" Rutuja asked, nibbling on the end of her pen.
"Could be a teacher," guessed Swara. "Or maybe a student from back then."
"Let's check the old staff photos," suggested Apurva. "They're in the library archives, remember?"
Prajwal nodded. "Good idea. We'll go after school. Quietly."
—
After School – Library Archives
The ten girls split up and searched the cabinets labeled "Photos & Yearbooks." Srushti pulled out a thick album marked 1997 – Staff.
They gathered around as she flipped the pages.
"There!" said Akshada, pointing to a woman's name: Mrs. Meenal Kulkarni – Assistant Teacher (History).
"M.K.," Anushka muttered. "That has to be her."
"She's still working here," said Darshana. "She teaches the 10th-grade history class."
Prajwal nodded slowly. "If she knew something about Niyati's death, why didn't she ever speak up?"
"Maybe she was scared?" Akshara said softly.
"Or maybe…" Swara said cautiously, "...someone made her stay silent."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Think about it," Swara continued. "If Niyati was pushed and Meenal ma'am knew, she might've been threatened. What if the person behind all this is still working here?"
That thought sent a chill through everyone.
"I say we talk to her," said Rutuja. "Not directly, but casually. Try to bring up the past."
"Tomorrow during break," suggested Apurva. "She's always in the garden behind the staff room then."
"Let's not all go together," Swarali added. "Just two of us."
"I'll go," Prajwal offered.
"And I'll come too," said Swara.
Everyone agreed.
—
Next Day – School Garden
Prajwal and Swara approached Meenal Ma'am as she sat watering the plants.
"Good morning, ma'am," they greeted.
She smiled, a little too politely. "Good morning, girls. What brings you here?"
"Oh, just talking," Prajwal said with a smile. "We were flipping through old photos in the library yesterday. Some of them were from 1997."
Meenal's hand paused.
"That was a long time ago," she said quietly.
"Do you remember a girl named Niyati Sharma?" Swara asked gently.
Her face changed.
"I don't think I do," she replied too quickly.
There was a pause. Then Prajwal added, "Because we found a report. About her collapse in the basement. And your initials… on a note."
Meenal stood up slowly, her expression now unreadable.
"You girls should stop digging," she said coldly. "Some truths aren't meant to be found."
And with that, she walked away, leaving them stunned.
"She knows something," Swara whispered.
"Definitely," Prajwal replied. "And she doesn't want us to find out."
—