GENTLE GHOST

Chapter 1: The Drift Apart

Life had changed after high school. What was once a tightly-knit group of friends had now become fragmented, each person moving on to different colleges, different cities, and different lives. Veer had always believed that the bond they shared was unbreakable. They had laughed, fought, celebrated, and even dreamed of a future together. But as months passed without a single call or message from any of them, reality hit him like a cold wave.

"Maybe they’ve moved on," Veer muttered, staring at his phone screen, scrolling through old conversations. "Maybe I was just another friend to them."

His only companion now was his senior friend, Prakhar—nicknamed Parker because of his obsession with Spider-Man. They shared a flat near their college, and despite the fun moments, Veer couldn’t shake off the growing loneliness in his heart.

One evening, as Parker flipped through channels on TV, he noticed Veer staring blankly at his phone.

"Still thinking about them?" Parker asked.

Veer sighed. "They haven’t even texted me in seven months, man. Not one message."

Parker chuckled. "Maybe they’re just busy. Life happens. You should focus on your college life instead of sulking."

But Veer had already made up his mind. If they weren’t going to remember him, he would make sure they did. That’s when the idea of the prank struck him.

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Chapter 2: The Vanishing Act

It started with a simple idea—a fake accident. A stunt dramatic enough to make his friends realize what he meant to them. He planned every detail meticulously. On a quiet evening, he set up his phone on a live stream, standing near the edge of a fast-flowing river.

With his voice shaking slightly for effect, he spoke into the camera, "I don't know if anyone still remembers me... but I guess it doesn't even matter anymore. Maybe this is how it ends."

Then, with perfect timing, he made it look like he slipped. His phone crashed onto the rocks, the live stream ending with a blurred splash.

The reaction was instant. His inbox, once deserted, was now flooded with frantic messages. His friends, his old classmates, even people who barely spoke to him in school were now messaging, asking if anyone had seen him. The police were alerted. His prank had escalated into something far beyond what he had expected.

Veer, the only one in on the plan, paced in their flat. "Thinks, this is next-level insane! I seriously called the cops on myself? What if they find out?"

"They won’t," Veer reassured himself, listening in through a hidden mic he had set up in his room. "I just want to see if they care."

Chapter 3: The Weight of Truth

As expected, his friends came. They gathered in his flat and some just went silent didn’t want to say a single word, grief-stricken, reminiscing about their time with him. Veer sat in his new room, his heart pounding as he listened through his mic.

"He was an idiot," Harsh said, voice breaking. "A kind-hearted fool with the worst sense of humour... but he was ours."

Vidya wiped her tears. "We should’ve called him more. He never let anyone feel left out, but we... we forgot him."

Anaya clenched her fists. "You know who’s missing? Nitya. She didn’t even come. I thought she was his best friend, but she didn’t even care enough to be here."

The room fell silent. The guys shook their heads in frustration.

"Selfish," one muttered. "He loved her, and she couldn’t even show up for his last day."

Veer’s stomach twisted. Nitya. The girl he had secretly loved. He had noticed her absence, but hearing his friends talk about her made it worse. Was she really that heartless?

But then, Anaya's voice cut through the room like a blade. "Shut up. You don’t know anything about her. None of you do."

Everyone turned toward her, confused. Parker sat up straight, sensing something serious.

"Nitya didn’t come because she couldn’t. She didn’t forget Veer. She cut contact with all of you because she had no choice. She’s trapped in something terrible, and the only way to keep everyone safe was to disappear," Anaya revealed, her voice trembling.

Veer stiffened. Trapped? In what?

"What are you talking about?" Vidya asked, stunned.

Anaya shook her head. "I promised but all I know is that she’s in a mess. She said the best thing we could do was to stay away from her. She didn’t want anyone else getting hurt."

The room filled with an eerie silence. This wasn’t what he had expected.

For the first time since his prank started, Veer felt real fear. Whatever Nitya was caught up in, it was bigger than any of them had realized.

He had planned to walk in and reveal the prank. But now, he hesitated.

Because suddenly, none of this was a joke anymore.

Veer wasn’t going to reveal himself. Not yet.

Now, he had a new plan.

He was going to find out the truth. And save Nitya.