Snippets of Madam Sirr (S1)

Chapter 19

A Prank and a Punishment

The day passed in its usual routine of drills and lectures, but batch 11 could barely hide their excitement. As the night descended, everyone assembled in KS's room going over the plan in detail. They all wore black hoodies and jeans, hiding the water balloons in the hoodie pockets.

"So team, are you ready?" KS asked, her voice booming.

Everyone nodded, the excitement drowning their fear. They crouched low and headed outside using the cover of the night to mingle stealthily. As they reached the senior hostel, the building loomed in front of them in the darkness.

KS took out a balloon feeling the soft squishiness in her palm as she aimed and lurched it at the second floor. She quickly ducked down as her balloon hit the target with a "splash." She covered her laughter with her hand motioning the others to get ready. Within minutes chaos had ensured as batch 11 threw balloon after balloon at the senior hostel, the exclaimed shouts and surprises of the seniors giving them an extra jab of adrenaline.

Suddenly, the lights flickered in the hostel and batch 11 instinctively crawled to the ground.

"Move. Slowly." KS whispered as the batch 11 slowly dispersed from their hiding places heading to the secure training grounds. Once they reached the ground, they hugged the ground bursting out in fits of laughing.

"Aarey yaar that was fun" Raman commented as he doubled over laughing.

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Aryan asked as he almost choked.

"Now that was priceless" Nidhi said as she looked around.

KS stood up clutching her abdomen. "What's the worst that could happen?" she asked though she knew that their actions would have severe repercussions.

Without wasting time, they returned to their respective rooms, each feeling a thrill of excitement at their recent bout of mischief.

The next morning a special assembly had been arranged by their commanding officers. KS and the gang stepped in to line besides the other cadets, their hearts hammering loudly. They looked up and saw Babita madam and the two commanding officers seated on the stage, their expressions grim and severe.

KS gulped in fear as she hid amongst the other cadets. She clenched her fists and gritted through her teeth, hoping and praying that they wouldn't get caught.

"Cadets" the head officers voice boomed. "The senior hostel was flooded with water balloons yesterday night." He said. "Who is responsible for this act?" he asked, his deep voice roaring.

Nobody spoke. KS and the gang lowered their heads in fear.

"We have CCTV recordings" he said as the gang looked up the fear apparent in their eyes. "But it would be better for everyone involved if you confess now."

He stepped away looking at the crowd, his gaze piercing the rows of cadets standing in front of him.

The gang stared at one another, their expressions blank. The stood rooted to the ground, frozen in fear. KS slowly lifted her head and nodded at the others as everyone nodded back in agreement. It would be better to confess. They made their way to the front, their legs feeling as lead as they stood in front of their commanding officers.

Nobody spoke. Nobody dared to look up. They heard the sound of boots as the head officer stood near them.

"Batch 11" he shouted as they all instinctively raised their heads. "Why did you do this?" he asked, his voice spitting across them.