Those who have not read the previous update please read that before this cause without reading that you won't understand why theyare here and what they are doing.
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"Wake up Girls! If you are late there won't be any food left for you." The hostel warden declared banging on each door. The girls slept quite late after terrifying everyone with their horror stories.
The morning scene at the washroom was quite a fuss for Naira to witness. The girls busy brushing their teeth, some waiting near the door of the toilet, some filling water in a bucket, all in a washroom which was flooded with water on the floor. To a very hygiene girl like Naira, it was quite hard to abbreviate.
Calmly striving to ignore all the hassles, Naira eventually freshen up and left to have breakfast accompanying her new friends.
"Attention to the students who gave their name for Treasure Hunt, please report at the seminar hall at 10 am," was announced on the speaker when everyone was having breakfast.
Naira along with her team members Nowfan, Shana and Sahla hastened to their destined place after the announcement. Treasure Hunt was going to be hard cause already Nine teams were there from their college itself along with 31 other teams, other colleges, which is a total of 40 teams in Treasure Hunt. The competition was indeed tough to win, but no one was going to give up.
Soon round one was started which was a quiz round, related to general knowledge and riddles. Naira being the nerd, solved every question easily with confidence along with Nowfan. The other two members just sat there quietly intending pleasant to not having to do any task.
"I feel happy that I have no brains." Shana chuckled saying this to her junior.
All the students who participated were requested to stay outside and come back again after the results of round one is announced.
"Naira, do you think we will be selected to next round?" Nowfan queried.
"Em, I hope so. I just feel self-confident and excited about this." Naira replied with a cheerful smile.
They walked towards the main block of the building with other team members from their college. All students from their college, IIM was assembled there and they all carried an enormous smile on their face.
"For the first time, we beat that team from IIM, Delhi in The Finance Game!" Farah exclaimed.
"Woah, that's so amazing! Congrats Nayel and team!" Nowfan told and went to hug Nayel.
"Since our program is over we will be free. So if any of you want help from us do call us." Nayel informed.
"Yeah! That will be great!" Shana emitted with a shy smile.
"Planning to spend time with your new crush?" Farah whispered.
Shana just hushed her and nodded clutching Naira's hand as it was their time to leave.
Due to Naira's intelligence, they were selected to the new round. A bundle of newspapers was given to them and was asked to find the words given to them in a paper from that bundle which consisted of about eight to nine newspapers. It was troublesome to search the fifteen words on the list given to them from nine newspapers. Each team was given a bench and desk for them to spread the newspaper and find the words in forty-five minutes. Students passing by that classroom could easily witness the people struggling hard to find the words holding the newspapers.
Naira almost felt like her eyes were about to bulge out and are near to lose her sight. To take a few seconds break from the strain of reading, she stood up and gazed at the newspaper slowly. That's when she heard someone calling from outside the windowpane.
"Hey, want some help?" Nayel whispered.
She was startled by seeing Nayel near the window and sat down instantly not knowing what to do or say to him. In that swift moment, her fingers were placed in a word on the newspaper which she was searching for the past ten minutes.
"Itinerant! Finally, I found it!" she announced a little louder.
"Shh" everyone whispered.
They were the first team to get all the words before time and was selected to the third round. It was declared that it would be starting after lunch.
To have a good relationship between Seniors and Juniors, they all gathered in a huge round table in the middle of the Cafeteria. Naira sat with her friends and some junior girls. While eating she was feeling like someone was gazing at her. She slowly lifted her head to notice, Nayel was the one gazing at her with a questioning face. Feeling awkward, she swallowed her food without looking at him again and got up to leave hastily after finishing.
"Why are you so quiet and shy?" Nayel questioned her while washing his hands in the washroom which was for both Male and Female.
"I am like this." Saying this she rushed out of the washroom and he chuckled seeing her.
He is just one of my junior. Why am I running away from him? She thought and solicited herself.
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"Third Round is Product Hunt!" The boy in charge of the game declared.
"What's that?" Naira and Sahla asked in unison.
"They will give a list where there will be many things. We have to collect them within the time given by them." Nowfan informed.
"The time is 1:56 pm now. This round will start exactly at 2 pm and you should be back with the items within one hour. If you fail to report here on time your marks will be reduced." A girl declared with a very serious tone and distributed an envelope to each team and told to open at 2 pm sharp.
"Let's open saying Bismillah (In the name of Allah)" Naira suggested and everyone nodded.
"Oh my Allah! There are 40 items to collect! We only have one-hour" Shana proclaimed as soon as they opened the envelope and took out the paper which had the list of items to be accumulated.
"We don't have enough time. So let's split as individuals and each of us will collect 10 items. I'll collect the first ten items, Shana the next ten, then Naira and last ten for Sahla. Come on hurry let's run!" Nowfan stated.
Everyone took a picture of the list on their phone and the paper was with Naira.
"Everyone should gather here five minutes before our deadline," Shana told. In a swift, everyone was scattered to collect the items. Naira was obliged to collect items numbered from 21 to 30.
LIST
21.New twenty rupees note
22.Four line classmate notebook
23.Green shoelace
24.Fastrack Watch...
"What is all this? How am I going to find these items? I should probably go and search or ask people" she talked out loud.
The first item, New twenty rupees note. It's easy anyone would be having it, she thought and proceeded towards the crowd to ask as she was not having.
None of the people from her college was present in the main building nor anywhere. She wondered where they all could be and thought it was better to ask things from people she knows rather than some strangers from other colleges who is present all over the campus now.
Finally, she was fed up of searching for people and decided to ask it from a group of unknown girls since the time was running rather promptly.
Gathering all her courage she finally decided to ask them and walked near them, suddenly she saw a familiar face of a junior girl walking. Feeling happy she marched towards that girl and asked the twenty rupees note which she got instantly.
"Yay. I got it. Next item on the list is Four line classmate notebook" She said to herself and wondered. That's when she remembered Shana's advise,
"Don't try to collect them in order of the list. Try to collect whatever you get first. If we concentrate according to the list order, we will miss other items which we already passed by."
Naira studied all the items on the list quickly and ran to the parking lot as a picture of a rare bike was asked to click. While running she heard someone calling her from behind,
"Naira." Nayel almost whispered as he was trying to catch his breath because he ran behind her.
"Yes?" She slowed down and replied.
"Where are you rushing off to in this speed?" He inquired.
"I have to collect ite-" she stopped saying in mid-sentence when she saw Nayel's wrist.
"Give me that watch. It's Fastrack right?" she asked scanning his watch with her eyes.
"Yes, But why?" he asked confused.
"For this product hunt round in Treasure Hunt, I need to collect some items and your watch is one of them." She explained in a shaking manner.
He laughed at her shakingly humble voice and removed the watch from his wrist to give her.
"What else do you need?" Nayel enquired to help her. Being taken aback by his gesture, she suddenly felt numb feeling grateful so she showed the paper in her hand which has the list of items.
"Let's go to the reading room near the library. We can maybe find The Times Of India, newspaper dated two years ago from there." Nayel declared and started pacing. Niara followed him without saying a word and started searching the newspaper hastily.
"It's not here. Maybe someone from another team already got it." Naira said slowly giving up searching it from a room full of newspaper.
"Maybe you are right. Let's find other things" Nayel replied.
There was a small school near the campus they were present. They decided to go there and find some items.
"Like seriously! How can they ask for an empty orange Lays packet and empty Appy Fizz bottle" Nayel spoke feeling irritated by the items.
"Em, You don't need to help me feeling irritated. I'll manage myself to find these." Naira responded.
"Oh, sister. I didn't say that. Just look at these. They are indirectly asking us to collect waste. That's what I meant." Nayel stated.
Suddenly Naira felt a lot comfortable hearing him addressing her as a sister.
You are elder so will be his sister, you idiot. She mentally recounted.
Luckily it was the time when the class was over. Children were coming out from their classrooms and going to their house.
"Look, kids! They may be having a four-line notebook. Go ask them." Nayel ordered.
"Me?" Naira questioned him.
"Then who else me? It's your task. I'm sure you would be great at dealing with kids. Just go ask them and say you will return to them soon and ask them to stay here." Nayel explained.
"Is that the only way? Will they give and wait for me?"
"There is no nearby stationary shop here. So asking them is the only way. Naira, go ask them. You can do it. I have faith in you. " He said with a pleasant smile which reached his eyes and made him adorable looking like a small cute boy.
Plastering a smile and calming herself, Naira went towards the bunch of kids gathered near the football ground. Not to lie, she loved and admired kids but, being a shy girl she never interacted with them. She turned back at Nayel to request him to ask but she saw him giving her thumbs up with a smile.
"Hello, sweet little kids. I'm Naira." She introduced herself.
"Hello, Dheedhi." Everyone said in unison with a cheerful voice which made Naira content.
"I am participating in a program conducted by that nearby college. So for that, I want some things for the competition and Four line classmate notebook being one among them. Can anyone please lend me your notebook for a few minutes. I promise to return it to you." Naira explained to them and asked in a pleading manner.
A small girl who seemed like six or seven years old came forward and pointed her finger to the basketball ground and said in a cute voice,
"My house is behind that. You can come there and return my book Dheedhi." Saying this the little girl took out her rough notebook and handed to her.
"Aww, Thank you so much, sweetie. I'll bring it back soon." Naira caressed the little girl's cheeks and spoke.
"See? It was easy to ask them. Let's move on to gather other things on your list." Nayel walk passed her and said. Without saying anything Naira followed him in the joy of getting the required things on the list.
"Look! It's the school cafeteria." Nayel notified her.
"Em, So?" she replied confused pondering about there was no food name mentioned on the list.
"You only have the brains to study huh?" He mocked to which she just awkwardly smiled lightly not understanding what he was saying about.
"Here we can find empty orange Lays packets and empty Appy Fizz bottle," Nayel reminded and She opened her mouth in 'O' shape on realisation.
"I'll search that from here. You go near the football ground and ask from those little boys whether they have green shoelace." Like an obedient girl, she marched towards the ground and left Nayel to do his hunt.
Naira entered inside the cafeteria to look for Nayel when she failed to get the green shoelace but, he was nowhere to be found in the cafeteria. They parted their ways in front of the cafeteria but never mentioned where to meet next. She does not even have his mobile number.
"What will I do?" She mumbled. To know his whereabouts, she went near the cashier of the canteen and queried,
"Did you perhaps see a young boy here asking for empty packets and bottles?"
"Yeah, he came here and I've told him to search it from the backyard of this place. Students just dump it over there after eating." The cashier replied politely. Upon hearing that she ran quickly to find him because she felt like he needed her help.
In the backyard where many packets and bottles were dumped, she saw Nayel kneeling and searching for the things on the ground. Even though the place was not that dirty she felt sorry and distressed because he was doing this, searching for things from the waste for her.
"Nayel?" She whispers.
He slowly got up from the ground, turned to face her and responded,
"Hmm."
As soon as Naira saw his face, she controlled not to chuckle in front of his face. But it was hard for her and she burst out laughing gazing at him.
"What? Oh, you do know how to laugh and why are you laughing?" He innocently asked.
"Y-you l-look f-funny."
Nayel's hair was in a mess. He had soft, shiny, midnight black hair which every girl would want and be jealous of. Some of his hair strands were in the front, hanging on his forehead along with a brown dry leaf and one big leaf on top of his head along with few small branches.
Naira shifted her gaze from his hair to above him, the huge tree, which was the cause for his messy hair. He may not have realised the particles on his head because he was busy searching for packets and bottles.
"Your hair." She pointed towards his head.
He quickly shook off his head in a dashing style and stroked his hair gently.
"Guess he loves his hair." She murmured.
Who doesn't love a hair like that, you idiot, her subconscious told.
"You said something?" He asked still checking on his hair and trying to get the dirt out of his messy hair.
"Nothing." She quickly replied.
They almost got some of the items on the list for the hunt but not all of them and only ten more minutes were left to report at the seminar hall. So, they decided to go back before they get late and their points get reduced.
"Five Post Card Stamps were on the list right? I guess there is a small post office near the school. Let's collect that and head back." Nayel suggested while glancing at the list.
"No. I remember Shana and Nowfan advising me that it is not compulsory to collect all the items. Let's go with what we got. The others may have also collected the things on their list. Reaching back on time matters." She informed declining his suggestion.
"But I'm sure there is a post office near the school. You will get extra points if we find it. You stay here, I'll collect them and come back." He declared and ran towards the backside of the school without waiting for her reply.
She stood there like a statue staring at his fading appearance. The minute his view disappeared she got succumbed in her thoughts.
What is this change in me? I'm talking to and interacting with strangers. Is it because I'm away from home? Is my change because of homesick or something else? Is it how I should've been? Making friends and being social. And Nayel, Why do I feel comfortable around him without any problem? Is it because he is my junior so that he is smaller than me, she thought about all these questions eating her up while waiting for him. But not to lie she was indeed liking the change of getting new friends and experiencing new things.
Now only six minutes were left to report at the campus with their items. Nayel was not yet back. She doesn't have any means to contact him further like earlier. She grabbed her phone from her sling bag and stared at it to find a way and then she heard someone screaming out her name.
"Nairaaa... We got it." Nayel yelled running slowly towards her.
To reach back to campus from that school, it requires a walk of more than six to seven minutes. But only five minutes were left now. So, as soon as Nayel reached in front of her, she started running forth towards the program campus.
While attempting to run faster she neglected to look whether Nayel was behind her. After reaching the entrance of the school gate, she looked back and Nayel was walking slowly behind her. Suddenly she got furious and marched towards him as she didn't want her team to lose because of her.
"We are already running late on time and here you are walking so slow!" saying this without thinking twice Naira grabbed on his wrist, dragged him and ran towards the campus to reach fast.
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ASSALAMU ALAIKUM / HEY
How was the chapter? Sorry for delaying to update.
This is the longest chapter I wrote on this book and I hope you like it.
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