Young Adult
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The Fourth Bench from the Left
Bipasa Roy Chowdhury Chapter 1: Assigned Seats and Accidental Fates On the first day of the new academic year, Oakridge High buzzed with the scent of freshly bound notebooks, sharp pencils, and the distinct nervous energy that only teenagers in half-creased uniforms could produce. In Class 10-B, the fans creaked overhead like tired old men,…
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Backspace and Butterflies
Soma Sen Chapter 1: The Ink That Blurs Souvik Khurana hated the sound of pens scratching against paper. To most people, it was nothing more than a background noise—a classroom lullaby of sorts—but to him, it was a cruel reminder of how far behind he always was. The letters on the page swam before his…
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The Sky Between Us
Riya Chowdhury 1 The desert had its own kind of silence—thick, stretched thin across salt plains like an invisible cloth drawn over the earth, humming just below the level of human hearing. In the small town of Khavda, where every house was painted with fading lime and the wind carried more memory than sand, seventeen-year-old…
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The Last Rank
Debdeep Banerjee 1 The bell rang like a verdict, harsh and metallic, echoing across the sterile halls of Vidya Central Institute-93. Pratik Sen remained seated, hunched over a tablet that had just blinked red, displaying the same damning notification he had seen every day since he was old enough to read: “Rank: 1000000 – Terminal…
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Likes, Lies & Lemonade
Pulak Mitra 1 The light in Tripti Sethi’s room wasn’t sunlight—it was ring light. The walls weren’t pink by default; they were painted with PR-sent pastel samples from a sustainable decor brand that wanted to look “soft but aspirational.” At 17, Tripti had mastered the art of the illusion: flawless hair curled with a borrowed…
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The Firefly Letters
Aria D’Souza The Letter in the Library Ayush wasn’t looking for anything that day—not really. It was the kind of Tuesday that smelled of old paper and felt like chalk dust on your skin. The school library was nearly empty, just as he liked it. A few juniors whispered near the computer terminals, someone yawned…
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When the Bell Rang Twice
Advika Nair Chapter 1: The morning bell rang with the familiar sharp clang that echoed across the corridors of St. Mary’s High School, announcing the beginning of another Wednesday, another series of classes, and another chance for students to shuffle into their assigned seats like the pieces of a living, breathing jigsaw puzzle. In Class…
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The Clockmaker’s Secret
Ira Chatterjee Chapter 1: The Summer Arrival The train pulled into Windmere Station with a long metallic sigh, as if reluctant to stop in a town so still it barely seemed to breathe. Sophie McAllister pressed her nose to the smudged glass of the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the place she’d be…
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Paper Planes and Promises
Shreya Gupta The attic was a treasure trove of memories. Dust particles danced in the sunlight filtering through the small window. Emma opened an old box labeled “Summer 2010” and smiled as she sifted through its contents. Amidst the photographs and trinkets, a familiar shape caught her eye. A paper plane, slightly crumpled but intact.…