CHAPTER 9 – 3-4 = -1 (2)

I ride an auto, to follow Lost-Bird, irrespective of what Rusk had said.

"Auto, in Bengaluru? You want to get poor soon, or what?"

"It's not like I'd get buses of the same number magically; this is Bengaluru."

And so, I sit in the auto, while holding the bag, which I was wearing a while ago. The bag contained many things, alongside both my gauntlets, each of different kind.

Sadly, I wasn't the HOD, or things would have been simpler.

I truly didn't want to take the auto either, because I knew properly of Rusk's reasoning. Also why I had decided to get a mini-van.

And even taking the mini-van would mean more chances for suspiciousness. So I knew not to do that.

I could make a run for it. Except, it wasn't back home, people would identify me, plus find me scary. Besides, I'd easily get tired from it, in the end.

This way, I reach Lost-Bird's college/university, and get down from the auto, after paying the driver.

The next part was a bit tricky, but Wrap had already covered up everything for me, to easily go inside the college safely.

I jump a wall, with ease if I may, and end up into a spot, which was untouched by many. This very spot, was a spot that could only be reached after squeezing self through the side of a building, which was very un-spacious.

I step out of the place, and to the open, while taking two things out of the bag.

Seeing that no one had spotted me, I drop the shuttlecock to the floor.

But for the next part, I wear the lanyard in my other hand, and step deeper into the open. It may not have been a complete fake lanyard to the ones used here, but it was of an identical colour.

"They barely check the ID, just take this random one I bought today. Just be sure to remove it around the students. Those once are the all observant ones," Wrap had told me.

"I'm just questioning of how you bought one of a girl, when you wanted to be the one going," I had told him.

"They just… didn't have any other, alright?"

As I reach the buildings with classrooms, I remove the lanyard, and pocket it.

Right, I was wearing the blue jeans with a tucked in white top, with a black overcoat, which Wrap had bought for me.

Clearly wanted to squish him to smithereens for that, cause I loved it so much, alongside the other stuff he had bought.

Or maybe brought. That part was still a mystery. Perhaps for another time.

Before I go into any random class, I insert a pen-drive into the biometrics scanner of the teachers, and scoot away quickly.

I let the app in my phone do its work, and get me the list of all the teachers and their information.

I scroll through the result of the 147 teaching staff members.

Four times, I look through the members, and even consider security and the cleaning staff members. But nothing. No face was identical to Lost-Bird's..

Probably he had an older photo or something?

But in no way, did any of them look identical.

One match I had though, was of some Revanth Gowda. But he was a bit too slim, and moreover, looked around the same age group as Lost-Bird.

Was Lost-Bird infact a mole? I wonder.

I pick out the pen-drive, again without being detected. Really nobody guards a biometrics scanner, so it is fine. Except that the security guard is pretty close to the scene.

I try to search for a Wi-Fi connection, and get one with a secured password.

I go to the accountant.

"Hello, could I get the Wi-Fi password?"

"Ask the librarian," the accountant says, making eye contact. No mask on her face.

"Ok, thank you."

"Where's your ID?" she asks, right as I try to move.

"Uh… it's in the class. I didn't realise that I left it," I say, with an embarrassed face.

"Please wear ID at all time."

I nod, as a bow, and go to the so called library. Which pretty much was just a huge room, probably two classrooms big.

Of course it has a ID scanner. So I couldn't just simply get the password.

Wow, what a day.

There being only staff rooms around, I quickly move out of this building, and step into the opposite one.

I get into the closing lift, with one guy in it.

The network of Wi-Fi is pretty bad around here.

"Are you a teacher? Perhaps, but you aren't wearing an ID card, so must be a student. Final year?" the guy asks.

"Wow, what a conclusion. But why did you think I was a teacher?"

"You look old," the guy laughs. "Besides, those old people care a lot about wearing their ID. So you couldn't be one."

In my mind I get two options for him. One was to hang him upside down from above the building, which would attract eyes. Other was to pin him against a wall, while holding his neck or collar, and say…

"Why do you even want to talk with me?"

The lift door opens and I go out, holding up my phone, still looking for a good enough point where network would be fine.

I enter a classroom.

"Hey," I say to the closest student to the door. "When does your class start?"

"In a while. More about thirty minutes."

"Okay, thanks. Do you perhaps know the Wi-Fi password?"

"No, sorry."

"Alright."

I go into the classroom, to the corner most bench, which was closest to the library's side.

I try a few passwords, with the college's name, but nothing works.

"Hey, are you a new student?" a student approaches me.

"Or perhaps a teacher?" her friend, who was besides her, laughs.

I give-out a dry laugh.

"Oh you are trying to connect to the Wi-Fi?" she asks, peeking into my phone.

"Yes… do you know the password?" I ask.

"My friend should know. He is on his way he said, so just wait for a minute," she says.

"Oh I see, thank you," I say. "What are your names?"

And they both glue to me.

"Sanjana," the first girl says.

Sanjana was a bit shorter than me. Wearing a white mask, white check, red shirt, and black formal pants. She had golden skin tone.

"Aarshitha," Sanjana's friend says.

Aarshitha was taller than me, she might even be the tallest girl I have ever seen. Black mask, cream lace top, powdered blue jeans. She had very fair skin.

"Scelestha," I say.

"That's a nice name," Aarshitha says.

"Here he is," Sanjana says.

A guy comes towards the bench, as Sanjana waves it him.

"Oh, the lift girl," the-guy says.

I didn't care to see who was in the lift, back a while ago, so this was him. What a waste I'd have been to miss seeing this handsome guy.

While the girls were clearly much younger than me, this guy was older, but surely not older than me.

Black t-shirt, with a open red-shirt as a coat, with jeans like mine, and black mask.

"Ah, you met her on the lift? Well, where had you gone? She was waiting for you," Sanjana says.

"A guy needs to pee… and waiting for me? Interesting," the-guy says.

"Don't get your hopes high for marriage…" Aarshitha sighs. "She needs the password."

"Oh, the Wi-Fi? It is student at 1-2-3 dot i-n, with 's' as capital," the-guy says.

I type 'Student@123.in' as the password, and it connects finally.

"Thanks," I say.

"Until when are you free?" Sanjana asks.

"Eleven fifty-five," the-guy says.

"Wow, that's pretty much time."

I continue to search for the list of professors on the college's official website, and try to find a clue, just in case.

"You are checking the portal? Are you a new student?" Sanjana asks.

Damn, these people won't stop peeking.

"It's okay," Aarshitha says, looking at my grumped up face. "Even he is older… but started late to study. You don't have to be shy about that."

"Well, I just… it's an embarrassing story," I say.

"Everyone has one," Aarshitha says.

"Which course have you applied for?" the-guy asks.

I look at the screen and say out the first option.

"Aeronautical… engineering," I suffer at the short-form of engineering, shown on the screen.

"Wow, are all you older ones really into aeronautics or what?" Sanjana asks.

"Sanju!" Aarshitha silences.

"All I'm saying is, even he is the same course. You both will be in the same building from next year," Sanjana says.

"If you come through gate five, then you'd be lucky, you don't have to come this far in," the-guy says.

"But the four buildings here are almost at the same distance from the gate," I point, and giggle.

"No… I mean, our building is separately at the entrance only," the-guy says. "We are special people."

"What?" I ask.

"Right, for first year you are here, so you wouldn't know I guess," Sanjana says. "You guys do have a special building, right by those model planes."

"Oh," I say, unimpressed, but shook inside.

Could it be that there is a separate biometrics scanner there?

"When does your class start?" the-guy asks.

"Ah, one got over. Bunked the current. Next is after lunch break," I say.

"Wow you both are lucky," Sanjana says.

"Then, I could give you a tour…" the-guy says.

Pretty guy. And a needed chance to go there. Why would I say no?

So me and the-guy ditch the girls, as their class starts, and go outside. Past the huge ground, where model airplanes were placed.

The supposed building… was more of a shed or garage, but connected closely to a smaller building.

"Beautiful aren't they?" the-guy asks.

"Love aeroplanes too much?" I ask.

"More like flying…" the-guy says. "I envy the birds, and superheroes," he laughs. "I don't want to be a Quetzalcoatl, I just want to leave the land and miss it from above."

I laugh.

"I know, that's pretty weird," the-guy says.

"No I get it… everyone needs a kind of spark to know what is fun. Guess you need one for Earth," I say.

The-guy looks at me, with an unknown expression, and nods, after a good stare at me.

We go into the building, and the-guy stops.

"You know, I always wanted to do one thing. Do you want to too?" the-guy asks.

"Do what?"

"You with me or not?"

"As long as the police don't catch me," I laugh.

I'm a trespasser too: so wouldn't be pretty.

The-guy points forward, and I look at the end point. That is exactly what I wanted to search for. The Biometrics scanner.

"Scan my fingerprint there," the-guy says. "Everyone keeps calling me a teacher. So maybe should see if it works."

"Uh… my ID was sophisticated," I say.

"Wow, I hadn't heard that word ever in my life. Just seen. It means, taken? Well, and I mean only finger print. QR or whatever code it is, it is unique and they could track us both. But the college can't look for our fingerprints."

"Ah… smart."

We both go there, unsuspiciously. Without getting into anyone's centre of attention.

"By the way, why did they take your ID? First year is too soon for that," the-guy scoffs.

"Didn't return a book soon."

"Wow, nerd alert."

"NOT a nerd."

"Alright prove it," the-guy bops his head towards the biometrics scanner.

I breath out, and go, but right as I do.

"Oh Shetty," someone's voice comes.

I insert the pen-drive quickly, and turn to the voice. The person steps towards the-guy.

Two things; so the-guy's name was Shetty, and… Lost-Bird was right ahead of him.