Chapter 1

"Seriously, Aanya?" Aarav chuckled, shaking his head in mild disbelief. "I mean, I get it—you're totally in love with me," he teased, "But making entire characters based on us? And then your character's obsession with me—damn, that's intense." His voice was light, teasing, but there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

He leaned back, crossing his arms as he laughed again. "And where the hell did 'Ayla' come from? Who even names someone that?! And Aaron—" he added with a grin, "not bad. Gotta admit, though, it has a nice ring to it."

Just then Jay strolled into the room, his usual carefree energy making its presence known as he swung his arms like a kid who had too much sugar. "Here comes our very own twelve-year-old detective," Aarav said without even looking up.

Jay halted mid-step, his face wrinkling into confusion. Then he saw Aanya sitting beside Aarav, holding a tablet, and it hit him. "Hey, my character is pretty cool," he shot back.

"Sure," Aarav spoke in a low voice, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. "You're obsessed with the case the same way Ayla is obsessed with me."

"In fact, I—" Jay began, but Aarav cut him off with a smirk. "Still pretty childish, though."

Jay froze, his expression darkening. "Kill yourself," he deadpanned before turning to Aanya. "Anyway, wanna try some paranormal spiritual stuff with me? Just for fun, y'know."

Aanya cringed, suppressing a laugh. "You actually believe in that ghost and magic crap?"

Jay shrugged. "Not entirely, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing."

"Fine. But only because I'm bored, not because I believe in your nonsense." she said with a sigh.

A grin spread across Jay's face as he pushed her with him, dragging toward the door. "Prepare to be amazed," he said, his tone full of mock seriousness.

Behind them, Aarav muttered under his breath, "And there goes our very own Scooby-Doo team."

"Alright, so what are we even gonna do?" Aanya asked, breaking the awkward silence that had stretched between them.

Jay grinned mischievously. "Ouija!"

Aanya rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"Hey, I even wrote about it in the story," he replied with a smirk. "The part where I thought you and Randy were doing it? That scene is gold, I'm really fond of it."

"Yeah, yeah," Aanya muttered, brushing off his enthusiasm.

"But no," Jay continued, his grin widening. "This isn't Ouija. This is... a different game. One I made myself."

"Oh, so now you're a game designer?"

"Obviously," Jay shot back, unfazed. He leaned closer, lowering his voice dramatically. "Step one, sacrifice your blood on the board."

"Ha, very funny," Aanya said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He noticed the thick hard copy of their story she'd brought along and frowned. "Wait. Why'd you bring that in here?"

Aanya glanced down at the book and shrugged. "I had it in my hands and forgot. The tab's with Aarav anyway, so it doesn't matter."

As if summoned, Aarav walked in, looking bored as ever. "What are you guys even up to?"

"Trying not to die of boredom," Aanya quipped.

"Well, you're failing," Aarav replied, plopping down beside them.

"Perfect timing," Jay said with mock delight. "Since you're here, why don't we make this official?"

Aanya and Aarav exchanged amused glances. "Official how?"

"Simple," Jay said, pulling out a marker. "Cut your palms and drop some blood on the board. You know, for authenticity."

"Of course," Aarav replied dryly. "Because nothing screams authenticity like tetanus."

Still, both Aanya and Aarav decided to play along, using a small pocketknife to make shallow cuts on their palms. They let a few drops of blood fall onto the board, laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation felt.

As they giggled, a mosquito buzzed obnoxiously around the hard copy of the story. Aanya swatted at it but missed. "Ugh, this thing is driving me crazy!"

"Let me," Aarav said, raising his hand. Together, they slapped the hard copy simultaneously, squashing the mosquito in unison.

"Got it," Aarav announced triumphantly.

"And now for the final touch," Jay said. "Random spells!"

All three of them started chanting nonsensical phrases in mock seriousness, barely able to contain their laughter.

Just as Aanya was about to add her own "spell," her phone buzzed. It was her mom. She stepped aside to take the call, leaving the boys behind.

A few minutes later, Aarav stretched and yawned. "I'm starving. Let's grab dinner somewhere."

"Good idea," Jay agreed. They left the room together, heading toward the nearest restaurant, leaving behind the makeshift board, the hard copy of the story, and the laughter of their unprepared ritual.

Jay waved Aarav goodbye, his hands tucked into his pockets as he walked down the dimly lit street. The road was wide, but the faint glow of scattered streetlights gave it a quiet, eerie atmosphere. His mind wandered as he walked, thinking about how Aanya had used his neighborhood as inspiration for the area around her character's house in the story. He smiled at the thought, but his steps faltered when he noticed a figure standing near the edge of the sidewalk.

"Aanya?" he called out, his voice cutting through the stillness. His brow furrowed, puzzled by her presence near his house. "What are you doing here? Missed me so much you decided to spend the night?" he teased, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

The figure turned toward him, and her expression shifted as if she were trying to place him. "Aanya?" she repeated, her voice soft but tinged with confusion. "MJ—hi? When did you dye your hair black? You look... different. A bit less... appealing, maybe?"

Jay laughed, brushing off her words. "What are you even talking about? We just met like an hour ago," he said, shaking his head. "And seriously, 'MJ'? You're way too obsessed with that story."

The girl's confusion deepened as she stared at him.

"Man, I'm heading home now. Gotta work on your records later—four days left till the new year, so I'll try to finish at least four chapters," Jay said casually, slipping his earphones back in.

But her face didn't relax. Instead, her confusion deepened as she stepped closer. "I don't... What do you mean? Chapters?" she asked, her voice faltering.

"Alright, I think you've had one too many drinks," he said, patting her shoulder lightly. "Careful, it's still illegal for you right now. Don't get yourself into trouble."

Without waiting for a reply, Jay turned and started walking again, his chuckles fading into the night. Aanya looking confused wasn't anything new to him—she was like that half the time anyway. But something about the encounter left an odd weight in the air, one he couldn't quite shake off.

Aanya sat at her desk, her cheek resting against her hand, elbow propped on the table as she leaned forward, her legs shaking absentmindedly. Her gaze was fixed on the hard copy of Parallel Confessions, its plain cover now had streaks of blood, the black smudge of a squashed mosquito, and faint bloody imprints of hers and Aarav's hands. She found herself oddly mesmerized by how the imperfections gave the pages a strange, unintended beauty, almost like accidental art. The once-blank cover, with its straightforward title in A4 print, now felt alive with character.

With a sigh, she opened her laptop and typed in the document link to continue working. Her thoughts wandered briefly to Jay and his delay in adding the next chapter. It had been a while since they all left the institute. Jay and Aarav seemed busy with their studies, while Aanya floated in her indifference, convinced there was no point in it all—life, work, ambition. It didn't matter; nothing did. She even chuckled at her own shift in perspective. Until recently, she found joy in the very absurdity of life's futility. Now it just felt heavy.

A notification popped up on the sidebar, breaking her daydream. It was a message from Jay: "You back home? Also, drink less."

Aanya stared at it, confused, though she wasn't surprised by her own state of constant uncertainty. She often wondered how people functioned with clarity, how they navigated their lives without this haze of disconnection. Were there really people out there—most of them, apparently—who actually understood what was happening around them at any given moment? She found the thought almost laughable.

She replied with a simple "Yeah," then shut her laptop, ignoring the uneasy feeling that lingered. Before falling into bed, she sent another text: "Finish the chapters."

Ranya was walking down the school hall when she spotted Jay. "Jay!" she waved at him, her voice cutting through the quiet buzz of students.

He froze, his eyes widening as he stared at her. His mind struggled to process the sight. "What—now?" he managed, his voice sounding distant, as though unsure of what was real and what was a hallucination.

Ranya, oblivious to his discomfort, laughed. "What?" she asked, her smile almost playful. 

"You were missing—". His voice trembled slightly. 

"Hah, you're way too sarcastic. Just because I didn't reply to your messages doesn't mean I died." She laughed. "By the way, damn—I like your hair. Brown looks good, see ya!" 

Ranya watched as Jay walked into the physics lecture hall. He barely registered the voices around him until one of them called out.

"Jay! You're here early, damn!"

His brain stalled for a moment. Jay? He stopped in his tracks, a strange discomfort creeping up his spine. My name is MJ, he thought, shaking his head, but then... he couldn't recall what the full form of MJ was, as if it had never existed.

A confused frown crossed his face. Was he... was he actually Jay? The thought lingered in his mind, but then he dismissed it, rationalizing it away. Must be the weed, he thought, trying to shake off the unease.

With a half-hearted shrug, he decided to roll with it. He accepted the name that felt so distant now and settled into his desk, trying to ignore the feeling that something about this situation—about himself—was terribly off.

"I can't believe it." Aarav heard a familiar chuckling voice from behind him. Except, it was his own voice.

Startled, he whipped around quickly, his heart racing. There, standing before him, was someone who looked just like him. But better. The guy before him had perfect skin, a sharper haircut, taller and slimmer.

Aarav froze for a moment, his mind struggling to process the image. Aaron? The thought flickered in his mind, but he didn't dare speak it aloud.

The man in front of him smiled knowingly and extended his hand, as though expecting a handshake. "Aaron. And you must be—me." he said, his tone smooth and confident, but a dull smirk. 

Aarav's mind swirled with confusion. A part of him wanted to laugh it off, tell himself it was some elaborate prank. But the deepening unease in his chest told him something was terribly wrong. He had a faint idea of what was going on, but he couldn't bring himself to fully believe it. This can't be real.