"When silence follows cruelty, guilt becomes
deafening."
š©ø Scene: The Aftermath
Karikalan lay motionless on the cold stone floor. His chest
didn't rise. His lips were pale. His eyes, half-lidded, stared into nothing.
A hush fell over the courtyard.
One by one, the students stepped back, their faces drained
of color.
"He's not breathingā¦" "Is heā¦ dead?" "Oh godā¦ what have we
done?"
All eyes turned to Elara.
"This is your fault!" someone shouted. "You're the one who
put your foot on his throat!" "You went too far!"
Elara stood still, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
"My fault?" he said, voice calm but sharp. "You all kicked
him. You all laughed. Don't act like saints now."
The crowd wavered.
"If I go down," Elara continued, "I'm taking every one of
you with me. You think the principal will spare you? You think your parents
will?"
A boy stepped forward, trembling.
"Iā¦ I'm going to tell the principal. He needs to know."
Elara's eyes narrowed.
"Go ahead, brat. But rememberāyou're not innocent. None of
you are. You all became monsters today."
The boy froze.
The others looked at each other, fear rising like smoke.
"Then what do we do?" someone whispered. "We can't just
leave him hereā¦"
Elara smirked.
"There's only one way. We call the principal. But we
control the story."
Elara turned to the group.
"We say he collapsed. That he fainted. That we tried to
help. That we were too late."
"And if anyone talks?" someone asked.
Elara's smile vanished.
"Then we all fall. Together."
The students nodded, some reluctantly, some out of fear.
The pact was sealedānot by loyalty, but by guilt.
And as they moved to fetch the principal, Karikalan's body
remained still.
The air was thick with dread.
A student sprinted down the corridor, breathless, bursting
into the principal's office.
"Sir! Something's happenedā¦ it's Karikalanā¦ please come
quickly!"
The principal, a stern man with years of experience and
eyes that had seen too much, stood up immediately.
"Lead me."
He rushed down the hallway, his polished shoes echoing like
thunder against the tiled floor.
He entered the classroomāand froze.
Karikalan lay on the ground, lifeless. His skin pale. His
chest still.
The students stood in a circle, silent, their faces pale
with guilt and fear.
"What happened here?" the principal demanded.
Elara stepped forward, calm as ever.
"Sir, he collapsed. Fainted. We tried to help himā¦ but we
couldn't."
The principal narrowed his eyes. He knelt beside Karikalan,
checking for a pulse. Then he noticed itāa faint footprint pressed into
the skin of Karikalan's throat.
His expression darkened.
"Then tell me, Elaraā¦ who did this?"
The room went still.
Some students looked away. Others began to tremble.
Elara didn't flinch.
"We didn't do anything to him," he said coolly.
The principal stood up, fury rising in his voice.
"What the hell are you talking about, Elara? I've seen the
tension between you and Karikalan for months. I know about the bullying. The
whispers. The threats. Don't play innocent with me!"
The classroom was silent. The air, heavy with guilt and
fear, seemed to press down on every chest.
Karikalan lay still, unmoving. The principal's hands
trembled as he stood over the boy's body.
"You arrogant brat!" he roared. "I'm calling the police
right now. You'll answer for this!"
But Elara didn't flinch. He stepped
forward, his smirk widening.
"Call them. I don't care. But before you do, think about
thisā¦"
He walked slowly, circling the principal like a predator.
"What happens when the media finds out? 'Student murdered
in elite college.' 'Principal under fire for negligence.' 'Shareholder's son
arrested for campus violence.'"
The principal's face paled.
"You think you're untouchable?" he snapped.
Elara leaned in, voice low and venomous.
"My father is a shareholder here. Your friend,
remember? The same man who helped you when you were jobless. The one who pulled
strings to get you this position after twenty years of waiting."
The principal's fists clenched.
"If I go down," Elara continued, "he goes down. And when he
does, this college goes with him. No more admissions. No more reputation. And
you? You'll be the scapegoat. The man who let a scandal destroy an
institution."
He took one final step, his voice now a whisper.
"And what about your daughter's engagement? What happens to
her futureā¦ when your name is dragged through the mud?"
The principal staggered back, as if struck.
The room watched in stunned silence. The students, once
ready to turn on Elara, now stood frozenātrapped in the web of consequences.
He looked down at Karikalan. A boy who had no power. No
wealth. Only truth.
And yet, here he wasācrushed by the very system meant to
protect him.
The principal's heart ached. But his mind raced.
"If I actā¦ I lose everything.If I stay silentā¦ I lose myself."
He turned to the class.
"Take him to the infirmary. Now."
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"Soā¦ we're clear?"
The principal didn't answer. But his silence spoke volumes.
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