1 1.Innocent Invitations Part-1

"I am blind for real, I cannot see anything!" Sam screamed his lungs out, deafening everyone present there.

"Shut up idiot! You are not blind. Those people have blindfolded everyone," Someone besides him rebuked, nudging him in the waist with their elbow.

The familiar stranger pulled off Sam's blindfold, giving him an unexpected exposure to light. Sam covered his eyes as they had become sensitive to brightness.

A few minutes later, when his eyes adjusted to the environment, he looked around himself. The short walls of the room were made of wood, the floor was slimy and the place reeked of the briny smell of seawater. The creaking floorboards confirmed his conclusion. Apart from that, there were many people lying on the floor, unconscious. The stranger was one of them.

Heck yeah! This is a perfect adventure but what the hell am I doing inside a boat?

It all started with an innocent letter.

It was 8 o' clock in the morning and Sam woke up from a good night's sleep. Like every other teenager on this planet, laziness overtook him and he cuddled back in his blanket, pretending to be asleep. He played his favourite song and plugged his headphones in, but there was no sound whatsoever. He heard familiar music from outside his room:

🎶 kizu ato tsuyoku nazoru🎶

🎶 yousha nai aki ga kite 🎶

Before he could even understand what was going on, the door banged open and his mom entered, startling him. Sam thought it was best if he stayed under the blanket.

"Sambar! How many times have I told you not to listen to songs early in the morning?" She yelled, bringing him back to his senses.

It was a trap!

"And yeah, If you think this a trap or something, You are completely wrong. I connected your headphone to my speaker via Bluetooth," She assured.

Does she know telepathy?

"Now get up and eat your breakfast, or else you will be late for school."

Sam thought his mother had left the room and peeked his head outside the blanket cove. He was shocked to see his mother standing there, staring him square in the eyes. Sam's mother's patience reached its peak. In a single move, she pulled off his blanket, exposing him to the cold air. He had no option but get up. He headed to the washroom straight away and looked at himself in the mirror.

I look handsome, as always.

Sam had always been the 'rumoured playboy' of his school. His looks were enough to kill females of all ages. He had perfect silky, black hair, curling at the nape of his neck. A beautiful wheatish skin complexion donned his delicately structured face. He had set of mesmerising brown-black eyes, which seemed like coloured pieces of crafted glass. He got dressed up and headed to his dining table, where his mom was waiting for him.

Sam's mother headed to the kitchen and got him his plate of breakfast, the dreaded 'Sambhar and Idli.'

"Mom, I... I am not hungry today," He stuttered.

"Sambar, you have to eat your breakfast. Otherwise, you are not going to school today."

"It's SAM. S-A-M. For heaven's sake, please do not call me Sambar." He pleaded.

"Why? We have named you so. We will call you by your name. Not some idiotic name you have picked off a website."

"Why 'Sambar'? You could have given any other name, like 'Raj' or 'Rahul'." Sam suggested.

"Your father did not like Bollywood. It is such a nice name. What's the problem? Anyways, there is a letter for you." His mom tried to change the topic.

"A letter? For me?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, I kept it on the side drawer table. Take a look at it."

Sam headed to the table a couple of feet away in their tiny apartment. He picked up the letter and examined it. The envelope had a traditional golden colored seal. The paper was fibrous, like official documents. There was something very genuine about the letter. The logo. It belonged to Bright Leaders Academy, the most reputed school in the world.

What business do they have with me?

Sam's fingers fiddled with the envelope before ripping it apart. He took out the letter and read it. There was one thing that stood out the most in the letter:

"The Bright Leaders Academy has awarded a 100 per cent scholarship to your ward."

"Mom! Take a look at this." He rushed back to the dining table and put the letter on it. His mom looked at the letter and her lips curved into a smile.

"Wow! You sure are smart. I'm proud of you, dear!"

"I still can't believe this. I have to say this to Spence." Sam babbled.

Sam dialled his friend's phone number and waited for him to receive the call.

"You scoundrel! Listen up." He yelled through the phone.

"Whoa, dude. Calm down with those words. You don't want to get busted, Do you?" Spence retorted.

Spence was right. Sam's mom had been hearing the conversation for a long time. She was furious when Sam used inappropriate language while talking to his friend.

"OK. I'll calm down." Sam drew in a heavy breath and let it out. "You son of a female dog!"

The phone hung up. Sam looked around himself and wondered why that happened. He got up to look at the connectivity cables but was shocked to see something else. It was his mom, and she looked in no good spirits. A ladle made of stainless-steel which she was holding indicated the matter is going to worsen.

"Um...I am...I am sorry mom. Please forgive me." He pleaded.