Few days had already passed away after that miraculous night when both Ash and Alice shared their first kiss with each other and also when both enemy turned ally was back to their root thanks to an anonymous sharing their personal and crucial aspect of their life tarnishing their image fully like a house of cards.

Emily, a new face in the bustling corridors of the college, blended seamlessly into the student crowd. Her demeanor exuded warmth, and a perpetual smile adorned her face, making her an inviting presence in the sea of familiar faces. On her very first day at college, with her striking charm and disarming smile, she effortlessly melted into the vibrant tapestry of her college life.

Liz, a friendly ambassador, always keen on welcoming new students, approached Emily with a friendly smile.

Liz (cheerfully):-

"Hey, new face! Looking a bit lost. Need help finding you way around?"

Emily (with same enthusiasm):-

"Oh, thank you! That would be amazing. I'm still trying to figure out where everything is. By the way, My name is Emily, so nice to meet you."

Emily put her hand front insisting for a handshake. Liz, also put her hand forward for handshake.

"My name is Liz. Nice to meet you too. You know you have a very cool vibe. I can sense a lot of positivity from you. Hope we get along well and Fastly."

Emily give a big wide smile, happy by the kind and helpful behavior .

Liz, who technically had spent a whole day with Emily, was totally charmed by Emily positive attitude and vibe, thought of her as a perfect addition to "ECLIPSES".....

"Emily, one more thing you should know" state Liz

"What is it?"

"THE "ECLIPSES"

"huh!'

Liz, ever the social connector, took it upon herself to introduce Emily to the rest of the group. Gathering Alice, Hannah, and Lia in a quiet corner of the campus cafe, Liz couldn't help but express her excitement about the new addition.

Liz (enthusiastically):

"Hey, guys! Meet Emily. She's new here, and I thought it'd be awesome to have her join our little circle. Emily, these are the fantastic people I was telling you about."

Alice (with a polite nod):

"Welcome to the group, Emily. Hope you survive the madness."

Hannah (smiling):

"Yeah, we might be a handful, but it's all in good fun."

Lily (shyly):

"Hi, Emily. Nice to meet you."

Emily (grateful):

"Thanks, Liz, for being so welcoming. I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone."

The group exchanged pleasantries, and Emily seamlessly integrated into their circle, her warm demeanour making her an instant hit.

Emily (curiously):

May I ask one thing, why the group is called "ECLIPSES"?

Alice (with a sweet smile):

Just as an eclipse temporarily obscures the light, the group comes together amidst the shadows, facing challenges and protecting each other from the harsh light of judgment. It symbolizes unity in times of obscurity and strength in facing the hidden aspects of our lives.

"Myself Alice"

Emily:

So thoughtful name

By the way, Alice you don't seem at all like a person I heard about you

The group smile faded away, and they all see towards Alice who was also now sullen because of the incident mention

Emily (curiously):

Tell me, what's it all about? I heard people saying that you are mean and a bad girl, what's it all about

"Nothing" said Hannah, "its people work to say shits about other, you don't focus on them and believe me Alice is the most wonderful and sweet girl you will ever know, they hate her cause she is strong, she don't bow to their judgement and do the hell she wants."

Alice and Hannah share a assuring look, that's what make their friendship strong, staying with each other no matter what they do and have believe.

Lily (sensing the tension):

L-lets go to the c-classes, dean would be angry.

She said changing the topic

Liz whispered to Emily: shy girl

Liz : yeah, and Emily I see that you have same schedule as Alice

Emily : Oh! That's a good thing I guess

Alice : You will enjoy our class, don't worry but remember one thing

Alice said in a serious tone, attracting everyone's head and attention towards with curiosity on what Alice had to say

"Since, you are a part of ECLIPSES, then there is one person you had to be cautious about and that's none other than ASH DONOVAN, always be on high alert as he is in our class only so chances high that you two will frequently cross paths but irrespective of what happen, never ever trust him, he change his colour faster than the chameleon and never ever share our secrets or talk with him "

Emily nodded in affirmation

"aye aye captain"

"You're all set for your first day in school" said Alice

"well, time to go, otherwise on day 1 only you have to stay in detention" added Hannah

Ash took his phone out and put on his ear before ringing the last called number on his phone, "Good job lil girl" with a wide grin

After the events of that night, today marked Ash and Alice's first meet, and as expected both the adversaries were avoiding each other yet causing some eye contact where at one side eyes were showing hurt and regret of trusting whereas on other hand eyes were showing total hatred and disgust for the other there was no softness, no gentleness in both of their eyes just pure hatred.

After the lecture the whole ECLIPSES gather together in the garden where they all were sitting down the tree shed

"I think we all should get a nickname for each other as it's more fun" said Emily

"Now if I think about it, it seems fun, what do you guys think?" exclaimed Hannah

They all look at each other before nodding their head in sync followed by a "okay"

Emily (excitedly):-

Let's go alphabetically, first come Alice, so your said to be unpredictable and do random stuff so your nickname should be something like.....

"Tyche" exclaimed Liz followed by "Greek Goddess of randomness"

"Good name Liz, what do you guys think?" asked Emily

They all nod their head being happy with the name

"Next is ME,

I want my name to be "Baesin"

"why?" asked Lia

"Just , like this, as it was given by someone special"

"Oh! I see but what it mean" questioned Hannah

"Nothing special" replied Emily earning a shrug from Hannah

"It's okay, if she want, she can have it" said Alice

"Then next is Hannah" stated Emily

"So, you're said to be confident, courageous and brave, so your nickname should be....."

"Crimson" said Alice, "just like the color"

"You know what girl, I am down for this nickname, it's so fetch" remarked Hannah being fully content by her nickname

"We all are, uhm.....Crimson" said Emily

"So next in queue is Liz, my school guide" making everyone giggle

"This school guide is always there for you Miss Emily Summers" said Liz

"Ohk, jokes later, first the serious work, so you're said to be joyful and positive, so you can be J...."

Her words were cut by overexcited Hannah

"JOY" making Emily shook

"Girl, are you my nerves, cause you can read my mind" said Emily who had very similar thoughts to those of Hannah

"Oh God, Emi, I mean Baesin, you're just too much to handle, but I can see mine partner in you" said Hannah in overdramatic tone

"We all can agree with Hannah, ain't we" said Emily and all agreeing with her

"And the last is, the sweetest girl Lily" announced Emily

"I put you at last since I wasn't able to know more about you, so I guess your nickname need some good discussion" continued Emily with little disappointed look

"It's okay, she is quiet and hard to understand" said Liz

"I-I want to be c-call 'Lil'" mentioned Lily who was silent throughout the time

"Well, it suits you" said Alice

"Yeah, cause she is innocent and quiet and kind and gentle" said Liz

"and, not to forget the youngest" mentioned Hannah

"So, I see we all seem to have a nickname which suit our personality" declared Emily

"So here's the list" continued Alice

Alice

Tyche

Emily

Baesin

Hannah

Crimson

Lily

Lil

Liz

Joy

With this bell ring and all of them went to their respective classes, leaving behind Lily who was scared to death as if she is doing anything wrong

Ash smirk in victory while texting a number "Oh, I see you kept my name, good job lil girl"

A month already had passed upon Emily addition to ECLPSES, she seem to everyone's favorite

One fine Sunday morning, ECLIPSES decided to do an outing, it was Emily first outing with them so she was excited,

The sun was setting as the ECLIPSES gathered outside the gates of the vibrant carnival, their laughter mingling with the cheerful melodies drifting from the carousel. Excitement danced in their eyes as they discussed which rides to try first.

"Crimson, we have to go on the Ferris wheel first!" exclaimed Emily, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

Hannah nodded eagerly, her grin matching Emily's excitement. "Definitely! And then we can hit the roller coaster!"

As they made their way through the colourful crowd, Emily couldn't shake off the feeling that Lily was acting strangely. She noticed how Lily kept glancing over her shoulder, her expression tense, as if she was expecting someone to appear at any moment.

"Lil, are you okay?" Emily asked, concern lacing her voice.

Lily forced a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just excited about the rides, that's all."

But Emily wasn't convinced. She had seen the way Lily's gaze flickered towards Ash whenever he passed by, a subtle exchange of nods and gestures that raised suspicions in Emily's mind.

As they queued up for the Ferris wheel, Emily decided to confront Lily about her behaviour. "Lil, is something going on between you and Ash?" she asked quietly, hoping to catch Lily off guard.

Lily's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. "What? No, of course not! Why would you even think that?"

Emily hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. She didn't want to accuse Lily without concrete evidence, but her instincts told her that something wasn't right.

Before Emily could press further, Hannah interrupted their conversation, excitement bubbling over as they reached the front of the line.

"Come on, you two! It's our turn!" Hannah exclaimed, pulling Emily and Lily towards the waiting gondola.

As they boarded the Ferris wheel, Emily couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered in the pit of her stomach. She vowed to keep a close eye on Lily for the rest of the evening, determined to uncover the truth behind her suspicious behaviour.

Suddenly Ash approach the "ECLIPSES" while they were taking pictures in photobooth,

"Hey Ladies" said Ash waving at them followed by his boy's catching their attention and it was clearly evident that they weren't happy seeing him

"What's it, Ash, why you disturbing us, don't got anything else to do" shot Hannah this question towards him with annoyance clearly evident in her eyes which she was even trying to hide

"Oh, calm down warrior, just was here to invite you for the party at my place not to find SOLACE IN YOUR ARMS" he said emphasizing the latter while intensely staring at Alice who was until now was avoiding him,

Ash word's caught Alice attention and now she was looking at him with pure disgust and they kept staring at each other for few minutes until Alice eye's gaze at his lips causing her to reminiscence their kiss during masquerade and quickly look away when Liz spoke, "And, we decline your invitation and you may leave now", "Here's the invitation card, you can come if you change your mind" and he walked away but not before making the atmosphere of suspicion, "Bye Lil" getting everyone attention towards Lily.

"How does he know your nickname, Lil" questioned bewildered Emily

"I-I d-don't know" she replied while her gaze were stuck on Ash whose back was now facing them

"Let's not focus on that jerk guys and let's enjoy overall even we are not going to party" said Liz to lightening the mood after sensing the tension built by Ash

And as everybody was leaving Lily suddenly spoke catching everyone's attention,

"L-Let's go to the p-party" making everyone shock

"What, are you out of your mind, Lil, you want to go in that jerk's party" questioned angered Hannah

"N-No Crimson, that's not what I meant" replied Lily

"Then what the heck do you mean" asked Liz who was also now fed up by Lily's behavior

"Lil, give me a honest answer, is there anything going on between you and Ash, I caught you glancing towards him many time today" questioned Emily with a frown making everyone shock

"Is that true Lil" asked Hannah while trying to control her anger

"N-No there is n-nothing going b-between us, I-I j-just.....I just want to" said Lily while shaking in fear and on the verge of crying

"WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT TO?" shouted Hannah totally losing her calm causing Lily to flinch and crying

"Stop it Crimson, you're scaring her, you know she is sensitive to loud noises" said Alice quickly going to Lily's side and embracing her and calming her

"Ssh.....it's alright, tell me why do you want to go to the party" she asked softly like she was talking to a 5 year old kid

"B-because you see he was j-just here to mock us and if we don't go to the p-party h-he will do it a-again and I..... I don't want to ha-happen" replied scared Lily

"See Crimson, She was just trying to help us, and .......we're going to the party, let him know also we aren't scared of him" replied Alice

"WHAT, you are asking us to go to that bastard's party" asked Hannah totally bewildered

"Why" asked Emily

"Because he is not responsible for our fun, we will go where we want irrespective of his presence" answered Alice

"I gave you the right nickname, TYCHE" said Liz

"Ohk, let's go, if you want to, and Lil am sorry for shouting at you" said Hannah disappointed

"I-it's okay, Crimson" said Lily shyly

"Time for the group hug" said Emily and Liz together

"Nice work, babe" commented Ash looking from the faraway place

Little did they know, their evening of fun and laughter would soon take a dark and unexpected turn, plunging them into a tangled web of lies and deceit that threatened to tear their friendship apart.

TO BE CONTINUE.....