Chapter 2: Milkshake, Jaadu-Tona, and the Swap

Before school ended, Priya handed me a cup of strawberry milkshake. “It’s the first time I’m treating you. I saved up for half a month to buy the most expensive one. Don’t dislike it, okay?”

She was almost trembling, her hands stained with ink, the milkshake beads of condensation glistening in the harsh tube-light. The milkshake was melting under the tube-light, and the steel straw felt cold against my teeth. Behind us, someone’s phone was blaring a Bollywood remix, and I saw the nervous hope in Priya’s eyes, as if this treat was her ticket to another world.

I hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it politely and took two symbolic sips.

The milkshake was a little warm at the top, icy at the bottom, but sweet in a way that pinched my heart. I noticed Priya’s eager gaze, so I tried to smile more than usual.

It was my favourite—strawberry flavour. “Thank you, it’s delicious.”

I almost licked the pink off my lips, relishing the moment. In that instant, all the glitz and cash felt meaningless. This, I thought, is real friendship.

Just as I finished speaking, a flash of white light swept across my eyes. When I opened them again, I was stunned to realise I had actually swapped aatma with Priya.

For a second, I thought maybe it was a sugar rush, but then everything felt wrong—my body, my voice, even the world’s angle. My tongue stumbled over the new name in my mouth, and my feet felt too big for the slippers. My palms looked different, and I could sense a new kind of hunger in my stomach.

“Priya, you—”

“Shh! You are Priya now. From today, I am Rhea. The rich-lady mom is mine now.”

Her grin was sharp, her voice almost giddy. The classroom seemed to spin, and I heard someone outside shouting for ‘Rhea Madam’—but it was no longer me.