Ved had always been a quiet child, often ignored by both his parents and peers. His father worked long hours as a railway worker, and his mother, a nurse, was consumed by her duties at the hospital. Ved felt invisible at home and at school. Struggling with social anxiety, he was overlooked by classmates and even teachers, who paid little attention to him. His grades reflected his internal turmoil, but no one seemed to care enough to look deeper.

When his father was transferred from Rangia to Guwahati, Ved had to join a new school - Louis Public School. He entered eighth grade with the same sense of isolation, finding himself again sitting at the back of the class, unnoticed. His social anxiety made it hard for him to talk to anyone, and he kept to himself, doodling and sketching quietly in his notebook. His art was his only form of expression, his silent world where he could escape.

Despite Ved's immense talent in sketching, his self-doubt grew daily. He often stared at himself in the mirror, convinced that his appearance was the reason people avoided him. His nights were spent crying in darkness, hiding his tears from parents too busy to notice.

As Ved entered class IX, a new girl named Riu joined his class. She was beautiful, with a captivating smile, but had a speech disorder - Broca's aphasia - that made communication difficult for her. Despite her brilliance as a student, Riu was often mocked and ignored because of her inability to speak fluently. One day, when Riu arrived late to school, she was forced to sit at the back next to Ved.

Though they barely spoke, a connection was sparked through their mutual isolation. Riu, noticing Ved's incredible sketches, admired his talent despite her difficulty in expressing it. This mutual appreciation slowly grew into a quiet friendship, with sketching becoming their primary form of communication. Over time, Ved's self-confidence grew, and he began to overcome his anxiety, largely due to Riu's presence in his life.

Both Riu and Ved thrived together - Ved with his sketches and improving grades, Riu continuing to top her class. They spent time outside school, visiting fairs and the city, always sketching their adventures together. Ved's parents, for the first time, noticed a change in their son and felt a growing sense of pride in his achievements. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction.

One day, as Riu was flipping through Ved's sketches, she came across a notebook hidden under a pile of drawings. This was a sketchbook Ved had never shown anyone - not even Riu. Hesitant but curious, Riu opened it, and what she found startled her.

The pages were filled with dark, disturbing images - sketches of faceless figures, broken windows, shadows looming over a small child. Each image seemed to convey a deep sense of fear, anger, and isolation. The most chilling sketch was one of a boy lying in a hospital bed, hooked to machines, with a worried figure standing beside him.

Riu felt a shiver down her spine, realizing that the faceless boy resembled Ved, and the figure beside him appeared to be herself. She gently asked Ved about the sketches, but he immediately grew uncomfortable and tried to dismiss them as meaningless doodles. Yet, there was something in his voice that suggested otherwise.

As the weeks went on, Ved began experiencing strange dreams. In these dreams, he saw the same faceless boy from his sketches, only this time, the boy was crying out for help in an empty railway station. The dreams began haunting Ved, growing more vivid each night, and it started affecting his mental health once again. He confided in Riu, who suggested they explore what the dreams might mean together.

After some research, they uncovered an unsettling truth: a few years ago, a student at Ved's old school in Rangia had taken his own life. The boy had been a talented artist who was similarly neglected by his parents and ignored by his peers. His death had gone largely unnoticed by the school and community, swept under the rug.

This discovery shook Ved to his core. The faceless boy in his sketches now seemed to represent more than just his own fears; it was almost as though he had subconsciously tapped into the tragic fate of someone like himself - someone who never got the help he needed. This realization brought back all the feelings of isolation and despair that Ved had struggled with, but now they had a face and a story.

Shortly after this discovery, Ved's health took a sharp turn for the worse. One morning, as he was preparing for school, he suddenly collapsed. His parents rushed him to the hospital, where doctors revealed that the constant stress and anxiety he had experienced over the years had severely impacted his mental and physical health, triggering a seizure.

In the hospital, as Ved lay unconscious, Riu couldn't shake the memory of the sketch she had found - Ved lying in a hospital bed, with her standing beside him. It was as if his sketches had foreshadowed the very moment they were now living through.

After Ved regained consciousness, the doctors recommended regular therapy to help him manage his mental health, which had been neglected for too long. Ved's parents, now fully aware of the emotional pain their son had been carrying all these years, were devastated. They finally realized the impact of their absence and committed to being more present in his life.

Ved's artistic talent, once a silent cry for help, now became the very thing that saved him. With Riu's support, he continued to draw, but this time with a new purpose: to express not just pain, but healing. Together, they used their sketches to raise awareness about mental health in their school, organizing an art exhibition that showcased the power of art as a medium for emotional expression.

The exhibition was a resounding success. Ved's art touched many hearts, and for the first time, he was no longer the invisible boy in the back of the classroom. His sketches became a voice not only for himself but for all those who struggled in silence, much like the boy from Rangia whose story was never told. Ved and Riu continued their journey together, knowing that while mental health was a continuous struggle, they would always have each other - and their art - as a means to navigate life's darkest moments.