Chapter 1 The Stranger Beside Me
Iris checked her boarding pass for the fourth time.
Delhi to Bucharest.
The flight details were the same as they had been the previous three times, but she looked at them once more before slipping the pass back into her handbag.
It was happening.
In a few hours, she would be thousands of kilometres away from home, in a country she had spent weeks reading about. Romania. A place of ancient settlements, medieval fortresses, forgotten civilisations and histories that seemed to disappear beneath layers of time.
She was going there as part of an international student exchange programme, joining an archaeological expedition that would bring together students and researchers from different countries.
For a first-year student, it was an extraordinary opportunity.
And it had come rather unexpectedly.
Three weeks earlier, Iris had been sitting in the university library when Professor Arvind Mukherjee had asked her to meet him.
Professor Mukherjee was one of India’s most respected archaeologists. His work on ancient civilisations and forgotten historical settlements had earned him recognition beyond the country, and his recommendations carried considerable weight in academic circles.
When Iris entered his office, she had assumed he wanted to discuss an assignment.
Instead, he had offered her a place on the Romanian expedition.
She had stared at him for a moment, uncertain whether she had understood correctly.
“Sir, are you sure? There are students much more experienced than me.”
Professor Mukherjee had looked at her over his spectacles.
“Iris, academic ability isn’t always measured by how long someone has been studying. You have a good eye for details. More importantly, you know how to observe before reaching conclusions. Don’t underestimate that.”
She had thanked him, though she hadn’t quite known how to respond to the compliment.
That was how Iris usually handled praise. She accepted it politely, then moved on, never quite knowing what to do with it.
She was good at her studies. Consistent, attentive and particularly interested in the details that other students sometimes overlooked. She preferred spending time with books, research papers and old photographs rather than drawing attention to herself.
Her social life was simple.
She had classmates she spoke to, exchanged notes with and occasionally shared meals with. There were people who were friendly towards her, but she didn’t have a close circle of friends who called every evening to discuss the smallest events of the day.
She didn’t particularly miss having one.
Iris enjoyed company, but she was equally comfortable being alone. She was kind to people without expecting much in return and had little interest in gossip. Stories passed from one person to another often became distorted along the way, and she had never understood the pleasure people found in discussing someone else’s life without knowing the truth.
If she wanted to understand a person, she preferred to observe them herself.
She believed people should be judged by what they did, not by what others said about them.
Perhaps that was one reason she rarely formed opinions quickly.
Iris was not someone who demanded attention. She could spend an entire afternoon in a library without anyone noticing when she arrived or left.
She had thick, heavy black hair that fell in natural waves, often left untied or gathered carelessly when it became inconvenient. Her fair complexion and delicate features gave her a naturally pretty appearance, though she rarely made much effort with it. Most days, her hair was simply brushed back, her clothes chosen for comfort, and her attention occupied by whatever book she happened to be carrying.
She was slim, with a quiet grace that she seemed entirely unaware of.
With a little effort, she could look strikingly beautiful. A carefully chosen dress, her hair left open and a little attention to her appearance could bring out a beauty that usually went unnoticed.
But Iris seldom thought about such things.
There were always more important matters to occupy her mind.
And now, one of those matters was waiting for her in Romania.
