A few days have passed since Naina's conversation with Rajveer and honestly, it did calm her a lot. She has started thinking more rationally now. It was easier for her to control her emotions and think clearly.

The cadets were informed to assemble on the ground floor. When the cadets reached there, they were met by none other than, Captain Dr. Shalini and Dr. Ritu Mishra. 

"Good morning, Cadets. Today, we are going to learn a very important lesson." Ritu began while Shalini stood beside her.

The cadets looked at both of them, curiously. Ritu pointed towards the 'Cold Room' and said, "Cadets, what plays an important role in winning a war? Strong mind or strong body?" 

The cadets first glanced at each other but soon were divided in three groups. One, who believed a strong mind, second, who believed a strong body and a third group, who believed both were equally necessary. 

Ritu glanced at the third group and asked them to select one of the two options. Soon, the entire class of first semester cadets was divided into two. [READ A/N 14.1]

She again, asked the cadets, the reason for their selection and each of them, began giving her their reason. She smiled hearing their enthusiastic answers. She raised her hand and the class fell silent.

"Okay. I believe, that now you all will be able to understand this task better. You see that Cold Room? I am going to make a group of 10 cadets each, and each group will have to go and stay in that room for minimum 4 minutes and maximum 12 minutes. The temperature will be lowered by this knob here. Starting with 3 degrees and going up to -5 degrees. Am I clear till here?" Ritu asked and everyone nodded.

"Good. Now, you are free to leave the room if you feel uneasy or unwell, which is why, Capt. Shalini is here for our assistance. Keep in mind that 4 minutes is minimum time but I would really like it if all of you stay in longer. Of course, keeping your health in mind. That being said, Group 1, come forward." Ritu said and the exercise began.

There were 12 groups and Naina was in 10th group with Alekh in the same group as her. Alekh and Naina looked at each other and Alekh smirked at her and Naina just rolled her eyes at him. For everyone else, Alekh was cold and scary but only Naina knew how annoying he was. [READ A/N 14.2] 

So far, only 4 cadets have managed to stay in the Cold Room for complete 12 minutes. Majority of them stayed in there for an average of 4-5 minutes. Ritu shook her head at this. A few couldn't stay in for more than 3 minutes and were allowed to exit. 

By the time, it was Naina's group's turn, Brigadier Chandok, Major Nair and other faculties were there to see what was happening, including Rajveer. Since, it was lunch time, most of the faculty decided to come and see how the newbies were performing. 

As soon as Naina entered the room, she was met with a gush of cold wind which made her shiver slightly. She went in and stood with others. Alekh managed to stand next to her, just to annoy her. But Naina was not stupid, she knew that the only reason Alekh was next to her was to keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn't risk with her health. She shook her head at his antics. 

All the cadets in her group were quite comfortable in the beginning as compared to other groups. Soon, the temperature started to fall and she shivered slightly, considering they were wearing just their uniform without any jacket or warm clothes. She noticed a gentleman cadet starting to cough, a bit too much. Captain Shalini announced through the mic for the gentleman cadet to move out of the room. 

Soon, there were only 6 cadets left in the room with Naina being the only girl. Her teeth started to chatter but she kept her mouth shut. Of course, Alekh being Alekh noticed it and whispered in her ear, "You can leave if you are cold, Naina. Do not play with your health."

Naina turned to glare at Alekh and he just shrugged his shoulder. This whole ordeal was seen by the faculties through the glass and Brigadier couldn't help but be impressed by the scene in front of him. Not only was Naina proving his judgement right, but also the young gentleman next to her. Brigadier Chandok was happy to see the cadets finally realizing their potential and adapting to this new life. He shook his head and left for his cabin.

Major Nair on the other hand was fuming and hence, moved to the mic and said in a booming voice, "Cadet Ahluwalia... do you think you are in a park? This is an exercise. Stop talking and move out if you are so cold and can't stay upright. Because you surely are looking for support now." He smirked as he finished.

Rajveer clenched his fist and Shalini was shocked by Nair's crude comment. By now, some of the cadets were looking at Naina sympathetically, understanding how Nair always managed to target Naina.

Naina remained quiet but she was shaking with anger. And unknowingly, at least this anger provided her some relief as her body heated up with anger. Alekh whispered for her to calm down. Her eyes met Rajveer's and he subtly blinked at her, letting her know that she was doing good.

Her anger simmered down as she stood straighter and taller, hiding her shivers. Alekh was shivering too, but he knew that he was not going to leave her in here alone. Rajveer smiled at this. 

The other 2 cadets glanced at the two of them and were filled with determination to finish with them, one of them being Nihar. Nihar glanced at Naina and smiled at her. The other faculties were shocked at this sudden change in the atmosphere and Rajveer smirked. 'Finally... finally these cadets have understood the power of a team.'

And indeed, Rajveer was right, as the four of them finished it till the end, being the only group with the maximum number of cadets finishing the exercise.  [READ A/N 14.3]

Amidst all of this, there was one person who was slightly taken aback by the fact that Naina finished and stay in the cold room for complete 12 minutes, Dr. Ritu Mishra. She masked her emotions and went to congratulate the cadets.

Naina's eyes drifted to search for Rajveer but he was nowhere to be seen. 

Rajveer left as soon as the cadets came out of the room. He received a call from Lt. Choubey and he went to meet him.

The cadets were gathered in front of Dr. Ritu as she began to speak.

"Do you understand it now, cadets? Some of you, who excelled in physical drills, failed this task. While some who never performed well in the physical drills, made it till the end." Ritu's eyes drifted to Naina's as she spoke her last line. Naina was taken aback by her indirect comment.

"This must have made it clear to you all, that mental health is equally important as physical health and vice-versa. To survive in a battlefield, you need both, a strong mind as well as a strong body. When strength fails, the mind comes for rescue... and sometimes, when your mind freezes, it is your strength that will guide you through. Today's task was coordinated by me and Major Nair, both. I hope that now, you all will perform well in both, physical drills and psychology." She finished and the cadets nodded. [READ A/N 14.4]

The cadets were given extra time for their lunch as they missed lunch due to their task. 

Here, Rajveer was busy in a dark room, where Lt. Choubey was busy clicking on the keyboard. The light of the computer screen being the only source of light in the room. Rajveer's eyes widened as he saw the picture in front of him. He never expected this person to be involved too.

HELLO EVERYONE. DO NOT HIT ME. AND DO NOT PLAN TO KILL ME. I WAS TRYING TO UPLOAD FOR SO LONG BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS BIT BUSY WITH A WEDDING IN THE HOUSE. BUT I AM ALL FREE NOW. SO, HERE IS THE UPDATE. I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT.

ALSO, I AM SORRY THAT I COULD NOT REPLY TO ALL YOUR HEART-WARMING COMMENTS, I'LL DO THAT ASAP, I PROMISE. JUST KNOW, THAT I READ EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, AND HONESTLY THEY JUST MAKE MY DAY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU FOR BEING PATIENT WITH ME AND SHOWERING THIS STORY WITH LOVE.

[A/N 14.1 - This was something that our mentor made us do when I went for SSB Guidance. He told us that we can take right decisions only when we are clear about our choice and the reason behind choosing it. Honestly, it helps me immensely in making decisions. I just thought of sharing it with you guys.]

[A/N 14.2 - I think that the maximum intake of OTA (Officers Training Academy) is something around 110-120. So I have considered that while writing this part. I hope you all like it.]

[A/N 14.3 - I know that Naina is the protagonist but come on, they all are cadets in Military Academy. We cannot show one of them being a superman while others being sidekick or losers. What's the fun in that? 😉]

[A/N 14.4 - As for this last one, I was thinking of adding more such points which I learned in that guidance period. In fact, this exact situation was our topic for group discussion when our mentor made us understand why being both physically and mentally strong is equally important. So, let me know if I should add such personal elements or leave the story as it is.]

NEXT UPDATE : WITHIN A WEEK (I PROMISE 🥺)

WORD COUNT : 1663 WORDS

DATE : MAY 02, 2024