As the team stood up to leave Rohit's room after Kuldeep's invitation, Jinks said, "Just a moment--I've got something too, and if she comes barging out of the room, that'll be a great time to try it. But I need a partner."

"Take me as assistant!" cried Bhuvi, who had thoroughly enjoyed being Rahul's assistant.

"You already had your chance!" protested Hardik, shoving Bhuvi.

"Hardik. Shut up."

Hardik sighed. No matter how immature Bhuvi might behave with the rest of the team, he'll never stop bossing him around, thought Hardik regretfully.

Bhuvi and Jinks left the room first, with Jinks whispering the plan to Bhuvi quickly.

The entire team followed them and took position outside Sofia's room.

____________

It seemed like the Indian team could do nothing wrong that day.

Barely a few minutes after they had hidden themselves behind pillars and round the corners near Sofia's room came an outraged scream from the room.

The door banged open and Sofia burst out with a pained and furious expression on her face.

"Thorns on the bed, might've seriously injured me--Godforsaken bastards, I'll report them to the police now--national team--cricketers--celebrities--" she was ranting, shaking with fury.

Kuldeep and Yuzi were both hiding behind the same pillar beside the stairs, and Sofia happened to spot Kuldeep's arm.

"There you are!" she cried, grabbing poor Kuldeep's arm and dragging him out. Yuzi followed him automatically. "Freaking creeps--sneaking around a woman's room--putting thorns--perverted creatures--"

"BHUVI--I'LL GET YOU!" came a roar down the corridor.

Bhuvi came running at a breakneck speed, shouting, "NO--NO--I'M SORRY!"

Sofia turned to look at the scene of commotion. Jinks was tearing after Bhuvi with a small container clutched in his outstretched hand.

Yelling for mercy, Bhuvi darted around Sofia so that she was now between him and Jinks. Kuldeep and Yuzi, both blue in the face from trying to stop laughing, ducked out of the way--and--

"There you go!" cried Jinks triumphantly, and shook the container in Bhuvi's direction.

Permanent black marker ink gushed out and every last drop of it fell on Sofia Hayat's face.

Bhuvi fell to his knees, howling with laughter.

Jinks looked at the now black Sofia in horror and began, "Oh God, sorry, I meant to hit Bhuvi there--he just got behind you--"

"YOU PATHETIC CREEPS!" screamed Sofia, her voice higher than Bhuvi's laughter. For the first time, she dissolved into tears of fury.

Sofia rubbed her face with her hands and her hands came up smeared with black ink.

In a sudden inspiration, she tried to wipe her hands on Jinks' jacket, and Jinks took it as cue to turn 180° and tear down the corridor in the opposite direction, wailing in terror.

Bhuvi, Kuldeep and Yuzi could bearly stand up at all, they were laughing so hard, as Sofia tried to chase one of India's quickest fielders.

Every single corner of the corridor rang with uncontrollable laughter.

As Sofia crossed one particular pillar (behind which two Gujarati boys were lurking), a flowerpot came rolling across in front of her with perfect timing, and Sofia flew almost ten feet as she fell down on the floor.

Jaddu and Hardik's cheer echoed and re-echoed in the corridor, which reduced the team members into another burst of rolling on the floor kind of laughter.

In the time Sofia picked herself up and could make her way into the safety of her room, speechless with shock (reporting them to the police having being forgotten), Shikhar had slipped a note into her room.