"Nila, we need to do a lot now," I said as we both opened our systems.
"I know," I nodded, brushing my hair behind my ears. "Try to complete the digital version for launch. Send me both the website link and the PDF file. I'll add them to the posters."
"Okay, I'll get them ready now," he replied, already typing fast.
"Did you get confirmation for the sports articles from PT sir?"
"Done," he said, grinning. "He was really happy with both the swimming captain and the tennis player profiles."
"Perfect," I said, counting on my fingers. "So, we have 21 Freshers' Day articles and 4 sports columns. That's 25."
"With some extra pictures, it's now 30 pages in total," he said proudly.
"Wait—does that include the front and back covers?"
"I'm not sure. This is just the digital format. I haven't arranged the print layout yet."
"No worries. Right now, just focus on finishing the digital version. You can always re-edit the website tomorrow if you go home," I reminded him.
"Got it. But why are you rushing the digital launch so much?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.
I smiled. "Because if we publish the digital version first and then ask people to join Student Voice, they'll believe in it more. We'll have proof. It won't feel like just another club idea—this will make it real."
Nishanth's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea. People trust what they see. And once it's launched, they'll understand the potential."
"Exactly," I said. "Right now, it's just a student idea under supervision, but if we move fast and put out real work, we can brainwash—okay, maybe influence—them to believe that this magazine is the official school magazine."
"Not the one waiting for formal approval," Nishanth grinned.
I laughed. "Yes, one step ahead. Do first, get permission later."
"You're trying to make this a student-led initiative instead of a teacher-monitored project, aren't you?"
"Of course. We need to lead this. If teachers handle everything, we'll be just like any other school magazine that publishes once a year. But if we own this, we can make it regular—maybe even monthly. We can build a real platform."
"I'm in," Nishanth said with a decisive nod. "Let's do this. 'Student Voice' will be our voice, not just a noticeboard column."
"Exactly," I said, feeling the rush of excitement. "We're not just contributors. We're the founders."
He chuckled and got back to work. "And it's nice that we're in sync without fighting over who's doing more."
I smiled to myself. It was true. Despite being teenagers again, the maturity from our past lives was helping us move fast. We had a clear vision. And for now, that was enough.
While Nishanth focused on finishing the digital magazine, I turned my attention to finalizing the launch structure. I began redesigning the posters to include the website link and PDF access. We had decided to host both the magazine and the contribution process online, but I also wanted to give our fellow students a more tangible, accessible way to participate. Not everyone might be confident enough to email us, especially the juniors.
So, I created a new Gmail ID for Student Voice. It felt like such a small thing, but having our own mail ID made it feel official. I added the ID to the posters and created a draft email format that volunteers or contributors could use to reach out.
At the same time, I was drawing up a new system—two physical Student Voice post boxes to be placed in the library.
The first would be for full article submissions. Any student, from any grade, could write an article, sign it with their name and class, and drop it in. If it was selected, we'd notify them through their class teacher or by email, and they'd get to work with the editing team to refine it. Once polished, it would be published on our website and in the magazine—with their name on it as author. No ghostwriting, no stealing credit.
The second box would be a suggestion box. Students could drop slips about topics they wanted to be covered—issues they cared about in school, shout-outs for people doing inspiring things, or even anonymous messages if they wanted something investigated. The Student Voice Investigation Team would pick from those and begin shortlisting ideas.
Of course, students could also submit creative content—poems, short stories, paintings, comic strips. If space allowed, we'd include them. I believed every kind of creativity deserved a spotlight.
I drafted a section in the poster requesting volunteers. The positions we were looking to fill were:
Writers (reporters, content creators)
Editors
Artists & Designers
Investigators (for student-suggested issues or stories)
Tech Team (website managers and digital editors)
Coders (for expanding future tech ideas—interactive columns, maybe even an app someday)
Soon, Nishanth finished compiling the digital magazine. Together, we presented our final version—website, PDF, poster draft, and mailbox system—to Computer Sir. He reviewed everything carefully, scrolling through the site and scanning the PDF. Then he looked up and gave us an approving nod.
"Looks professional. Clean layout. Good balance of content and visuals. Proceed," he said.
We both exhaled in relief.
Within the next 10 minutes, we launched the website officially. I mailed both the digital magazine and site link from our new Student Voice email ID to Computer Sir, the Principal, and Vice Principal. I also sent a personal mail to Appa, writing a quick message below the link.
"Appa, this is my first real team project. Please check this out and let me know what you think."
After that, Nishanth and I sat together to write the script for tomorrow's announcement in the morning prayer assembly. It was going to be the very first time we introduced Student Voice to the entire school. We had to make it sound exciting, welcoming, and powerful—like it belonged to everyone.
"This has to hit hard," I told Nishanth.
"It will," he said confidently. "We're not just launching a magazine—we're launching a movement."
And for the first time since my rebirth, I truly felt like I was changing something for the better, not just reliving the past.