The clock ticks at 7:00 am. A little sleepy but a little awake, Naina woke up from her bed. She tidied her bedsheet and put the pillows in their suitable position. She quickly took her clothes and went to take a shower.
All this while, her little sister Siya slept like a person who hasn't had a wink of sleep for 100 days. When Naina came out of the bathroom, she hit her little sister slightly with a pillow.
"Siya! Come on, wake up!" , when she doesn't wake up-
"Siya, wake up!!" She tries to wake her up by shaking her vigorously.
"Don't disturb me, Di... Let me sleep for 5 more minutes," a sleepy Siya yawns back at her sister and again sleeps on her bed.
"Today are your end-semester results!! Are you even a little tense?!" Naina tries to straighten her sister in order to wake her up. At this, Siya yawns again at her sister.
"You and Mom are enough to take that tension!" She again falls onto the bed.
"I envy your calmness. If you fail again this time, Mom is not going to spare you alive".
"Naina Di, since you are standing right now, can you do me a favor??
"What favor?"
"Can you hand me the bottle of water?" Siya points to a bottle of water kept at the table along her bed.
Naina hands over the bottle of water to her.
"Now please spare my life, Naina Di. If I want to die, I will die by the hands of mother".
"A hundred shameless must've died for you to born, Siya! Because of your results today, I did not sleep the whole night"!
Siya doesn't pay any heed to her sister's words and goes back into deep slumber. Naina takes her bag and leaves for the office...
_-----------
At 9 am, on the dining table, the housemaid Kamal Chachi is serving the breakfast. She glances at the clock and murmurs, "This girl is late again!"
"Priya, you know, right, we have a meeting with our client today."
"You are worried about clients and meetings. My concern for Siya is making me sleepless, Avinash."
"Are you worried about her end-sem results?"
"Yes. She got admission into such a good college only because of our good relations with the trustee. Now, if she keeps failing, what will happen to our image and reputation? If she is unable to clear her subjects, her one year will be wasted."
"Don't worry. She will pass", Siya's father reassures her. Meanwhile, Kamal Chachi arrives with a tray full of fruits and keeps it on the table.
"Only if Siya were 1% of her sister Naina, you both wouldn't have to be so tense about her. Princess has not even woken up from her bed yet."
"Relax, Kamal and Priya! She will wake up."
"She has turned into a spoiled child because of you, Avinash" , a tense Priya confronted her husband.
"Priya, she is really young. It is just a result. We should not burden her with responsibilities. We are capable of supporting her whole life. She doesn't need to study," Siya's grandfather tried to console Priya.
"Dinanath! Are you even aware of what you are saying?" Siya's grandmother looks at her husband angrily.
Just then, Siya arrives at the dining table. She picks up a slice of apple and starts eating it.
"Good morning, Dadu! Good morning, Pappa! Good morning, Mom! Good morning Kamal chachi!",
"Do you even know what day it is today, Siya!"
"I know, Mumma. Today are my results. That's why I am going shopping!"
"Shopping! What are you even saying, Siya! Have you officially lost your mind?" Priya said, scolding her.
"Beta, take this card. Do as much shopping as you want. And remember, I love you regardless, even if you fail or pass. I am getting late for the office. I will leave now".
"Thank you so much, Pappa." She blows her Pappa a kiss and starts to leave.
Priya winces in her seat and murmurs, "He is really going to spoil her one day!" Then, watching Siya leave the dining table just like that, she shouts, "Siya! At least finish your breakfast!"
"I will eat outside with my friends, Mom!" Saying this, she darts outside the house.
"Slow down, Siya! Do you want to murder people on the road?
"Calm down, my dear Rosh! Nothing will happen!"
"By the way! Why are you looking so happy today! Did something good happen to you?"
"I will look happy like this from today onwards! It is said, If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Now, I totally believe in this. One should do whatever one feels like whenever! Look at that-—the balloon seller!"
Siya paused by the corner of the street, her eyes catching the flicker of colors dancing in the afternoon breeze. A balloon seller stood beneath a dusty umbrella, his cart crowded with vibrant reds, sunny yellows, and sky blues—each balloon swaying like a whisper of forgotten dreams.
Around him, children laughed and tugged at each other's sleeves, their joy echoing in the air. But one little girl stood apart, her face crumpled in quiet heartbreak.
"Can you give me a balloon?" she asked, her voice trembling as a single tear slid down her cheek.
Her tiny fingers clutched the hem of her worn dress, eyes fixed longingly on the floating colors just out of reach.
Siya's heart tugged.
"Do you have the money? No? Then go away, you dirty girl!" The balloon seller shooed her away as if she were some dirt on a clean surface. Siya could not see the little girl's tears and came out of her car.
"Arey Siya, where are you going?"
"Hello, Mr. Balloon Seller, why are you not giving her a balloon?!"
"Mam, she does not have any money. How can I give her balloons if she has no money?"
"Fine, what's the cost of one balloon?"
"5 Rupees!"
"And what about all the balloons?"
"All the balloons?" he became shocked hearing her.
"Yes, I said I want all the balloons."
"Yes, it's 200 rs."
She paid the required money and gave a balloon to the little girl.
"Here. Take this. Don't worry, my girl! You shouldn't cry. I know you are a strong one. Aren't you a princess?!"
"Haaaaa..... I am a princess!" The little girl swirls around like a princess with the balloon in her hand.
"You know what! Every girl is a princess. Not just a princess, but a queen!" She turns to the balloon seller.
"Don't you ever hurt any little child again!" He looks ashamed and holds his head down in disgrace.
She then calls the group of children playing around and distributes the remaining balloons. All the children laugh happily.
"Thank you, Didi!" They say in unison.
Siya gives the one remaining balloon to Roshni and sits back in the passenger seat.
"I was really scared for a minute when you announced you were going to do whatever pleased you. But now, after seeing you actually do it, I'm proud of you, my bestie!"
"I don't want to spend a boring life like my sister. I want to spend a colorful life as per my own will! And today is the first day of my freedom!"
"Yeah. But for now, let's hurry! Or else, we will be late for the first day of the second year."
In the lunch break.
"Siya, Roshni, your end-semester results have arrived!" Ashu says, fixing his specs and showing them his laptop.
"Check your results."
They both drop their burgers and noodles and quickly peek into his laptop to see the results. There is a silence for mere 5 secs when Siya screams in joy. She then stands up and dances like it's her last dance on earth. Ashu and Roshni look at their friend, astonished.
"Siya, I can't see your result here. It is blank," Roshni says, rechecking her result.
"It means she must've failed...again," Ashu whispers in Roshni's ear, and she makes a shocked face.
"How will you find my name! I worked so hard! Leaving the entire paper empty...and sleeping while sitting for two whole hours!"
"Dear you, you are in big trouble! Now, Priya Aunty is not going to spare you".
"Why? Why should I do such hard studies? Naina Di is there to study Mom's favorite subjects."
"But it was Aunty's wish for you to B.E.!"
"Is it necessary? From one generation to the next, every member of the family should become an engineer!? Someone had to break away from this tradition. So... I raised this flag of rebellion!"
"At least fear a little, Siya! This is the fourth subject you've failed. A total of 4 KTs in the first year! It's really difficult to clear all subjects!" Ashu says, now becoming tense.
"Aunty is really going to chop you into pieces!"
"This is my problem. You both don't worry!"
"So, now, Miss Siya Sharma, will you celebrate this failure too?"
"Of course! There is a treat for you both in our favorite Chinese restaurant."
"Really, Siya. You are an entirely different species."
"Thank you, thank you. Let's keep the appreciation for later."
Same day. Morning in Maheshwari House
The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting soft gold across the room. Arjun Maheshwari adjusted the knot of his tie with practiced ease, his reflection sharp, clean-cut, and unreadable. Crisp white shirt. Slate grey waistcoat. The look of a man who knew his numbers—and hid his emotions behind them.
Today was the first day of the semester. A new batch of students, new names to remember, new eyes watching him with curiosity, boredom, or quiet awe.
He ran a hand through his neatly combed hair, then paused, staring at himself for a second too long.
Same college. Same chalkboards. But a different version of me.
He picked up his leather satchel, worn but elegant, and reached for his watch. The familiar tick of time settled into his pulse. Calculated. Predictable.
"Arjun Maheshwari," he murmured to himself with a dry smile, "time to teach them how to solve problems... now that you've figured out all your own."
"