📅 Early December — Devgarh
The timetable was pinned to the notice board.
And within seconds, the corridor filled with groans.
"Half-yearly exams start next week?!"
"But the scholarship exam is this Sunday!"
"How are we supposed to manage both?!"
The dates overlapped cruelly — revision for one eating into preparation for the other.
Ishanvi stood frozen, staring at the chart.
Biology.
Maths.
Science.
And the scholarship exam wedged between them.
Her throat went dry.
Pressure on the Ride Home
The scooters moved slower that evening.
No jokes.
No arguments.
Raghav sighed.
"This is unfair."
Vaidehi muttered formulas under her breath.
Abhay rode in silence.
His chest felt tight.
The canal beside the road shimmered faintly, water rippling though there was no wind.
He looked away.
Study That Wouldn't Stick
At home, Ishanvi spread her books across the floor.
Diagrams blurred.
Head throbbed.
She pressed her palms to the pages.
For a second, the paper warmed — then cooled immediately, like something inside her gave up halfway.
She closed her eyes.
Not now. Please.
Across the village, Abhay sat with his notebook open but unread.
Numbers swam.
His water glass vibrated slightly every time his thoughts spiraled.
He emptied it just to stop the distraction.
School Tension
Teachers didn't soften.
"You'll have to manage."
"This is how life works."
"Pressure brings out the best."
But pressure was doing the opposite.
In class, Ishanvi blanked during a revision question she knew well.
Her hand shook.
The heater in the room flickered once — just once — before stabilizing.
No one noticed.
Except Abhay.
He felt it.
Like a weak pulse against his chest.
Abhay Breaks Focus
During a practice paper, Abhay stared at a word problem.
His mind drifted.
Is she okay?
The water bottle at his feet tipped slightly, spilling onto the floor.
"Careful," the invigilator snapped.
Abhay apologized quickly, heart pounding.
He knew it wasn't just clumsiness.
A Quiet Moment
After school, near the cycle stand, Ishanvi finally spoke.
"Are you managing?" she asked.
He nodded automatically.
Then stopped.
"…Not really."
She looked at him — tired, worried, human.
"Same," she admitted.
For a moment, they stood there — not fire and water, not mysteries — just two students drowning in pressure.
The cold wind passed between them.
Their powers stayed quiet.
Too quiet.
Night Thoughts
That night, both lay awake.
Exams overlapping.
Expectations piling up.
Emotions unspoken.
Their powers didn't flare.
They didn't respond.
As if nature itself was stepping back, watching to see whether they could survive without strength.
And in that silence, a frightening thought settled in both minds:
What if balance doesn't come from power… but from choice?