The sound of the school bell always felt like a heavy burden to Aatya. While other students rushed out to play, she stayed behind, staring at the red marks on her notebook. She wasn't like the others. Math was a mystery, and words often felt like a puzzle she couldn't solve.
"You need to work harder, Aatya," her teachers would say, their voices filled with disappointment.
At home, things were even more difficult. Her father was a man of few words but many rules. Every mistake she made felt like a crack in her confidence. She had no friends to share her secrets with, only a diary where she hid her dreams.
"Don't worry, little sister," her elder sister whispered one night, seeing Aatya's tear-stained face. "One day, you will be so strong that the world will look up to you. Just keep moving forward."
Aatya didn't know then that her sister's words were a prophecy. She didn't know that years later, she would walk into a college hallway and meet the person who would set her soul on fire—Professor Riya.
But for now, Aatya was just a girl in the shadows, waiting for the sun to rise.