After more than twenty days of continuous travel and casting, Akshatha finally returned to Mumbai—but the season was far from over.
The casting tour had taken almost more than twenty days.
Paris.
Milan.
London.
New York.
City after city, appointment after appointment.
By the end of it, Akshatha had attended more than 70 casting calls.
Some had been arranged directly through her agency.
Others had come through recommendations from people she had met during her previous work.
A few opportunities had even reached her through word of mouth.
Her growing reputation was beginning to work in her favour.
But Akshatha knew something important about the fashion industry.
Attending a casting didn't mean getting the job.
She could spend an entire day travelling across a city, wait among dozens of models, walk for a casting director, and still receive no confirmation.
That was simply part of the profession.
So when she returned to Mumbai after the twenty-plus-day casting circuit, she didn't assume that her work was finished.
In fact, another busy phase was about to begin.
The shows she had been considered for would require fittings.
Some designers would call her for measurements and garment trials.
Others would have additional fittings before the actual runway.
And then there would be the shows themselves.
But first, she had to wait.
---
A week passed.
Akshatha continued with her normal routine in Mumbai.
She focused on her studies, kept working on her other projects, and stayed in contact with her agency.
Every time her phone rang, there was a possibility that it could be a booking confirmation.
Then, one day, the message finally came.
Her agency had received the confirmations.
Thirty shows.
Akshatha read the message twice.
Thirty.
Out of all the castings she had attended, she had been selected for 30 shows.
Her mother, who was nearby, immediately noticed her expression.
"What happened?"
Akshatha looked up.
"Thirty."
"Thirty what?"
"Shows."
Her mother stared at her.
"Thirty?"
Akshatha nodded.
"Yes."
Her mother smiled proudly.
"Then all those castings were worth it."
Akshatha leaned back and smiled.
She knew her mother was right.
The countless hours of travel.
The waiting.
The repeated runway walks.
The uncertainty.
The rejection she had faced along the way.
None of it had been wasted.
The confirmations meant she now had another demanding schedule ahead.
Fittings would begin.
Outfits would be prepared.
Schedules would be finalized.
And she would once again be travelling from one appointment to another.
Akshatha looked at the list of confirmed shows.
Thirty names.
Thirty opportunities.
Thirty chances to put herself in front of another audience and another group of fashion professionals.
She knew she would be exhausted by the end of the season.
But she also knew why she had travelled so much.
If she wanted to succeed internationally, she couldn't expect opportunities to simply come to her.
She had to put herself out there.
She had to invest her time.
She had to show up.
And now, the results were beginning to show.
The confirmations were only the beginning.
Before the shows, Akshatha had to attend fittings.
One designer after another called her in to try the outfits that had been selected for her. Measurements were checked, garments were adjusted, shoes were matched, and the final looks were prepared.
There was very little time to relax.
Once the show schedule began, her days became even more hectic.
On the day of each show, she would arrive early for rehearsal.
She had to learn the runway layout, understand where to enter and exit, practice the timing, and coordinate with the other models.
Then came hair and makeup.
And finally, the show.
For ten consecutive days, Akshatha moved from one city to another, sometimes crossing borders to attend different shows.
One day she might be walking in one country.
The next day, she would be on a flight again, heading toward another city.
Her mother remained with her, helping her keep track of clothes, schedules, travel documents, and meals.
By the end of the ten days, Akshatha was exhausted.
But she had completed the season successfully.
Thirty confirmed shows had turned into thirty real experiences on the runway.
She had met designers, stylists, models, photographers, and industry professionals from different countries.
Every show added something to her experience.
When she finally returned to Mumbai, she barely had time to enjoy being home.
Her final examinations were approaching.
It was her 11th-standard examination, and she had no intention of allowing her modeling career to interfere with her education.
She immediately returned to her study routine.
Books replaced casting sheets.
Notes replaced runway schedules.
And her schoolwork became the priority.
Her younger brother also had his own studies to handle, so Akshatha started helping him with his preparation whenever she could.
She would revise her own lessons and then explain his difficult topics to him.
Sometimes they studied together at the same table.
"Akka, I don't understand this."
"Wait, I'll explain it."
She would break the topic down for him until he understood it.
For Akshatha, the academic preparation itself wasn't particularly frightening.
With her previous-life knowledge, Kalpa's assistance, and the magical space helping her organize and retain information, studying had become much easier.
She still had to put in the work.
The magical space couldn't simply write her examination for her.
But it could help her understand concepts quickly, organize information, and recall what she had studied.
So while other students were anxiously counting the days until the examinations, Akshatha remained relatively calm.
She revised systematically.
She helped her brother.
She completed her preparation.
And when the examinations finally began, she walked into the examination hall with confidence.
The questions that appeared on the paper were familiar.
She carefully worked through them.
For someone who had spent the previous weeks travelling internationally, walking thirty shows, attending fittings, rehearsals, and then returning to prepare for her examinations, she handled it remarkably well.
When the last paper was finally finished, Akshatha stepped outside the examination hall and let out a long breath.
Her mother was waiting for her.
"How was it?"
Akshatha smiled.
"Easy."
Her mother laughed.
"After everything you've been doing, you still had time to study?"
Akshatha smiled.
"Of course."
She had learned something important.
She didn't have to choose only one life.
She could study.
She could model.
She could work on games.
She could help her family.
She simply had to learn how to manage all of it.