June arrived over the Deccan Plateau with heat and humidity, but inside the air-conditioned Shamshabad farmhouse, the morning's tension had nothing to do with the weather.
It was 7:30 in the morning, and the master bedroom was already busy.
Siddanth Deva sat on the edge of the bed, holding a small white polo shirt with the crest of the international academy the twins were about to attend.
Standing in front of him was Aadhya, already wearing her dark navy pleated skirt.
She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at the shirt.
"I not wear it," Aadhya declared. "It scratchy, Nana. And it tight."
"It's not scratchy, monster. It's just new," Deva said, trying to reason with her. "It's your uniform. You have to wear it to school. Everyone wears one."
"I wear my Batman shirt," Aadhya replied immediately, pointing toward the closet. "Batman is fast. This shirt is white."
"You cannot wear the Batman shirt to school, Aadhya," Krithika called from the bathroom.
She entered the bedroom carrying a hairbrush and two dark blue ribbons.
"If you wear the Batman shirt, the teacher will send you home."
Aadhya's face brightened.
"Okay! I come home!"
Deva bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
"Nice try," he said, reaching forward and pulling her gently between his knees. "Arms up. We're putting the shirt on. If you wear it, I'll let you pick the music in the car."
Aadhya narrowed her eyes.
Controlling the car radio was important.
She sighed in defeat, sounding remarkably like Anjali, and raised her arms.
Deva slipped the polo shirt over her head and straightened the collar before fastening the buttons.
"There. You look like a professional," he said, tapping her nose.
Aadhya immediately lifted one leg and attempted a high karate kick.
The pleated skirt restricted the movement.
She lowered her foot and frowned at the uniform.
Across the room, Rishi stood in front of the full-length mirror.
He was already dressed in his white polo shirt and dark navy shorts.
Unlike his sister, he had no complaints about the clothing.
He was studying his reflection.
His small hands adjusted the collar, first on one side and then the other. He smoothed the front of his shirt and removed a small wrinkle.
Krithika walked over and knelt beside him.
"You look so handsome, Rishi," she said. "Are you excited for school?"
Rishi looked at her.
"The shirt is very white, Amma."
Krithika smiled.
"If I paint, the white will go away."
"You can wear an apron when you paint. It will protect the shirt."
Rishi considered the solution.
He nodded.
"All right, shoes on, both of you," Deva said, picking up their small black Velcro shoes.
Fifteen minutes later, the family walked down the wooden staircase and entered the dining room.
They were immediately surrounded by grandparents.
Vikram and Sesikala stood near the glass doors leading to the veranda.
Vikram held a DSLR camera.
The others had their phones ready.
"Oh, look at them!" Sesikala exclaimed as the twins entered. "Vikram, look at our grandchildren! They look so grown up!"
"Beautiful."
"Stand by the glass doors!" Vikram instructed. "The light is better there. Siddanth, move out of the frame. You're blocking the light."
Deva took a sip of coffee before stepping aside.
Krithika positioned the twins on the floor.
"Look at Thatha! Smile!"
Click-click-click-click.
"Now look at Nanamma!" Sesikala called from the side.
Rishi stood straight with his hands by his sides.
He gave the cameras a polite smile.
Aadhya had other ideas.
She planted her feet apart, put her hands on her hips, and stared directly into Vikram's camera.
"Aadhya, smile properly, baby," Krithika pleaded, stepping toward her.
"I am strong," Aadhya replied.
"You are very strong, but let's take one nice picture for the family album," Vikram said.
Deva watched from the kitchen counter, drinking his coffee as four grandparents offered different instructions while Krithika tried to get one usable photograph.
"Okay, my turn," Krithika finally said.
She took out her phone, knelt between the twins, and put an arm around each of them.
She looked at Deva.
"Sid, take the picture."
Deva put down his coffee and took the phone.
Through the screen, he saw Krithika holding the twins close.
Her eyes were wet.
The moment had finally arrived.
"Three, two, one," Deva said.
Click.
He handed the phone back.
Krithika looked at the picture, laughed softly.
"All right, paparazzi," Deva announced, clapping his hands. "Press conference is over. If we don't leave now, we'll hit the morning traffic."
Breakfast was rushed.
The twins picked at their food while everyone tried to keep track of the time.
By 8:15, the backpacks were packed and the water bottles were secured.
The family gathered in the driveway.
Deva opened the rear doors of the Range Rover and strapped the twins into their car seats, checking the harnesses before closing the doors.
Krithika sat in the passenger seat.
She said nothing.
Her hands were wrapped around the straps of her handbag.
Deva started the engine.
The SUV moved down the driveway.
As the gates opened and closed behind them, the mood inside the car changed.
The first day had begun.
The drive was short.
The commute took fifteen minutes.
They arrived at the international academy.
The campus had brick buildings, large playing fields, and a busy drop-off zone filled with cars.
Deva parked in the visitor area and switched off the engine.
Krithika took a breath.
"Okay. Okay, we're here."
Deva reached across the console and placed his hand over hers.
"They're going to be fine, Krithi. It's only a few hours."
"I know," she whispered. "I just... they look so small in those uniforms, Sid."
"They are small," Deva said with a smile. "But they're fierce. Let's go."
They opened the rear doors.
Deva carried Aadhya on one arm, her pink backpack in the other hand.
Krithika held Rishi's hand and carried his blue backpack.
They crossed the courtyard toward the Early Years building.
The area was filled with parents and children.
Some children clung to their mothers.
Others were already crying.
Parents crouched around their children, giving last-minute instructions.
The classroom door stood open.
Inside were low wooden tables, sensory-play areas, and colorful posters.
Ms. Priya, the lead teacher, stood at the doorway in a yellow kurta.
"Good morning!" she said. She crouched slightly to meet the twins' eyes. "You must be Rishi and Aadhya. We're so excited to have you here."
Aadhya didn't answer.
Deva put her down.
She looked around the classroom.
Her attention settled on three things: the reading corner, the building blocks, and an indoor slide.
The slide won.
Aadhya walked past Ms. Priya and headed directly toward it.
She moved a confused child aside and began climbing the steps.
Ms. Priya blinked.
"Well," she said with a nervous laugh, "she certainly seems ready to play."
Deva crossed his arms, trying not to smile.
"She doesn't require an adjustment period."
Krithika wiped a tear and looked at Rishi.
He hadn't moved.
He stood beside her, still holding her hand, studying the classroom.
He watched the fifteen other children moving around the room.
His eyes moved from the posters to the tables and then to the other children.
Finally, he looked at Ms. Priya.
Then he looked at Deva.
His expression seemed to ask a single question.
You're leaving me here?
Deva covered his mouth to hide his laugh.
Krithika knelt.
"It's going to be okay, Rishi," she said, hugging him. "Amma loves you. Be a good boy and listen to the teacher."
She kissed his forehead before standing.
Deva crouched down.
"Have fun, buddy. If the blocks are disorganized, fix them. I'll be right here when the bell rings."
Rishi nodded.
He adjusted his blue backpack and walked into the classroom.
He chose a quiet table in the corner.
"We'll take good care of them, Mrs. Deva," Ms. Priya said.
"Thank you," Krithika replied.
Deva placed a hand on her back and gently guided her away from the doorway.
---
The drive back was quiet.
When they entered the farmhouse, the difference was immediate.
The house was silent.
For four years, there had always been some sign of the twins.
A toy rolling across the floor.
A cartoon playing.
Laughter from the garden.
Tiny footsteps moving through the halls.
Now there was only the sound of the air conditioning.
Vikram and Sesikala had gone into the city for the morning.
"This is horrible," Krithika said in the foyer, dropping her handbag onto a console. "It feels like a museum."
"It's peaceful," Deva replied, though he noticed how loud his own voice sounded. "We have four uninterrupted hours. You have Foundation logistics to check. I have the bio-enzyme simulations."
"Right. Productive."
Krithika headed toward the study.
"I'll go to my office," Deva said.
They separated.
Deva sat at his desk and opened his encrypted Nexus laptop.
The biological research he had begun after receiving the Adept Biology Skill filled the screen.
He opened the molecular structure of the synthetic extremophile he was developing, examining the enzyme designed to process carbon monoxide and particulate matter.
His attention shifted toward the office door.
He listened.
Nothing.
For the past four years, his brain had become accustomed to monitoring the house for the sounds of children.
A crash.
A scream.
Aadhya shouting.
Rishi asking a question.
There was nothing.
He tried to return his attention to the simulation.
Ten minutes later, he was staring at the wall.
He wondered whether Aadhya had taken over the classroom yet.
Deva closed the laptop.
He walked downstairs toward the kitchen, intending to get some water.
Then he stopped.
Krithika stood in the middle of the kitchen.
She wasn't working on the logistics.
She wasn't drinking tea.
She was holding a small plastic sippy cup left over from breakfast.
She was staring at it.
Deva leaned against the doorway.
"I thought you were working."
Krithika jumped and quickly put the cup down.
"I was. I am. I just came down for tea."
"You were staring at that cup like it was a historical artifact."
She glared at him.
"And what are you doing down here? Did you solve global air pollution in twelve minutes?"
"The enzymatic pathways need more work," Deva said, opening the refrigerator. "I needed a break."
Krithika narrowed her eyes.
"You were listening for a crash, weren't you?"
Deva stopped.
He sighed.
"The silence is distracting."
He looked around the kitchen.
"I keep expecting them to come running around the corner."
Krithika's expression softened.
She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"It's awful," she whispered.
"It's only a few more hours."
Deva put his arms around her.
"We just have to make it until two."
They didn't accomplish much after that.
For the next few hours, they moved around the house without much purpose, reorganizing toys that were already organized, making coffee, and repeatedly checking the clock.
At 1:30, Deva finally picked up the car keys.
"I'm going to get the car."
She picked up her purse.
They arrived at the academy at 1:45.
They were the first car in the pickup zone.
Deva parked and switched off the engine.
They sat and watched the Early Years building.
More cars arrived.
Parents began gathering.
At exactly 2:00, the bell rang.
The glass doors opened.
Children came out with their teachers.
Deva scanned the crowd.
He spotted the Aadhya first.
Her shirt was untucked and stained with purple paint.
The top button was undone.
Her ribbons were gone.
She looked as though she had spent the school time doing exactly what her parents expected.
Rishi followed.
His uniform was still mostly clean, though his backpack hung from one shoulder.
He looked tired.
Aadhya spotted the Range Rover.
Then she saw Deva.
"NANA!"
She ran.
Rishi saw them a moment later.
"Amma! Nana!"
He ran after her.
Deva dropped to his knees.
Aadhya reached him first.
He caught her around the waist.
Rishi crashed into his other side.
Deva pulled both children against him.
"I got you."
Krithika knelt beside them, hugging all three.
"My babies! Did you have a good day? We missed you so much!"
Aadhya pulled back.
"I go on the big slide," she announced.
Rishi leaned against Deva's shoulder.
"It was very loud, Nana. Too much loud."
"I know, buddy. Let's get home."
Deva carried both children back toward the SUV.
He strapped them into their seats before taking the driver's seat.
Krithika turned around to face them.
Deva started the engine.
"So," he said, looking at them through the rearview mirror, "tell us about your first day. What did you learn?"
The children became quiet.
The reunion was over.
The review had begun.
Rishi folded his arms.
He stared out of the window for a moment before speaking.
"The lady is not very smart, Nana."
Deva covered a laugh with a cough.
"Ms. Priya? Why isn't she smart?"
"She make us sit on a carpet."
Rishi frowned.
"She hold up one apple. She say, 'This is one apple.' Then two apples. She say, 'One, two.'"
He sighed.
"Nana. I know numbers."
He continued.
"You show me numbers. If one leg of the bridge is weak, the bridge falls down. That is physics. Why she say one, two, three? It is insulting."
Krithika covered her mouth.
She was struggling not to laugh.
Deva glanced at Rishi through the mirror.
"She has to teach everyone, Rishi. Some of the other kids don't know their numbers yet. You have to be patient."
"They are slow," Rishi concluded.
Then he added another complaint.
"She sing song about a spider. A small spider going up a pipe. Nana. Spiders don't go up pipes in the rain. They drown."
He paused.
"The song is wrong."
Deva burst out laughing.
Krithika laughed as well, leaning her forehead against the dashboard.
"What about you, monster?" he asked. "Did you learn anything, or did you conquer the playground?"
Aadhya frowned.
"Bad school."
"Why?"
"The toys are boring. And the kids are slow."
She kicked her feet against the seat.
"We play running game. I run fast. The boy fall down. He cry. The lady say I have to run slow."
Aadhya threw her hands up.
"I do not run slow, Amma! I drop the shoulder If they slow, they lose!"
Deva tried to keep his eyes on the road.
"And then," Aadhya continued, "they make us lie down."
"Nap time?" Krithika asked.
"Yes! Nap time!"
Aadhya pointed toward the roof.
"They put mat on floor. They say close your eyes. Nana! I am not tired! The sun is awake!"
She frowned.
"The lady say I have to lie down in the dark. It is a prison!"
Rishi nodded.
Deva laughed again as they approached the gates of the farmhouse.
The debate from several weeks earlier had effectively been settled.
Krithika had argued that the twins needed socialization.
Deva had worried that a standard school would leave them bored and frustrated.
Four hours had provided a first answer.
Krithika looked at him.
She saw the smile already forming on his face.
"Fine," she said, lifting her hands. "You win."
Deva smiled.
"I accept your concession."
"So what is the plan?" she asked. "Do we pull them out tomorrow?"
"No."
His tone changed.
"We agreed to give the school a proper trial. We'll let them finish three months and establish a baseline. They can still learn from being around other children."
They pulled into the driveway.
"Then," Deva continued, looking toward the twins, "we change."
He parked near the front steps.
Then he opened the doors.
"Come on, monsters," Deva called. "School is over. Let's go home and learn something useful."