Chapter 1
The alarm never rings.
I always wake up before it.
For a few seconds, I lie still, listening to the silence of the room—the kind of silence that only exists before dawn. Then, without hesitation, I reach out and turn the alarm off before it can make a sound.
No noise. No disruption.
Just stillness.
By 4:30 a.m., I am already outside.
Running.
The streets are empty, washed in pale blue light. The air is cool against my skin, sharp enough to keep my thoughts clear. Each step echoes faintly, swallowed by the quiet.
This is the only time of day that belongs entirely to me.
On the way back, my pace slows.
And, as it often does, my mind drifts to something my father once said:
"Change is the only constant."
Back then, it sounded like one of those things adults say without meaning much.
Now, I think about it almost every day.
I reach home just as the clock nears six.
Before my hand touches the door, it opens.
Vanya stands there, already dressed, already prepared—like she's been awake longer than the morning itself.
"Good morning, Ruhan. How was the run?"
"With weather like this?" I exhale lightly. "Perfect."
I step inside, slipping off my shoes.
"Near Krishna's store, a new café is opening," I add. "We should check it out sometime."
She nods, but I can tell her thoughts are already somewhere else—organizing the day ahead.
"My work at the bank will take longer today," she says. "After you drop me, pick up your father."
"I know."
"And don't forget—milk, breakfast, and wake the kids. It's Anya's first day."
"I remember."
For a moment, we just look at each other.
Then she narrows her eyes slightly.
"Don't act like you're doing everything alone."
A small smile forms on my lips. "I never said that."
"You don't have to," she replies. "You always think it."
"And you always notice."
She turns away before I can see her smile fully.
"First, food," I mutter as I walk in.
Lex reaches me first, brushing against my legs like he owns the house. Albus waits near his bowl, calm and patient, watching everything with quiet judgment.
"You two never change," I say, filling their bowls.
Only after they settle do I head toward the kids' room.
"Wake up, Yash. You need to get ready for school."
"I'm already ready, Dad," his voice comes from inside. "Just open the door."
Of course he is.
A few minutes later, I sit beside him.
He's exactly as expected—uniform neat, bag packed, expression steady.
"You should talk to your mom about yesterday," I say. "And apologize."
He looks at me.
Too calm.
"I wasn't the one who started it," he replies.
"I know. But still."
He pauses, choosing his words.
"It started small," he says. "Just class rank. But it didn't stay small."
I don't interrupt.
"It became something else."
"Like what?" I ask quietly.
He takes a moment.
"It feels like anger," he says. "But it isn't."
I watch him carefully.
"Then what is it?"
His eyes meet mine.
"Something that doesn't want to be ignored."
For a brief second, I don't see a child sitting in front of me.
I see something unfinished.
Something I recognize.
And that's what unsettles me.
I step out of the room.
The next one is the complete opposite.
"Anya, stand still!" Vanya says.
"I am standing still!" Anya replies—while clearly not standing still.
I lean against the doorframe, watching the chaos unfold, a quiet smile forming without permission.
"Ruhan, don't just stand there," Vanya says. "Bring her bag."
"I'm observing the situation."
"You're doing nothing."
"That's also important."
Anya bursts into laughter.
I walk in and hand her the bag.
She leans closer and whispers, "Dad… I think Mom is serious."
"I am always serious," Vanya says without turning.
Anya looks at me again, eyes wide.
"We are in danger."
I nod solemnly. "Very serious danger."
"Both of you, stop," Vanya says, though she's clearly holding back a smile.
She finishes tying Anya's hair and adjusts her uniform carefully, her hands slowing for just a moment.
"First day," she says softly.
Anya looks at herself, then lifts her chin slightly.
"I look powerful."
I blink.
Vanya closes her eyes briefly. "Where do you even learn this?"
Anya points at me.
"I didn't teach that," I say immediately.
"Are we done?"
The voice comes from behind us.
Yash.
We turn.
He stands there, ready, bag over his shoulder.
Watching.
Not part of the moment—just beside it.
"Come here," Vanya says.
He walks over.
"What happened yesterday?" she asks.
"It wasn't my fault."
"That's not what I asked."
A pause.
"It started small," he says. "They kept pushing."
"And you?"
"I didn't stop it."
"Why?"
His answer comes without hesitation.
"Because I wanted to see how far it would go."
The room falls silent.
I glance at Vanya.
She understands him.
I can see it in her eyes.
And somehow, that makes it worse.
"You don't have to prove anything," she says.
Yash doesn't agree.
But he doesn't argue either.
"Just go to school."
He nods once.
"Okay!" Anya suddenly declares. "I'm ready!"
She grabs my hand.
"Let's go, Dad."
I smile. "Yeah. Let's go."
Outside, the morning has fully arrived.
As we walk, she looks up at me.
"Dad… will it be scary?"
"No," I say. "It's just new. You'll be fine."
She thinks about it seriously.
Then nods.
"I'll make friends today."
"I know you will."
"No fear."
I smile slightly.
"Just like me."
She grins.
Simple. Honest.
Behind us—
inside the house—
Vanya stands beside Yash.
Both quiet.
Both thinking.
More alike than either of them would admit.
Anya walks forward without hesitation.
Yash walks forward with questions he doesn't yet understand.
Vanya carries a past she never speaks about.
And me—
I stand somewhere in between all of them.
Watching.
Trying to understand.
Trying to hold everything together—
while, little by little,
change finds its way into our lives.