Chapter 7: A Cup of Tea and A Mirror

The morning began the same way it always did.

7:00 AM sharp, Ishika's eyes opened with the soft chirping of birds and the distant clang of vessels from the kitchen. She sat up slowly, still wrapped in her blanket of thoughts, then grabbed her toothbrush and bucket — the ritual of routine had begun.

As she stepped outside to get her hot bath water, she saw her grandmother sitting cross-legged near the fire, feeding dried wood into the flames beneath a rusted black pot. Smoke rose steadily in the open courtyard, curling through the still air like a quiet spirit. This was how mornings started in their part of Sangli— warm water, real fire, and inherited patience.

Ishika fetched her water, but while refilling the bucket, some of it spilled out, splashing her slippers.

"Why am I like this?" she whispered with a smile, shaking her head.

She tried again to add wood to the fire properly, but the flames didn't catch like they did when her grandma did it. Her arms weren't strong enough for the task — another reminder of how some traditions needed practice, and perhaps strength she hadn't grown into yet.

After her bath, she stood in front of her metal almirah, wondering what to wear.Her wardrobe overflowed with clothes, yet the eternal truth hit her again:

"Nothing to wear."

Eventually, she pulled out a light blue jeans, a white shirt, and topped it with her favorite brown jacket — a clean, classic look.

She tied her hair into a ponytail after debating it for a solid ten minutes.

Then came the familiar beauty ritual — serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, compact powder, kajal, lipstick, eyebrow pencil. Nothing too much, just enough to feel put together.

A quick tea and biscuit, a check on the clock, and she was slipping into her shoes and heading out.

She met Mayuri at the main road, and both caught a rickshaw, followed by a local bus. They no longer used the college bus — a small rebellion, or maybe just comfort in choosing their own timing now.

They parted at the campus gate, each walking to their own department.

As Ishika entered the Aeronautical Engineering block, a crowd gathered. Their professor stood at the front of the class.

"Today, we'll be holding elections for the Class Representative and Committee Positions," he announced.

Ishika blinked.

Here we go again.

She once loved elections, competitions, activities. In school, she was the one running around with rangoli colors, decorating boards, organizing groups.

But things changed.

She remembered the baseball semi-finals — a match they lost not because of performance, but because of someone else's interference.

Then came junior college.

She had fought for just two marks in her English exam, marks she rightfully earned. But her teacher responded with ego, not ethics. When Ishika went to the principal, the teacher publicly humiliated her the next day, making her stand before the whole class, mocking her, even spreading twisted stories among seniors.

That moment left a bruise she never showed.

Still, she stood her ground, and her paper was rechecked. She got her two marks, but lost her trust in fairness.

Then in second year, during department competitions, she again faced bias. Even after winning points, the seniors manipulated the outcome and passed it to their friends. She complained to the principal. He called them. But in the end, nothing changed.

So today, as two classmates from the same class stood for CR elections — both girls, both deserving — the class shamelessly supported only one, ignoring the other.

Ishika chuckled under her breath.

"And we talk about unity?"

She didn't say anything.

Didn't vote.

Instead, she walked to the Civil Department, found her three close friends — Mayuri, Omkar, and Anushka — and laughed about silly things, shared snacks, talked about BTS, memes, and travel plans.

For her, this felt more real than any vote she could cast today.

By the end of the day, she returned home, quietly tired.

No one noticed how skilled she was.No one saw how much she had once tried.But it was okay.

She still did her best in exams.She never cheated.She followed her morals.

Because when she stood in front of the mirror,she wanted to be proud of the girl she saw.