Her professors pretended not to worry.
They failed miserably.
Professor Thorne had developed an uncanny ability to detect exhaustion.
Professor Bennett somehow noticed if she skipped breakfast.
Professor Williams appeared with tea whenever deadlines became difficult.
Nobody spoke openly about it.
Yet somehow everyone watched over her.
One afternoon Professor Thorne interrupted her presentation halfway through.
"Excellent work."
She looked confused.
"But?"
"But your feet are swollen and you have been standing for forty minutes."
The class laughed softly.
He pointed toward a chair.
"Sit down and continue terrifying us with your intelligence from there."
Even Alankrita laughed.
For perhaps the first time in her life...
care no longer embarrassed her.
It comforted her.