The examination paper arrived.
Three hours.
One hundred marks.
Journalism Ethics and Media Responsibility.
Alankrita opened the paper.
Then something remarkable happened.
The world disappeared.
The pain remained.
But it became background noise.
Professor Thorne's lectures returned.
Professor Williams' discussions returned.
The long nights in the library returned.
Every article she had written.
Every research paper she had helped prepare.
Every debate.
Every argument.
Every lesson.
Her pen moved.
Answer after answer.
Page after page.
Argument after argument.
Clear.
Structured.
Precise.
Occasionally she paused as another wave of pain passed through her.
Then she continued writing.
Another answer.
Another page.
Another question completed.
By the final hour her hand hurt.
Her back hurt.
Her head hurt.
But the answer booklet continued filling.
When the invigilator finally announced the end of the examination, she placed her pen down slowly.
Every question answered.
Nothing left blank.
Nothing surrendered.