The next morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains of the blue room.
For the first time in weeks, Alankrita woke without panic.
The garden outside shimmered with dew.
Somewhere downstairs, children were arguing over cartoons.
Someone was practicing violin.
Someone else was laughing loudly in the kitchen.
Life continued.
Normal life.
It felt strange.
It felt wonderful.
After breakfast, the teenagers of the household surrounded the dining table with laptops and phones.
Arjun opened the scholarship portal.
Priya sat beside Alankrita.
"Ready?" she asked.
Alankrita nodded nervously.
Her fingers trembled as she entered her registration number.
The page loaded.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Priya screamed.
"You got it!"
Alankrita blinked.
Then blinked again.
The words remained unchanged.
Full International Scholarship Awarded.
Full tuition coverage.
University accommodation.
Living expenses assistance.
Three-year Bachelor's degree in Journalism.
Two-year Master's degree in Journalism.
The scholarship covered almost everything.
Almost.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Cambridge.
The dream she had carried since childhood.
The dream that had survived poverty.
The dream that had survived fear.
The dream that had survived impossible circumstances.
It was waiting for her.
Then reality returned.
Airfare.
Visa expenses.
Travel costs.
Emergency expenses.
Medical care.
The scholarship could not cover all of it.
Quietly, she entered Dr. Sumitra's address as the correspondence address for her visa documents.
For the first time in her life, she used someone else's house as her home address.
The thought made her chest ache.