Devgarh High was bustling with energy. Banners fluttered in the hallway, and students rushed to their classes with extra excitement. Today was the Annual Talent Showcase, a school event where students from every grade performed in front of parents, teachers, and special guests.
Ishanvi had been selected to sing a classical song with Vaidehi and Vrinda, while Abhay was helping backstage, managing lights and stage props with Raghav and Aariv.
Their simple clothes made them stand out. The others wore branded jackets, polished shoes, and crisp school blazers. Ishanvi and Abhay, despite their best effort, wore ironed but faded uniforms—patches of wear stitched lovingly by their mothers.
After the event, while they were walking in the back corridor, a group of city kids stood blocking the way. One of them, Aryan, leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Look who it is," he smirked. "The Firefly and the Ripple."
The group laughed. Ishanvi's jaw tightened.
Another girl added, "What did you light on fire this time, Firefly? A science project or your tiny village?"
"And Ripple," Aryan sneered at Abhay. "Still calm in every storm? Or just too poor to feel anything?"
Ishanvi's hands curled into fists. "Only our siblings and Abhay can call me that. You don't have the right."
Abhay stepped forward, calm but cold. "And only Ishanvi and our siblings can call me Ripple. Not some spoiled brats who mock us for being different."
"Oh, right," Aryan smirked. "The village wonders. Do you even belong in Devgarh High?"
"We study harder than most of you," Vaidehi snapped from behind.
Vrinda added, "We've earned our place here."
The bullies rolled their eyes. "Go back to Chandravan with your little forest games."
Ishanvi took a deep breath. Her voice, though shaking, was clear. "Mock us if you want. But we have fire in our hearts, not just on our name. And that fire will take us far."
Abhay didn't speak. His silence was louder than any words.
As the bullies left, still laughing, Raghav muttered, "One day, they'll eat those words."
That evening, the group sat together under the banyan tree near their home. The sky was painted with shades of gold and rose, a rare moment of quiet peace.
"Does it bother you?" Ishanvi asked softly, looking at the sun.
"It used to," Abhay said. "Now, I think… they only say those things because they're scared. Scared of what we could become."
"And we will become it," Vaidehi whispered.
Ishanvi looked around at her siblings and smiled slightly. "Let them call us Firefly and Ripple. Someday, the whole world will."