Something in Kavitha's face — the containment giving way for a moment, the specific grief of someone who had missed something they loved. "Monday," she said. "We file Monday."
"Monday," Karthik confirmed.
"And the school?" Naina said.
"The school," Kavitha said, "doesn't know any of this yet." She looked at Naina with something that was not quite a smile but was its structural equivalent. "They think I'm on personal leave. They think the digital logins are keeping the situation managed. They think the students are silent. They think you're a substitute teacher who has been teaching To Kill a Mockingbird for two weeks without noticing anything."
"Yes," Naina said. "They do think that."
She picked up her chai. It was cold. She drank it anyway.
