I smiled as I saw Reyaan clicking photographs on his camera and showing it to his uncle. Arman nodded his head in appreciation and showed his nephew how to click portraits from different angles. For their experiment, Neeya and Upasana had volunteered, and while the four of them goofed around, the rest of us waited for the ceremony to start.

"The function will start in ten minutes. Anyone wants to eat something?" Shaurya asked us.

"I want fruit cake," Reyaan said loudly.

Shaurya ruffled Reyaan's hair and left to grab some snacks for us. He returned in a jiffy and gave us the food he had brought. I checked my wristwatch and tapped my foot as I waited for my husband and mother-in-law to arrive. To distract myself, I observed my surroundings. I had taken a spot among the various chairs lined up in the garden for the family and friends of the students being felicitated today.

A small stage was setup in front of us with lots of prizes and certificates decorating the tables.

Just as I was observing the teenagers roaming around and chatting with each other, meeting their families, I noticed a head bobbing towards me. I opened up my arms, and my daughter, Vaani, launched herself in my embrace.

"My baby." I squeezed her. "Are you excited?"

Vaani looked at me with her raven eyes, the same as her father's, and curved up her lips. "Yes, Maa. I am going to graduate highschool and then I will enter the college soon."

I kissed her forehead. "Why are you in such a hurry, kiddo? You can do college with Reyaan. You are still a kid."

Vaani giggled and stood proudly. "I want to open my company, Mumma. And for that, I need to learn everything as soon as possible. I am 12 years old. I still have so much to study."

I called Reyaan and told him to click a nice picture of me and Vaani. He adjusted his camera, and we posed.

"Oye, Vaani Nani, stand properly," Reyaan teased.

"Dumbo," Vaani fired back and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Say cheese."

"You guys forgot about me!" Yuvaan photobombed our picture and picked up Vaani in his arms.

"Daddoo!" Vaani squealed.

"The picture came perfect," Reyaan announced and showed us his camera.

I narrowed my eyes at Yuvaan. "My face isn't visible because of you."

Yuvaan gave me a side hug and apologized for coming late. His flight got delayed, and he had a surprise for us. Reyaan complained of Vaani getting all the attention, and Yuvaan picked him up too. My mother-in-law took Reyaan's camera and clicked a candid photo.

While I was busy photographing with Shruti Aunty, Reyaan pointed behind me and ran in that direction, followed by Vaani.

"Grandpa!"

Both of them hugged Rickard Grandpa - he was the surprise Yuvaan was talking about. Rickard Grandpa pecked his great-grandchildren's foreheads and joined our troop. Soon, Advait also arrived with Heena and their two kids.

After hearing the announcement made by one of the school officials, we took our seats, and Vaani left to join the students. Since she was the youngest, she had to crane her head up to talk to her taller peers.

"I am so proud of her," I said.

"She is really smart just like you," Yuvaan said and waved his hand at Vaani. "But I want her to enjoy her childhood days."

Reyaan listened to our conversation quietly and shook his head. "She is smart but not smarter than me."

"Really?" I pulled his cheek, and he laughed.

"Just like I am smarter than Reyna Didi," Arman chirped in.

Reyaan and Arman had a nice time joking about their sisters, while Shaurya and Advait were busy handling Advait's kids as Heena gossiped with Keerti, Upasana, and Neeya. Shruti Aunty talked with Rickard Grandpa, and Yuvaan and I discussed about what Vaani must have planned for her higher education.

"Thank you for coming to the felicitation ceremony, everyone. The institution really appreciates your time and presence," the principal spoke in the mike.

For the next fifteen minutes, he gave a speech, highlighting his school's achievements. Finally, the time came and students' names were announced one by one.

"And now, let's welcome our youngest student, who cleared her 12th grade at the age of just 12 years. Please come on the stage, Miss Vaani Raichand," Principal announced and clapped.

We applauded and cheered for Vaani as she got on the stage and shook hands with the principal. It reminded me of my own graduation ceremony. My daughter took the certificate, trophy, and medal, and stood in front of the mike for her speech.

She glanced at us and began. "First of all, thank you everyone for coming. Today is a really important day for all of us, especially the students who have worked hard and made their family proud. To celebrate our achievement, I would like to thank the people who supported us and believed in us.

"Thank you, Mumma and Daddoo. Don't worry. This is not the last medal; I will make you proud again."

"That was a wonderful speech, Vaani," Principal appreciated.

Vaani got off the stage, and her batchmates patted her back. She thanked them and stayed with them till all prizes were distributed and the faculties left to join the celebration.

We met with Vaani's teachers and classmates, and all of them sung praises of our daughter. After hearing compliments from them, Vaani came with us and showed her trophies and certificates to her grandmother and great-grandfather.

"Congratulations, mera baccha (my kid)," Shruti Aunty said and kissed Vaani's cheek.

"Thank you, Dadi." Vaani grinned.

Rickard Grandpa patted her head. "You did well, kid. Just remember to have fun too. Don't run too fast, okay?"

Vaani nodded and sat down in Yuvaan's lap. He tickled her and asked her what she wanted to do later. She glanced at Reyaan, and as expected, the twins smiled and spoke at the same time.

"Party with the kids!"

"Okay then."

I called up the orphanages and told them to bring all the kids to the home. We stayed for half an hour more before taking our leave. Vaani had been up since early in the morning as she was really excited about today and didn't get much sleep; she fell asleep in the car, and Yuvaan carried her to her room to complete her sleep.

Meanwhile, Reyaan and I baked cakes for us, and our friends did decorations in the hall and garden. It took us five hours to complete the work, and by that time, our party girl had woken up too.

I helped her in choosing a nice outfit, and we joined the rest of our gang downstairs. The kids from our orphanages had arrived too. Vaani and Reyaan played with them, Vaani receiving gifts and congratulations for graduating highschool.

"Let's cut the cake, kiddo," Yuvaan told Vaani.

A wave of applause passed through us as the cake was cut, and balloons and confetti were burst. Yuvaan and I waited for our turns as Vaani got a lot of gifts from her uncles and aunts.

"Here, Vaani. Hope you like the gift," I said and gave her a rectangular box wrapped in golden gift paper.

Vaani judged the gift, and I sighed as her eyes twinkled - she already guessed what was inside. She gave me a toothy grin and opened the gift.

"Yay, my favourite puzzle! Thank you, Mumma."

She hugged me and roamed her eyes on the puzzle game once. Instantly, she took the puzzle board and laid out the first level pieces in a minute.

"Complete!" she squealed.

"Photographic memory." Yuvaan and I sighed.

"Don't worry, Reyna," Yuvaan consoled me. "We all know Vaani would finish the whole game by tomorrow morning, so I will build a difficult game for her next time."

"I accept the challenge, Daddoo," Vaani stated confidently.

We laughed and praised our daughter, but I didn't miss the mischievous look on our son's face. He had been waiting patiently for his turn. When I told him to give his sister the gift he had, he smiled and moved a small 12cm long box towards her.

"What's this?" Vaani asked as she unwrapped it.

When she opened the box, a small wooden and metal doll was revealed. We knew Reyaan had been working on it for some months, so we weren't surprised, but when he revealed the mystery puzzle inside the doll, even Yuvaan was shocked.

"That's such a nice piece of artwork," he praised. "Wow. This puzzle is going to be a lot difficult to solve. Nice job, Reyaan."

"Thanks, Dad," Reyaan said.

"I will definitely solve it," Vaani boasted.

Reyaan's lips curved up more when his sister couldn't find a solution within seconds like she usually did. He glanced at me and gave me a thumbs up. I pulled him closer to me and cupped his cheeks.

"Will you build the same for me?" I requested.

"Of course, Maa. I have the design for its advanced version on my tablet. I will show you later," he promised.

"My kiddo is so intelligent."

Both of my kids were smart, but unlike Vaani, Reyaan didn't want to complete his education so fast. He wanted to spend his childhood with the kids of his age and invested his time in learning the game designing from his father while harbouring other skills.

"Did you like the present, Vaani?" Yuvaan asked.

"It is super cool. Good job, bro," she complimented her brother.

"I know, Vaani Nani," Reyaan replied.

And that's how Vaani and Reyaan got into another fight, and we left the kids alone to enjoy. We grabbed ourselves some snacks and sat down in the hall with our friends.

"Should I talk to Vaani about higher studies?" Shaurya suggested.

"That would be really helpful, bro," Yuvaan said. "I want her to enjoy her childhood."

"But she is really stubborn. Convincing her won't be that easy," Advait said.

"Let's see what she decides. We won't force her to go against her wishes," I said.

"She is pretty young, but she is a savant too. We need to keep her abilities in mind," Rickard Grandpa reminded.

We nodded and decided to go with the flow. Our kids were happy and that's all we wanted.

We have a loving family, and Yuvaan and I wouldn't let anything break it. Reyaan and Vaani are our life. No matter what happens, we would always be there for them. And every time we looked at them, we felt blessed, grateful, and gifted.