He was breathless! His lungs burning, knees. wobbled and eyesight was all a blur. He felt like fainting any second if he further climbed this steep mountain. But oxygen cylinder won't do any good for a traveller like him, a traveller without a destination.

"Brrring" went the bell for lunch and Brendan was miraculously saved. He lazily made his way out of the classroom until the teacher called out for him. The teacher was 1st concerned about Brendan. It was no surprise, Brendan was a good kid, brilliant in academics, a good writer and (honestly) good at anything that he put his heart into.

"Are you alright son? You seem to be distraught," asked the teacher. Brendan being a secretive person said that he was okay and that he had nothing to worry about. "It's just one of those days," he said and politely went his separate way after expressing his gratitude for his teacher's compassion.

He went to the cafeteria to meet his squad which consisted of a group of six people, but Brendan was only close to Rahul as he had known him for twelve years. People would comment that Brendan was the odd one out of the group as he did not belong to the same clan like the others. Brendan knowing his society disregarded peoples' opinions and was as close to his squad as ever. "Did you hear about Elaine?" asked one of Brendan's female friends. Brendan knew that there was a rather nasty rumour about Elaine that was doing the rounds. But being disinterested in the conversation and trying to avoid the girls' juicy gossip, he just nodded his head and continued eating his lunch. The squad were planning to ditch class and go watch a movie instead, but Brendan had calculus the next class. He couldn't afford to miss it as it was he was supposedly pursuing. "Can you come with me to  the temple after college?" Rahul. Brendan agreed, to his friend's request and proceeded

towards class.

In the class, the teacher was teaching a new topic "Continuity" As he would always do with every topic, Brendan would relate the words of the topic with the actual meanings of the words as it helped him to remember more. As he was coming to terms with the new topic in class, several questions arose in his mind. "Should I continue? What am I doing here?... Why am I not happy?" The warning bell for the next period was interrupted. his stream of thought. The teacher left the classroom followed by the unruly mob of students.

"Brendan, can you please explain to me this

particular topic again?" asked Michael, a very

hard-working fellow who was having a hard

time adapting to the urbanised lifestyle. Brendan complied and went to the library to teach him the basic concepts of "Continuity'.

"You'll make one great teacher", Michael praised Brendan. That was not the first time that Brendan had heard someone uttering those words. His teachers and everyone that he had taught believed that too. But unfortunately, he had never thought of becoming a teacher as he had clearly been instructed by his family to pursue a different career.

"Seven missed calls!!!" Brendan exclaimed. His mother had called him and sent him a text saying that he should go straight to his Aunt's house, as she was hosting a family get together and instructed him to tell his Aunt that she wouldn't be able to attend as she had something very important to do.

"Brendan!" shouted Rahul from the main gate. Brendan and Rahul came from completely different backgrounds. But they never let that come in the way of their friendship. Brendan was surprised to see Rahul without his girlfriend and teased him unendingly.

The two friends set out happily and engaged in friendly banter. Brendan's happy disposition changed the moment he reached his Aunt's place and he reluctantly entered her home. He loved his Aunt very much but he did not feel the same.

kick-started the conversation by saying, "My darling Luke is a rich Doctor now". She put an extra emphasis on the word "rich" much to the annoyance of Brendan. He was fed up with the pretentious society in which he lived, one where money and salary were seen as more alluring and satisfying rather than the profession itself. "Brendan, have you been studying hard dear?" enquired the nagging wife again. This was like a slap in his face, as it was now well known that he had recently failed to clear his entrance test. Little did they know that he could have easily cleared the exams if he had wanted to. The query was greeted with a muted response.

When he arrived home, his mom was sleeping and as he prepared to call it a day, he muttered under his breath that one day he would leave this country.

The next morning, his mother told him that he would need to accompany her to find a new school for his sister. The day when the family get-together was held, his mother had been busy searching for a new school for his sweet sister; she had been kicked out of her old school as she was unable to keep up to their standards. He looked at his sister who had a speaking impairment and thus hardly spoke. But her eyes told him everything. She wanted to be normal.

Later that day, Brendan attended his last period of the day and prepared to accompany his mother. Suddenly, a moment of epiphany cleared his muddled mind! He now realised that he had finally found a purpose in life. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He would help his sister and others like her. He would serve society and do his bit by helping others. At least then he would be happy. He was finally able to catch his breath again; his eyesight was clearer and now he could see his destination.