Between Silence and Screens

The Grimhour Institute library was the kind of place where even the sound of a pencil scratching paper could draw glares. Yet, one sound persisted. A steady rhythm of fingers tapping a laptop keyboard.

Every keystroke cut through the heavy quiet like a drip in a still room. Normally, someone would have shushed the culprit by now. But no one dared. Not because it wasn't loud, but because everyone knew who it was.

Aidera didn't notice their stares. Her eyes were glued to the glow of her screen, jaw tense, fingers moving like a machine. Three hours of nonstop typing, editing, and note-taking had left her temples throbbing and her spine aching.

"Ugh… can this day just end already?" she muttered, stretching her arms until her shoulders popped.

As she leaned back, her gaze drifted and froze.

Someone was sitting beside her.

"…W'what?"