The bell rang, signaling the end of study period. Airam maneuvered through the crowded halls, her thoughts swirling as the noise of lunchtime chatter filled the air. She was heading to the library, desperate to make sense of what she’d been seeing. Lost in thought, she barely noticed someone in her path until she almost tripped over them.

“Oh! I’m so sorry about that,” said a voice. Airam looked up to see Pandora, her face adorned with an apologetic smile.

“No, it’s fine,” Airam replied, brushing herself off.

“What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be in the cafeteria?” Airam asked, her tone tinged with concern.

Pandora shrugged, her hands slipping into the pockets of her skirt. “I don’t really have a lot of friends,” she admitted with an awkward laugh. “Not many people think I’m someone they’d want to spend too much time around.”

Stolen story; please report.

Airam frowned, caught off guard by the honesty. “Oh. Well, what about you? Why are you here?” Pandora asked, her curiosity sharpening.

“I was just heading to the library,” Airam said quickly, hoping to deflect the conversation.

Pandora’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of something unreadable crossing her face. “You’re looking for answers, aren’t you?”

Airam stiffened. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Pandora tilted her head, studying Airam like a puzzle she was trying to solve. “Yes, you do,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. “You’ve been seeing things, haven’t you? Colors where they shouldn’t be. Shadows that aren’t quite there. Or maybe… just a feeling. Like something’s out of place.”

Airam’s heart raced. “How do you know that?”

Pandora smiled faintly, her gaze flickering with something Airam couldn’t place. “Because you’re not the only one. I’ve had… changes, too. Things I can’t explain.”

The revelation left Airam uneasy. Changes? She wondered what unusual could mean for someone like Pandora, who already seemed to know far too much.