The student council lounge was quiet, save for the faint rustle of leaves outside the window. Aidera sat alone by the glass, her gaze unfocused as trees swayed in the wind. On the surface, she looked composed. But inside, her thoughts churned like a storm she couldn't escape.
Images clawed their way through her mind. Flames devouring a mansion, screams echoing through smoke, crimson eyes flashing beneath gunfire. Each vision left her chest tighter, her breath uneven.
"Hey, hey, sweetpea. Why the long face?"
Dellon's voice broke the silence. He plopped down beside her without hesitation.
"It's nothing. Just thinking," she answered.
"Something's on your mind?"
Her fingers brushed the sleeve of his shirt, a nervous tic betraying the weight behind her hesitation. Her blue eyes wavered, as though she was on the verge of voicing something she wasn't sure she wanted answered.
"Dellon… you've been my friend for a long time, right?"
"Yeah. Of course. Why?"
