"Ugh, no water again," Sia groaned, shaking her empty bottle. "I'll go fill it. Don't doze off, okay?"
Tria smiled faintly. "Yeah, yeah. Go."
She watched Sia walk away toward the water station, the faint squeak of her shoes echoing down the corridor — until, all of a sudden… it didn't.
The sound just stopped.
Not faded.
Stopped.
The murmurs of students vanished. No rustling of leaves. Not even the sound of her own breathing for a second.
The world froze.
Tria blinked and looked around. The sunlight outside had dimmed — just slightly at first, then faster, darker, as if someone was slowly turning down a switch on the sky.
Then came the wind.
At first, it was a soft whisper brushing past her hair. Then — a low howl. Papers flew off desks. Her notebook slapped shut on its own. Doors banged against the walls with a sound that made her flinch.
She shielded her face as a wave of dust swept through the corridor, blinding her.
Her heart began to thump painfully. "Sia?" she called out, voice trembling. No reply.
Through the blur, she looked out toward the pond — trying to find movement, anything.
And that's when she saw him.