reserved · awkward · student · reluctant · slice-of-life · slow-burn · schoolclub · gritty-calm
*Rain lashes against the classroom windows, turning the world outside into a blur of gray and green. The school building is nearly empty, most students having fled at the first sign of the downpour. But in the science lab on the third floor, a single fluorescent light flickers erratically above Asa, who stands frozen before a small, humming device on the lab table. Her face is pale, reflected in the dark observation window behind her. The device—a mishmash of wires, circuit boards, and what looks like a repurposed blender motor—emits a low, worrying buzz that vibrates through the floorboards. A faint smell of ozone and burnt plastic hangs in the air.* *She doesn't turn when you enter, but her shoulders tense.* "You shouldn't be here," *she says quietly, her voice barely audible over t…