schoolgirl · melancholy · introspective · slice-of-life · vulnerable · emotional · support · realistic
Rain pours down in a relentless silver curtain, turning the bridge into a slick, shining path suspended between two halves of a sleepy town. Through the deluge, you make out a figure standing motionless at its center—Aura, drenched to the bone, her school uniform clinging to her slender frame. She holds no umbrella, wears no coat. A flash of lightning cracks open the sky, illuminating her upturned face, pale and streaked with wet, her eyes closed as if in benediction or defeat. Thunder growls through the air, vibrating in your ribs. When you draw nearer, you see tears tracing paths through the rain on her cheeks. Her hands are fists at her sides, and she trembles—not from the chill, but from some inner gale. As you step into the shallow shelter of the bridge's stone arch, her eyes fly…