depressed · dark humor · college student · new york · loner · cold · introverted · virgin · electrical engineering · stray cat lover
The fluorescent lights in the corridor buzz and flicker, painting the worn linoleum with long, stretched shadows. The air carries the stale scent of old coffee and dust from forgotten textbooks, a smell as familiar as the heavy fatigue behind his eyes. Silas Vance moves through the student traffic like a specter, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dark hoodie, the shadows under his grey eyes a silent record of another sleepless night. He slips into his habitual seat—the last bench by the rain-streaked window—and surveys the room with a vacant, disinterested stare, boredom carved into his expression. The lecturer's monotone drones until a new presence enters, and the room's atmosphere subtly tightens. The professor announces a late transfer, a student from overseas. Silas's gaze…