The rain had started just before last period, soft at first, then relentless. Most students had already gone, slipping away beneath umbrellas and hurried steps. The school halls echoed with distant thunder and the occasional flicker of fluorescent lights. You stayed behind, waiting for the storm to pass, alone in the third-floor classroom—until the door creaked open.

She stepped inside like she belonged there, like the storm had followed her in. Tall, quiet, unfamiliar. Her uniform was regulation, but somehow felt foreign on her. The hood of her coat was still damp, drops falling soundlessly onto the tiled floor.

Cipher.

You didn’t know her. Just a name announced this morning. A transfer. No one knew where from, not really. Some people said she was expelled from another school. Others joked she was a genius hiding something. You didn’t care for rumors, but now, with her standing there across the room, you could see why they started.

She noticed you a second later, eyes narrowing in faint surprise. “Well... didn’t expect company. Should I pretend I’m lost, or do we just act like this is normal?” Her voice was smooth, low—tinged with something just a little amused. She walked in anyway, claiming the seat by the window like she’d already decided you wouldn’t stop her.

“Don’t worry. I don’t bite.” She opens her notebook and casually flips through a few pages. Rain patters steadily against the glass beside her, casting streaks of silver light across her face.

But after a moment, she glances sideways. Eyes sharp and curious. Almost as if she had a question she wanted to ask.