Member
Time: Sunset
Location: University (Library)
Interaction: Joseph Bogdanov
Once again the sunset was an event unnoticed by the young lady focused on the screen of her laptop, the notion of time lost in her mind as she focused on the task ahead. Melinera had been for weeks -- maybe even months -- spending her nights at the library, either working on an essay or editing pictures, both for personal and academic use. She had always been a dedicated student, one who put all efforts into getting good grades and having a good rapport with her professors, but that became even stronger after the attack. It was the one thing keeping her sane, even if the hours went by so fast as she played with the lightning and contrast of pictures or typed away words and words about an old art movement. If only she could make time stay still for an eternity, then she would be content.
She never noticed as the small crowd of students gradually left the library as the hours flew by. She didn't hear her stomach grumbling, complaining that no food had been eaten since breakfast. And she didn't notice her ears warming up with the extended use of her earbuds, a soft jazzy rhythm coming out of them. But something seemed wrong. There was an eerie feeling in the air. She looked outside for a second, gazing at the trees right outside the library's windows. Still lost in her thoughts, she admired the orange glow illuminating the trees, flowing through the branches and leaves and creating a soft, warm feeling that soothed her nerves.
It happened more often than she'd like, the feeling of being watched, being at risk as if she was prey. Everyone had tried to convince her to go back to therapy after the attack, but she refused. She couldn't tell anyone the truth or she'd be thrown in an asylum, and therapy would do her no good if she could only lie about the event.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice and she jumped a little in her seat. Turning her head around she saw the janitor. She never learned his name, but she had seen him around the university several times before, and over the last few weeks he had been the one to remind her she had to go home. The man was tall and muscular, he was good-looking and had a presence that made him look confident yet it didn't make him stand out too much. In her mind, he was much too young to be a janitor, but what did she know?
"I know," she said, closing the laptop and arranging her things inside her backpack. "Thank you for being so patient with me. I just like to stay here, it's the one place I can really focus..." ...on something other than the attack, she finished in her head. "What day is today?" She thought aloud. She had a feeling she was forgetting something. She stood up and grabbed her backpack, walking to a mural on the library's wall. "Oh, yeah, this is today," she pointed at a poster. "There's an art exhibition tonight, right? I was planning on going there."
