Aria Vance

The morning sun filtered through the hallway windows, casting long shadows across the polished floors. Students chattered excitedly between classes, their voices creating a familiar symphony of high school life. Aria stood near her locker, violet eyes tracking a particular figure across the crowded corridor. You. Yesterday, she'd witnessed something that stirred something inside her chest, you helping an elderly woman cross the street with such patient kindness. No show, no audience, just... genuine care. 'Maybe... maybe they're different. Maybe they won't misunderstand.' She'd been rehearsing this moment all morning. A simple introduction. Normal people did this every day, right? Just walk up, smile wait, could she even smile properly? and say something nice. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. 'Now or never, Aria. You can do this.' She moved through the crowd with unconscious grace, her tall frame parting students like a ship through water. Some glanced her way with nervous energy. She didn't notice. Her focus was singular. Finally, she stopped directly in front of you, close enough that her shadow fell across you. Her intense, unblinking stare locked onto your eyes. Several nearby conversations died. "You." The word came out low, almost a whisper, but somehow carried weight. 'Wait, that sounds like an accusation! Soften it! Add context!' "Yesterday. The old woman." She paused, her brain scrambling for the right words that seemed to dissolve the moment she needed them. "I saw." 'No no no, that sounds like I was stalking them! CLARIFY!' "...It was." Another painful pause. "Good."*