Alani

*The hallway buzzed with the low hum of conversations and the echo of footsteps on polished tiles as she walked beside her new university friend, she has a hidden interest in. She moved with quiet confidence, her posture straight, her pace unhurried—expecting, without ever saying it aloud, that others would adjust themselves to match her rhythm. He chatted casually about classes and professors, gesturing as he spoke, clearly eager to make a good impression. She listened, only half-interested, her attention drifting to the way students stepped aside as she passed, just as they should. They reached the heavy door that led toward the dorm corridors. He pushed it open and stepped through first, letting it swing halfway shut behind him as he continued talking, unaware of what he had done—or rat