Chapter 3
695 Words
The train was late. Mira checked the time again and adjusted the strap of her backpack. The cold morning air clung to her coat, and her fingers tightened inside her sleeves.
She hadn’t slept well
again
but it didn’t matter. Today was important. It was the first official step into the life she’d chosen.
No. The life she’d stolen.
She shook that thought off.
St. Vincent University was tucked away in a quieter part of the city, with brick buildings, iron fences, and students rushing around with coffee cups and thick scarves. It felt like something out of a catalogue.
Mira walked quickly across the courtyard, avoiding eye contact as much as she could.
She had memorized her route from the welcome pack and followed the signs to the political science block.
Room 2B.
Inside, the lecture hall was half full. She chose a seat near the middle, not too close to the front, not far enough to draw attention.
As she sat, a voice piped up beside her.
“Oh my God, are you new? I haven’t seen you before.”
Mira turned slightly. The girl beside her was smiling, bright-eyed, with straight black hair tucked behind her ears. She had a Starbucks cup and a matching pen in hand.
“I’m Rachel. Rachel Kim. You?”
“Mira,” she said quietly.
“Ooooh, I love that. Mysterious. Where are you from?”
Mira hesitated. “Europe.”
Rachel didn’t pry. She just smiled again and leaned closer. “Okay, so Professor Langstone?
He’s strict but in a cool way. He doesn’t like phones, and he will call you out, but he’s fair. He’s the one who got me into the UN internship list last year.”
Mira blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah. And he’s crazy about international students. If you’re smart and low drama, he’ll love you.”
The door opened, and the room quieted.
A tall man with salt-and-pepper hair and a crisp navy suit stepped in and placed his notes on the desk.
Professor Langstone.
His presence alone shifted the air in the room.
He scanned the rows of students with sharp but kind eyes, then paused on Mira.
His face softened slightly. “Miss Cole.”
A few students turned to look.
Mira gave a tiny nod.
Langstone smiled. “Nice to finally meet you in person. Welcome.”
Mira felt Rachel elbow her lightly, grinning. “You already know him? Girl…”
“He helped with my scholarship,” Mira whispered.
Langstone started the lecture without wasting time, his voice smooth and commanding. He talked about international relations, the illusion of peace, and how diplomacy often hides deeper chaos.
Mira listened closely, writing notes neatly and staying quiet. Rachel doodled on her notepad between comments and side whispers, none of which Mira responded to much.
She wasn’t trying to be rude.
She just wasn’t ready to let anyone in. Not yet.
After class, Professor Langstone caught her just outside the hall.
“Mira,” he said warmly. “How are you settling in?”
“Okay. Thank you for everything.”
“You earned it,” he replied. “And if you need anything support, recommendations, guidance don’t hesitate.”
“I won’t.”
He gave her a thoughtful look, then lowered his voice. “New York is a big place. Be careful who you trust.”
She nodded once, unsure if he knew more than he let on.
She turned to leave, and as she walked down the steps of the hall, she caught sight of Rachel waving from a bench.
“Come sit with me for lunch?”
Mira hesitated… She slowly shook her head with a small smile.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
Rachel winked. “I’ll hold you to that.”
As Mira crossed campus alone, her thoughts drifted again.
Langstone’s words echoed in her mind.
So did Kairo’s silence that morning he hadn’t said goodbye when she left, just glanced at her from the kitchen as she passed.
Maybe that was how life would be now.
Quiet connections.
Shadows of people.
And a city full of things that didn’t want to be known.
- Writer
