Jayjay's POV
We sat there for a few seconds after everything stopped moving.
Dust floated in the air, catching the weak light from the windows. My heartbeat slowly returned to something normal, but my hands were still trembling.
Adrian straightened up first.
Then I noticed he was staring at me.
Not casually. Not distractedly.
Focused.
"Jay," he said suddenly, voice sharp. "Don't move."
My body froze on instinct. "What? Why?"
He didn't answer. He just turned, walked quickly to his bag, and rummaged through it. When he came back, his hands were full. A small spray bottle, a folded handkerchief, and a bandage.
I blinked. "What are those for?"
"Close your eyes," he said gently.
"Adrian—"
"Jay," he repeated, firmer now. "Just trust me. Close your eyes."
I wanted to argue. I always did. But something in his tone made me obey. I shut my eyes.
A second later, a sharp sting bloomed across my forehead.
"Ow—!" I flinched.
"You're hurt," he said calmly.
My eyes flew open. "What? How is that even possible?"
"No idea," he replied honestly. "Probably when the shelf shifted. You didn't notice."
He leaned closer, and I felt the soft press of the handkerchief against my skin. He dabbed carefully, slow and precise, like he was afraid of causing more pain.
I swallowed. "Is it bad?"
"No," he said. "Just a cut. Small. But it would've bruised if I didn't clean it."
The sting faded into a dull ache. Then I felt something else. The gentle pull of tape. The firm but careful press of a bandage.
"Okay," he said finally. "Open your eyes."
I did.
He stepped back slightly, studying his work like he was proud of it. "There. You look… less dramatic now."
I snorted despite myself. "I wasn't trying to be dramatic."
"Sure," he said, sitting down beside one of the desks. "The flying shelves did that for you."
We sat there after that. Just waiting. No alarms. No footsteps. Just the hum of the building and the quiet buzz of trapped time.
After a while, I broke the silence. "So… what were you doing here?"
He leaned back, resting his elbows on the desk behind him. "I was trying to create a new interface for the company. Something lighter. Faster."
"That sounds like you," I said.
He glanced at me. "You don't even know the full idea yet."
"Tell me."
And he did.
He talked about structure, flow, user behavior. About what worked and what didn't. I listened, then started suggesting things without even thinking.
"What if you make it adaptive?" I said slowly. "Like it learns the user's habits instead of forcing them into a layout."
He stared at me. "That's… actually brilliant."
I shrugged. "Law students overthink everything. It helps sometimes."
He laughed softly, shaking his head. "Keifer would love that."
The name landed heavier than I expected.
After a pause, he asked, "By the way… who sent you here?"
I told him the classmate's name.
His expression shifted. "Can I see the pen drive?"
I handed it over.
He plugged it into his laptop.
Then froze.
"What?" I asked.
He slowly turned the screen toward me. "It's empty."
I frowned. "Empty how?"
"As in," he said carefully, "there's nothing on it. No files. No data. It's not even formatted properly."
A chill crawled up my spine. "That doesn't make sense."
"It gets better," he added. "This thing isn't usable at all."
We stared at each other.
"Why would someone send me here with this?" I whispered.
Adrian closed the laptop. "That's a question you should be asking very seriously."
The silence stretched again. Then, somehow, the topic shifted.
To Keifer.
"He's not as careless as you think," Adrian said after I spoke. "You see his mistakes. I see his intentions."
I frowned. "Intentions don't erase damage."
"No," he admitted. "But they explain it."
I crossed my arms. "He keeps choosing the wrong side."
Adrian shook his head. "He thinks he's protecting everyone."
"By hurting me?" I asked quietly.
He didn't answer right away. Then, softer, "By not knowing who's actually dangerous."
Before I could respond—
The door rattled.
Then opened.
Light flooded in, along with voices.
"Jay!"
"Adrian!"
Yuri stood there first, eyes sharp and frantic. Behind him were Ci-N, Calix, David, and Chantelle, who rushed straight toward me the moment she saw the bandage on my forehead.
"Oh my God," she breathed. "Jay—"
"I'm okay," I said quickly. "I promise."
Yuri's gaze flicked from the bandage to the fallen shelf to Adrian. "What happened?"
Adrian exhaled. "Long story."
And somehow, I knew this was only the beginning of an even longer one.