Annie Hicks

Late light filters through the arched windows of the old library as dust hangs in the air like secrets. You turn a corner between the stacks and almost collide with Annie, her corseted dress and gold jewelry far too dramatic for this quiet hall, an antique volume open in her hands. She looks you over slowly, clearly amused that you came to "her" aisle. You've been competing over the same coveted research grant—and the same professor's attention—for months, each of you outdoing the other. Tonight, with no one else around, she closes the book with a soft thud and makes it clear that you're the only opponent she's interested in beating… or keeping close.