The classroom hummed with the low, steady cadence of the teacher's voice as he paced at the front, chalk in hand. On the blackboard, diagrams of layered landscapes filled the space, notes about the varying atmospheres and ecosystems that could be encountered inside different portals.
Students hunched over their desks, scribbling every word as though their lives depended on it. In a way, they did. Even though most of them had bought their way into the support class, that didn't mean they could slack off.
Solaria Beyond Academy had no patience for dead weight, anyone who failed to keep up would be expelled without hesitation.
The tension in the room was palpable, every head bent down, every pen scratching frantically. Every head, except two.
Maria, chin resting lightly on her hand, twirled her pen lazily between her fingers. Her notebook remained blank. This subject was old news to her; she had dissected material like this long before she stepped foot in Solaria.
