THE INVISIBLE US

THE INVISIBLE US

The Spirit of the Time:

My eyes burned so intensely from the piercing light that I couldn't open them, even though I had been awake for nearly half an hour. I had been completely exhausted from work the night before. When my alarm finally went off, I forced myself out of bed; I had an important class today. Dragging my feet, I reluctantly pushed myself to go to school.

Fortunately, the lecture ended early. Since Professor Dereck was giving a seminar, I headed over to the library. The place was mostly deserted. While browsing through the shelves for the book I needed, I heard muffled voices coming from the corner of the furthest aisle. Moving closer to see what was happening, I caught sight of Austin Carter Logan—the school’s popular golden boy and the captain of the basketball team. He was kissing a girl. Panicking, I immediately backed away, grabbed my book, and hurriedly sat down at a nearby table.

As I pretended to review my notes while scanning the pages, I saw Austin leaving the library. I didn’t know why, but just looking at him always sent a rush of adrenaline through me. He was the kind of person who could effortlessly get anything he wanted in this world. Although it was frustrating how incredibly lucky he was in every aspect, there was a hidden lie buried deep within his eyes. Whenever I looked at him, I would lose myself in thought, involuntarily feeling the need to analyze him.

A little while later, my close friend Elle Vance joined me. She is an amazing cook, and I can honestly say I’ve learned a great deal about culinary arts from her. Together, we headed off-campus to a local café we frequented—I absolutely adored their cookies. We found a table in the corner, and while waiting for our order, we continued our conversation. Elle's boyfriend had moved to England for work and it looked like he would be staying there for quite a while, a situation she was constantly complaining about.

Right then, my phone rang. It was Mr. Edwards, the manager of the venue where I worked. He told me they were hosting a massive party tonight and needed extra hands on deck. Some extra pocket money certainly couldn’t hurt.

When I arrived at the venue that evening, the place was in utter chaos. As the night progressed, the crowd began pouring in. While my colleague and I were serving drinks, I caught the sound of a very familiar voice from behind. I turned around and saw Austin. He was enjoying himself with a group of friends at a back table. I immediately turned back, finished serving the drinks, and quickly retreated to the kitchen to avoid being seen. "What on earth is he doing here?" I muttered to myself. Judging by the company he kept, one of his friends had likely organized the event. Besides, why was I reacting this way? He didn't even know me—why did I feel this sudden urge to run away?

"Lydia, are the tables cleared?" boomed the voice of my supervisor, Mr. Edwards, startling me.

"Yes, Mr. Edwards."

"Good. The upstairs restroom is clogged, go take a look at it."

"But Mr. Edwards, I'm a waitress, not a janitor."

"What’s the difference? The janitor isn't here at this hour! Besides, we don't want people making a total mess of the place, do we?"

Following his words, he began shouting and throwing a fit at everyone around him. Cursing him repeatedly under my breath, I made my way upstairs. As the thumping music faded, I could feel the dull ache in my ears more clearly. I entered the restroom and checked the stalls. Just as I was putting on my gloves, a loud groan echoed from the adjacent stall. As the sounds grew more intense, I froze, unsure of what to do. Right as I turned to make a swift exit, the bucket slipped from my panicked grip and crashed to the floor. The loud clatter shattered the silence, and the noises instantly stopped.

In the shock of the moment, as I scrambled to pick up the spilled supplies, the stall door swung open. I turned around to see a blonde woman stepping out. While I awkwardly stammered an apology and stuffed the items back into the bucket, Austin emerged right behind her, casually buttoning up his shirt. My eyes widened in absolute shock. Grabbing the bucket, I practically bolted out of there. I felt so humiliated and sick to my stomach... It was mortifying. In fact, while waiting in the hallway, I had even dropped the air freshener while trying to spray it; it felt as though my body was operating entirely independent of my will.

As I picked the spray up from the floor, they walked out of the restroom area. Accidentally, my eyes locked with Austin’s. I whipped my head away, pretending as if nothing had happened, gathered my things, and ducked into the ladies' room. What had I just witnessed? It was deeply embarrassing for him to see me like that. With the scene replaying like a broken record in my head, I managed to clean the restroom with great difficulty and went outside to catch my breath. After a short while, my friend joined me, and after a brief break, we headed back inside. For the remainder of the night, I helped out at the bar, keeping my head down and never looking up.

When my shift finally ended, I changed out of my uniform and left the bar. I walked toward the bicycle I had parked in the courtyard. Autumn had officially arrived, and it was pouring rain. As I was walking, a car sped past, splashing a puddle of muddy water all over me. I screamed a string of curses after them. As if everything else wasn't enough, I was now caked in mud. I got on my bike and pedaled furiously, driven by pure anger.

The moment I reached the dorm, I threw myself into the shower. Washing off the foul smell and the mud under the hot water felt incredibly relieving. I crawled into bed and immediately drifted off from sheer exhaustion. I slept so deeply that I didn’t even hear my alarm. I was jolted awake by my roommate, Maya Collins, shaking my shoulder. I could barely open my eyes. "I wish I didn't love sleep this much," I thought to myself. To avoid being late for class, I threw on some clothes, grabbed a quick bite, and rushed out the door. Holding a small waffle in one hand, I guided my bicycle with the other, eating on the move.

When I burst into the lecture hall in a frantic rush, the room was completely empty. Staring around in confusion, I pulled out my phone. Only then did I notice the "class canceled" notification in our WhatsApp group chat. I cursed myself silently; I had thrown away the chance to get some much-needed sleep.

To pass the time, I went down to the cafeteria. I got so caught up in doing research on my laptop that I completely lost track of time; when I finally checked the clock, the next class was about to begin. Being late for History was the absolute last thing I wanted at this school. I sprinted toward the lecture hall and slipped inside.

Standing at the podium was Professor Abraham Patel. He was originally from India. Since I served as the student representative, I assisted the professors, but my knowledge about him was quite limited. He was incredibly passionate about history, which was one of the reasons I actually respected him. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the students, though; he was widely notorious as a notorious "student-killer." Murmuring a quiet apology to the professor, I hurried to my seat. But the moment I sat down, his voice echoed through the hall:

"Miss Lydia, could you please explain to us what Zeitgeist means?"

I looked at the professor in surprise, swallowed hard, and answered with a confident voice:

"It means 'the spirit of the time,' Professor. But its deeper meaning refers to that invisible psychological wave that sweeps the masses along. It is that hidden force that shapes human nature, turning ordinary people into criminals or heroes without them even realizing it."

Professor Abraham smiled with approval. "Precisely correct, Miss Lydia. You will exchange your notes with Mr..." He paused, scanning the attendance sheet. The students whispered "Logan" in unison, prompting him to continue: "Yes, with Mr. Logan. This will be your assignment. The individuals I have selected will swap their notes with one another. You will face an oral examination on this topic in two weeks."

An immediate collective groan and wave of protests erupted from the classroom. Professor Abraham slammed his hand sharply against the desk, cutting the noise dead, and proceeded with the lecture. I looked at Austin in utter shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and the last thing I wanted was to be paired with him. Just as I was staring, he turned his head toward me; I quickly averted my gaze and buried my face back in my textbook.

At the end of the lecture, as everyone filed out of the hall, I approached Professor Abraham to collect the final roster. He handed me the list and outlined my tasks. As I scanned the names, I saw my own name paired next to a girl named Lisa Harper. Austin was matched with someone else. Confused, I turned to the professor.

"Professor, the pairing listed here for me is different?" I questioned.

Professor Abraham looked at me over the rim of his glasses. "Yes, I changed the roster at the last minute, Miss Lydia," he stated firmly.

"But, what..." Before I could finish my sentence, he packed up his briefcase, cut me off, and said, "Good day, Miss Lydia," before walking out of the lecture hall. I let out a heavy sigh of reluctance and frustration, following him out.

One Month Later

Someone was knocking loudly and aggressively on my dorm room door. Curious, I swung it open to find Austin standing on the threshold. I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing here, but before a word could escape, his lips crashed onto mine. It was a brief, yet fiercely passionate kiss.

Pulling back slightly, he whispered, "I wanted to start our arrangement today."

As he pulled me flush against his chest again, I felt the air leave my lungs. I couldn't fathom how he managed to completely overpower my senses in such a short amount of time. Giving in to the sensation, I leaned into him and returned the kiss. It felt as though time had ground to a halt. Stripping the shirt from my shoulders, Austin effortlessly lifted me by my back and carried me over to the bed.

As he hovered over me, our eyes locked. His gaze was burning with an intense heat, as if fire itself was reflecting in his eyes. Just as I began to feel the full weight of his raw, overwhelming energy consuming me, the main door to the suite suddenly rattled with a violent, thunderous knock.

Both of us froze in shock, breathless, staring straight into each other's eyes.