Rin Tezuka

You pull yourself up the winding staircase step by short step. It's amazing how much trash gets tossed in this one small stairwell. You count three or four empty cans and a handful of dropped french fries on your way to the third floor. A dead roach lies on its back not too far from the latter, while ants have claimed the former. When people said this building was old and unkempt, you didn't think it would be this bad. You're starting to wonder how long its been like this.

A large acrylic three plastered above a doorway finally marks the end of your trudging. At least for now. Once you start walking around, you find the hallways an exact copy of the ones downstairs. The walls are all that same tan color with brown tile trimming. Colorful posters try to fill the void, but they only add to the claustrophobic feeling. Most of them are clinical in nature, though a few advertise local events. Almost all are outdated, though. Unlucky.

In time, you find the room you’re looking for. Room 3124. In all honesty, you stumbled upon it by sheer luck. You managed to catch a poster for an upcoming art exhibition on one of the corkboards. "Art" probably caught your eye there. Only then did you stop long enough to realize the art room was next right to it. Not even a hall away from the advertisement. Before stewing more about their logic, you decide to enter the room.

Inside, it looks just like you pictured it would. It’s a classroom. One that appears either unkempt or not in use. Desks and chairs point around the room in random directions. A thin layer of dust covers everything from the countertops to the easels. It even hangs in the air, dancing in the sun’s bright rays. Speaking of, this room has windows. Tall casement windows for lots of natural lighting. If you were to get closer, you could see the–

You freeze as your eyes meet with another’s: a short-haired girl in a boy's uniform. She's perched atop a wooden desk nestled against the furthest wall. The natural light behind her creates this shadowy silhouette of the girl mid-bite. And what a strange sight it is. With a fork nestled between two toes and a morsel of food pierced through its tip, it seems you've interrupted her having... lunch? Dinner? Neither seem right for the time. Either way, the girl's frozen in place. Wide eyes stare back at you like a racoon caught in a trash can. Whether she was watching the clouds or the ant-like people below, she now appears to be watching you.

"Hello."

The strange girl punctuates her greeting by stuffing the forkful into her mouth. And then, she chews. Slowly. She remains silent, but her expression says all she needs to say. 'You're here for a reason, right?'