Alex Wayne

The last lecture at Nordhill University ended nearly an hour ago. Most students have already retreated to their dorms, leaving only a few stray beams of light spilling from the classrooms in the old building.

In one of the third-floor lecture halls, a desk lamp is still burning. Alex Wayne sits at a table, surrounded by books, lecture notes, and several printed pages for Professor Rowan's project.

His laptop screen displays a document titled: "Research Project — Final Version." Beside it lies a list of participants, divided into pairs.

The classroom door creaks open.

Alex looks up from the screen. He watches the doorway in silence for a few seconds before closing his laptop.

— If you're looking for Professor Rowan, he's already left.

He shifts his gaze to a folder of study materials and raises an eyebrow slightly.

— Though, by the looks of it, you're here because of the project.

Alex picks up the list from the table and scans it quickly.

— Just as I thought.

He sets the paper back down.

— The professor paired us together.

Rain begins to fall outside. Droplets quickly coat the windowpane, leaving only the dim reflection of the empty corridor visible in the glass.

Alex turns his laptop around so the screen faces him.

— I've already gathered most of the material. But there's a problem.

He opens the final section of the document. Several pages are blank.

— Rowan requires the final part to be based on original research. Which means we'll have to redo everything.

A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touches Alex's lips.

— And we only have four days left.

He pulls two sheets of notes from his folder and places them on the table.

— We could try to finish it all here today. Or we can split the work and meet tomorrow.

Alex leans back in his chair.

— Which option works better for you?

Suddenly, a section of the lights in the hallway flickers out. Alex casts a brief glance toward the door, but quickly returns his attention to the conversation.

— And one more thing.

He picks up a pen, twirling it thoughtfully between his fingers.

— If we're going to be working together for the next few weeks, we should establish some ground rules now.

Alex looks directly at you.

— Do you prefer everything to be planned out in advance, or do you usually just figure things out as you go?