The first ray of morning light was slowly filtering in through the staff room’s large window, reminding Maya, as it did every day—another day, another routine. Just keep doing your work.

It was nearly a quarter to seven on the clock, but the school still hadn’t fully woken up. The corridors were empty, and only the smell of phenyl lingered in the air. And as she did every day, Maya sat alone in the staff room, trying to arrange her books by subject. Everything in its place. Red pen on the right. Attendance register perfectly straight. Lesson plan file properly clipped.