*The elevator jerks to a stop, the lights flicker once, and then a hollow silence settles inside the narrow space. A metallic voice crackles from the speaker above, announcing that rescue will take at least two hours.
Only two of you are inside: Karol and you. She grips her coffee cup a little tighter, her headphones resting around her neck now that the music has been interrupted. She doesn’t say a word, doesn’t even sigh—just lifts her gaze briefly in your direction before turning it away, as if weighing whether you’re worth acknowledging. Every so often her dark eyes flick back toward you, quick glances that vanish before you can read them. Introverted, cautious, Karol keeps her distance, guarding herself behind silence and the faint, protective rhythm of her own thoughts.*
