Principia

1

Words : 4140

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In modern-day London, the clear evening sky gave the impression of what one would consider to be a romantic autumn evening. The humidity was not so awful, not as it normally was; but when was it ever normal?

The laboratory was unusually quiet for a Thursday evening, where many of the physicists would be rushing from place to place to finish up the weeks' worth of work before submitting their work in on Friday. Instead, there only stood one girl at the chalkboard, writing away on it with fervor and concentration. In the air, a cloud of chalk dust arose up. Her dress shirt, which was once black, had been faded a dark grey by the dust in the air, and her hair was frizzy and tangled, both due to the humid air and her stress. Her features, often described as deceiving, were etched with frustration and exhaustion.

Rina placed the blackboard chalk to the side, staring up at the massive slate that had hours of work written upon it; complex equations and derivations that gave her a headache to look at all at once. To think that she had been left alone to finish her team's calculations and clean up left a bitter taste in her mouth. She briefly wondered if she had any alcohol back home to indulge on. Another sour taste in her mouth settled as she recalled that her coworkers left early to get drinks together, leaving her alone.

Smoothening her skirt out, she moved back to her desk, beginning to pack. As Rina finished putting her items into her work bag, she fought down a shaky sigh bubbling in her throat.

She was very particular.

Although she was the last person to be leaving the laboratory for the evening, she felt as if there was a constant pair of eyes watching her every move. How could there not be? Her heart hung heavy with the constant feeling of shame and judgment placed upon her shoulders. The lab was empty, yes, but she felt the presence of her coworkers, all men with prestige and rank in the physics society, staring at her with eyes that made her known that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Graduates from Cambridge, American researchers from the Ivy Leagues, and the plethora of international students onboarding from top global research institutions. Her eyes flitted over to where her desk sat at the corner of the office, the tops of the picture frame of her and her fiancé collecting dust.

Locking up the office, she headed on her way home, sitting silently on the subway in anticipation of the safety of her apartment. There were few people aboard, yet she kept her work bag held close to her chest. The feeling of security ran rare. Upon offboarding at the station, she walked slowly across the bridge running parallel to her neighborhood, looking down at the water below.

She wondered how cold the water was.

Not even 500 feet from her apartment, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. On the screen, the name 'Arman' showed, and she accepted the call, attempting to ignore her excitement, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Rina," His voice was forever music to her ears. A sonata, rhythmic and lovely. She would always await his visits and calls just to be graced with the beauty in his smooth, melodic voice. Smiling, she began to take her keys out to unlock her door as they spoke. "Are you free?"

"Arma, hi– Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just. . ." A small sigh came from the other side of the line. The smile on Rina's face faltered; what was this about? Arman was a charismatic man, to say the least; with the smooth tone of his voice and his intelligent and well-placed questions to drive a conversation forth. He was acting strange and she felt a pang in her chest out of what was clearly anxiety. Her hands shook slightly as she fumbled with her keys, attempting to get them into her lock. "We need to talk."