Between the Lines

First Lecture

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Hey reader!! , Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! This little story has been floating around in my head for a while, so I'm really excited to share it. This is my first little fanfic I hope you enjoy it, and again-thank you! ^^ .

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The lecture hall buzzed with casual conversation and shuffling backpacks but everything quickly went silent.

Footsteps were heard approaching the lecture hall Doors , Boots clicked the tile floor like gunshots. The second she stepped in her boots echoed off the walls, shutting down all conversation like she'd flipped a switch. And nothing else mattered.

She was Tall, broad, with a permanent scowl almost like she hated wasting her breath on people. And a metal prosthetic gleaming beneath the fluorescents. The way she dressed-black button-downs rolled at the sleeves. Her presence finally settling in the lecture hall.

And you? You were just a face in the crowd. A nurse student who chose this class on a whim-"Advanced Tech & Ethics"-because it fit your schedule.

You'd come to learn about machines.

But Honestly You weren't sure what you expected when you signed up for Advanced Tech & Ethics. possibly some boring old guy with a grating voice.Maybe a sleep aid in human form.

What you didn't expect... was her.

Class had finally begun-Her prosthetic arm clicked softly as she set a stack of papers on the desk. Her movements were slow. Controlled. Like a predator in no rush to pounce.

"Phones away. If you're here to slack off, drop out now and save us both the trouble."

That voice. Low, gravel-thick, and impatient. It slid down your spine like a whisper and a warning all at once.

Your fingers tightened on your pen.

She looked up. Scanned the room. Her eyes paused-just a second too long-when they hit yours. You held her gaze. Tried to. But it felt like she was dismantling you with a look, unscrewing all the bolts, checking the wiring inside your chest. You looked away first.

That look. That presence.

And the way your skin still burned from it.

You didn't know it yet, but something had shifted. Subtle. Permanent. Dangerous
You were in her class now.

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You kept your head down for most of the lecture. Just tired to do anything, pretending to take notes-really, you were just writing the same word over and over again. "Ethics," in cursive, then print, then block letters. Over and over.

Every time you looked up, she was moving across the room with that same heavy calm expression, like she owned the space. She explained the structure of the course, broke down the grading system with clinical sharpness, and didn't crack a single smile. Not even once.

No one dared to speak unless she called on them. And when she did, they'd answered fast.

And You?...kept your mouth shut. Not out of fear. Not exactly.

It was something else

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The end of the class finally came, she dismissed everyone without fanfare-just a single, curt "That's it." Students scrambled to collect their things, muttering about how intense she was. You stayed in your seat a beat longer.

And then too slow-you moved to leave.

"Girl in the third row" her voice cut across the room, flat and disinterested. "You. Stay."

You froze.

You rooted to the floor as your classmates filed out, their whispers trailing behind them like smoke. Your heart thumped in your chest like it knew something you didn't, And your feet betraying you as you trailed closer to her.

When the room emptied, she didn't look up right away. She was flipping through her clipboard, scanning the roster. Then-

Her eyes met yours again.

"Name."

You swallowed. "Y/N."

"Year?"

"Third."

She nodded once. Tapped something on her clipboard.

"Have you taken Applied Mechanics yet?"

"No," you said quickly. "It conflicted with-uh-another course."

She hummed, clearly unimpressed. "You'll struggle without it."

Your stomach sank.

"Should I... drop the class?"

She tilted her head, studying you like she was trying to figure out what your bones were made of. "No. Keep up, or fall behind. That's on you."

A pause. She leaned against her desk, arms folded. Her mechanical fingers tapped against her bicep, each click sending a tiny ripple of heat up your spine.

"You seem nervous," she added.

You blinked. "I-I'm not."

Her brow arched. "Right."

You didn't know what to say. She was so still, so unreadable-it made you want to squirm, but you refused to give her the satisfaction. You gripped your notebook tighter.

"I don't keep students around just to scare them," she said, voice low. "But if you're going to fall apart every time I look at you, this'll be very long semester."

"I'm not falling apart," you said, a little too fast.

The corner of her mouth twitched. Not a smile-just a ghost of one. "We'll see."

And with that, she looked back down at her clipboard. Like you were dismissed.

You gathered your things in silence, cheeks hot, throat tight. Her words looped in your head all the way out of the building.

"We'll see?."

You didn't know what game she was playing.
But you already knew you were going to lose.