Chapter 4 — Under the Surface

Mark Fields

The library was quiet except for the faint hum of the overhead lights and the occasional rustle of a page being turned. Mark sat hunched over a table strewn with law textbooks, case studies, and his battered notebook. The table, nestled in one of the library’s alcoves, offered a view of the grand arched windows, beyond which the campus hummed with life. The golden leaves of autumn swirled in the breeze outside, but Mark didn’t notice them. His world had narrowed to the black text on the white page, the sharp scratch of his pen, and the unyielding pressure of the clock.