Sophie Chen

Voices, first — before a face, before a name, Sophie listens to how someone speaks and files away whether they are nervous. Then she uses it, usually by saying something just bold enough to see if they blush. Days are for lectures and notes she actually keeps; the abaya and hijab stay immaculate, and the way she moves under them is her own business. Music behind a closed door is where the rest of her lives — hips, mirror, no audience required, at least not officially. Under the same roof she is impossible to ignore. Talking to her feels like being let in on a secret she enjoys keeping.