I stood outside my dorm room, key in hand, listening to the digital carnage erupting from inside. Every explosion, every death scream, every frustrated "Fuck you, camper!" from Zack's mouth came through the door with such clarity that I might as well have been wearing gaming headphones.
Is this what dogs feel like all the time?
My hand hovered over the doorknob. Twenty-four hours ago, this was home. A shitty, cramped dorm room with mystery stains on the carpet and a roommate who considered Mountain Dew one of the major food groups. Now it felt like visiting a museum exhibit of my former life.
The Common American College Student, Early 21st Century. Note the ramen noodle packages and unwashed laundry, typical of the species.
I took a deep breath, catching the scent of three-day-old pizza, dirty socks, and Zack's questionable cologne choices.
Great. I can smell in HD now too.
I pushed the door open and stepped into my old life.
"DUDE!" Zack's controller clattered to the floor as he sprang up from his beanbag chair. "Where the HELL have you been? I texted you like fifty times!"
He crossed the room in three steps, punching my shoulder. "Wait, holy shit. You look wrecked."
His eyes widened with sudden comprehension.
"No. Fucking. Way." His voice dropped to a reverent whisper. "You actually did it."
"Did what?"
"SCORED!" He shouted, throwing his arms up in victory. "The reason you didn't come home! The reason you look like someone put your soul through a blender! You finally got laid at that rave!"
Well, technically I did sink my teeth into a beautiful woman's neck and drink her spiritual essence, so...
"Details, man! I need DETAILS!" Zack bounced on his heels like an overcaffeinated puppy. "Was she hot? She must have been hot. Don't leave your wingman hanging! What's her name? Where'd you meet her? Did you get her number?"
"Her name's Samantha," I said, the half-truth slipping out easily.
"Samantha," Zack repeated, testing the name. "Sexy name. Classy. What's she look like? Wait, is she the one you were dancing with before I lost track of you?"
I moved past him to collapse onto my bed. "Orange hair. Grey eyes. Really... intense."
"Orange hair?" Zack's eyebrows shot up. "Like, dyed orange or anime-character orange?"
"Both. Neither. It's hard to explain." I rubbed my temples. "She's beautiful. Like, impossibly beautiful."
Zack flopped down on his own bed, facing me with rapt attention. "And? Did you go back to her place? Hotel? Please tell me you didn't do it in a bathroom stall."
No, she just tied me to a chair, cut my arm open, and told me I'm a sex demon before I vampired her neck a little.
"Her place," I lied. "She has this... apartment off-campus."
"Nice! Rich girl, huh?" Zack nodded approvingly. "So? How was it? Life-changing? Earth-shattering? Did you see God?"
I snorted. "Definitely life-changing."
"I knew it!" Zack punched the air triumphantly. "My boy's all grown up! Was she... you know... into anything freaky?"
Does interrogating me about accidentally killing three demons count as freaky?
"I don't kiss and tell," I said, reaching for a level of maturity I'd never actually possessed in our friendship.
"Since WHEN?" Zack threw a pillow at my head. "We tell each other EVERYTHING. Remember when I hooked up with that theater major who wanted me to recite Shakespeare during—"
"Yes, and I'm still trying to forget it," I groaned, catching the pillow with a reaction speed that surprised even me. "Look, it was... intense. Different. I'm still processing."
Something soft landed on my lap, and I looked down to find Freya, my gray tabby, staring up at me with unblinking yellow eyes. Usually, she ignored me until feeding time, treating me like furniture that occasionally dispensed food. Now she was studying me with laser focus, her tail twitching methodically.
"Hey, girl," I murmured, stroking her fur.
She tilted her head, ears perked forward, eyes never leaving mine. I could swear I felt... something.
"Even Freya's excited you finally got some action," Zack laughed, completely oblivious to the weird psychic staring contest happening between me and my cat. "She never sits on your lap like that."
Freya continued to stare.
"So," Zack continued, grabbing his controller again. "You gonna see this Samantha chick again, or was it a one-night stand kind of deal?"
"Yeah," I said quietly. "I'm seeing her tomorrow."
"My man!" Zack grinned. "Going back for seconds already! She must be something special."
You have no idea.
"Want to play zombies?" he asked, nodding toward the second controller. "I just unlocked the new map."
"Sure," I said, sliding Freya gently off my lap. "But I need a shower first."
"Good call," Zack wrinkled his nose. "You smell like a nightclub floor."
In the bathroom, I stripped off my clothes from the night before, grimacing at the club stamp still visible on my hand. I turned on the shower, waiting for the steam to fill the small space before I stepped in.
The hot water glided over my skin, and I closed my eyes, letting my forehead rest against the cool tile. For just a moment, I let myself believe that everything Amelia had told me was a hallucination. A bad trip from something slipped in my drink at the club. A vivid dream.
Then I opened my eyes and caught my reflection in the fogged-up mirror on the back of the door.
Blue light pulsed in my irises, bright enough to cast small shadows on my cheekbones.
"Shit," I whispered, watching the glow surge in time with my heartbeat.
This was real. I was real. Whatever "this" and "I" now meant.
I finished my shower quickly, toweled off, and pulled on clean sweats and a t-shirt. When I emerged, Zack was already deep in his game, cursing at someone named "XxDarkLord420xX" who kept sniping him from across the map.
"Fucking camper," he growled, frantically smashing buttons. "I'm coming for you, asshole!"
Around 2 AM, Zack finally crashed mid-sentence, controller slipping from his fingers as he face-planted into his pillow. His soft snores filled the room within seconds.
I turned off the console and TV, plunging the room into darkness. In the sudden quiet, I could hear everything—Zack's breathing, Freya's gentle purring from her perch on my desk, the hum of the mini-fridge, the footsteps of students in the hallway, the electricity buzzing in the walls.
My fingers reached into my pocket, finding a small, stiff card I didn't remember receiving. I pulled it out, able to read it perfectly despite the darkness.
Shinra House. 6 PM tomorrow. Don't be late. —A
I flipped the card over. On the back was a simple playing card design—the Queen of Diamonds, rendered in purple and gold.
I slipped the card back into my pocket and lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Freya jumped up beside me, curling against my side in a rare display of affection.
"What am I going to do?" I whispered to her.
She blinked slowly, then extended one paw to touch my chest, right above my heart.
I stroked her fur, wondering if I was imagining things or if my cat had always been more than she appeared. "Follow what? My heart? My instincts? Amelia?"
Freya just purred louder, kneading my chest with her paws.
Two lives. Two worlds. One me caught between them.
"You might be the most valuable person on this continent."
No pressure or anything.