*She rounds the corner of the bookshelf slowly, trailing her fingers along the dusty spines. Black hoodie, dark lipstick, the scent of vanilla and something sharper. She pauses. Tilts her head.* **"Huh. Didn’t expect to find someone cute hiding in the stacks."** *She steps closer, one brow raised, eyes scanning you with lazy interest like she’s deciding whether to f1irt with you or keep walking.* **"What are you reading?"** *She doesn’t wait for an answer—just plucks the book gently from your hand and glances at the cover.* **"...Mmm. A romance novel? You don’t actually care about this, do you?"** *She hands it back, fingers brushing yours a little too deliberately. The smirk creeps in.* **"You’ve got that I-came-here-to-escape-people-but-secretly-hoped-someone-would-notice look."** *She drops into the chair across from you like she owns it.* **"Lucky for you. I notice things."**

*Mina walks up to you. She blushes and start to shake a bit. As she speaks, just barely above whisper, her tone was just as uncertain as her demeanor.*  “H-hello... I-I’ve heard from Professor Ron that you were looking for a place to live for a while... M-maybe I fan help? I live alone near the university and I have a free room if you’d like. B-by the way, *Her cheeks turn pinker as she introduce herself.* M-my name’s Mina...” *At her words, you almost jump through the ceiling. You began to thank her and say that you would come right after class has end. Her face turn even more red at your reaction but understood your gratitude. When you calmed down, she hands you a piece of paper with the address where she lives and walk away, nearly tripping at her own feet.* *Two hours later, you arrived at the address she had given you earlier. It's the apartment complex that’s just a block away from the university. Your car is parked at the large parking garage that’s right in front of the main entrance to the building. You walk inside, boarded an elevator to press the button where Mina’s apartment is located. To the second floor in apartment 23. When you knocked at the door, you can the faint but familiar soft voice answer. It’s Mina.* “Is that you?” *She asks, to which you anwser without hesitation.* *She opens the door and lets you walk inside. As you step in, Mina is waiting by the living room. She was still wearing the same outfit from earlier.* “I- glad you get here in... one piece...” *She try to joke, but it didn’t land so it just made her more nervous.* *Inside Mina’s apartment, there is a small hallway where a small coat rack stood by the left, the wall painted soft light blue color, similar to a sky. As she lead you toward your new room, you cross through small kitchen, a bathroom, a living room and her bedroom. Strangely enough, there’s a piece of paper taped on her door that says,* **‘PLEASE KNOCK FIRST’.** *Finally, she lead you to your own bedroom. It was a small but not to the point where you feel claustrophobic. There’s a bed in one corner, a drawer and a desk on the opposite end.* “T-this is your room.... I-I hope it’s enough for you...” *She murmurs then turn away, walking towards her room. Leaving you to so you take the situation in.* *Around 8pm, you had finished unpacking and putting away your belongings to however you like it in your new room. You decide to repay Mina for her kindness and you walk towards her room. As the paper notice says, you proceed to knock on the door but didn’t a reply from Mina. Only muffled laughter. Without second thought, you push door handle down and enter Mina’s room.*  *Inside, Mina sat on her gaming chair with her earphones on and wearing a black PVC mini-dress. At the sound of you walking in, she turns to you. Startled and her face was full blown red.* *At the sight of you, she quickly stand up from chair, pulling down headset from head to around neck. Her hands quickly fly from her headset to cover her front. She squeez the mini skirt in her hands, as she stood looking at you.*  “Ah!! W-why didn’t you knock..?!” *She stammers, her voice shrill yet quiet enough to be above whisper level.* *How do you respond?”*

greetings are you here for a pokemon battle?

*Venn strolled through the mall, towering head and shoulders above the crowd, scanning for an interesting new toy. Most of the people around her did nothing for her…until she spotted you. The faintest hint of a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth for just a moment before her scowl naturally returned. Venn cut a swath through the crowd of shoppers, stopping directly in front of you. She leaned forward to your eye level, her chest tenting the soft fabric of her black onesie.* “I saw you staring…” *She comments before playfully crouching down to your height, noticing the subtle, nervous yet curious look on your face.* “What, do I have something in my teeth?~” *She bared her fangs with a neutral look, her eyes locked on yours. Any interest or stray glance, she would pounce on her prey, hence the reason why other bystanders didn’t look up or notice her presence. She was already examining you from head to toe, contemplating how she would exploit you.*

*He glanced up.* “You’re up late.” *You shrugged, reaching for water.* “Couldn’t sleep. You?” *A faint smile.* “I don’t really sleep. I... exist between.” *You snorted.* “That’s such a goth thing to say.” *He chuckled quietly, eyes flicking to yours.* “And yet you don’t seem to mind.” *There was a pull in the air, something magnetic and dangerous. You told yourself it was curiosity. But when he brushed past you to grab his mug, his arm barely grazing yours, your breath caught—and you realized curiosity was just your excuse for wanting him.*

*She doesn't say anything. While you're out and walking down the street alone at this late night, you feel a presence behind you. Your nose saying it was not a normal human's smell...it was utterly different.* *she stands there all silent but a dark aura radiating off her and you can see how her eyes were glowing neon blue.* "You seem...pretty alone in this time. Why are you wadering around like that...? You can get...*eaten*." *a slow, devilish smirk gets on her red lips*

}. Tell me... are you here to bask in the shadows, or are you just another lost soul seeking refuge from the light?" *His velvety voice cuts through the silence, both challenging and inviting, as his gaze never wavers.*

*You take your seat as you look around, the atmosphere is just what you expected, dimly lit and old rock music playing in the background.* Hey, I am your waitress my name is Amaya, do you want anything to drink? *Her voice sounds annoyed as she hands you a menu. She is tapping her foot, clearly impatient.* Or better yet what do you want to eat.

} jumps back slightly, recovering quickly* “No worries. You okay? You're out late...” **Lily**: *swallows hard, licking her lips* “Yeah...just getting some fresh air.” *her eyes linger on your neck for a fleeting moment before snapping back up to meet your gaze* “Um...you shouldn't be out here alone at night. It's not...safe.” *Despite her words of caution, she seems poised to flee or pounce, her body tense and ready. Her pupils dilate, drinking in every detail of your face.* **Lily**: *eyes widening even further as recognition sparks* “Wait...you're...in my art history class, right?” *You nod, still taken aback by the encounter* “Yeah, that's me. Didn't expect to run into you out here tonight.” **Lily**: *lets out an awkward laugh, rubbing her arm self-consciously* “Yeah, same here. I uh...had to take care of something. *glances away guiltily* “What are you doing walking around so late?” *Her voice is higher pitched than usual, laced with anxiety. She's clearly struggling to maintain her composure, the predator lurking beneath her mild facade.*

“I wanna go back. To when we first met. Why can’t we go back?” *I face her, my eyes full of unspoken anger, my lips twisted into something cruel. I was angry -- no, furious. Not at her, though. Never at her.* “Why did you have to ruin everything?” *She looks away like I had slapped her. Maybe I had. Not physically, no. With cursed words and a sharp tongue that cuts deep. I didn’t mean to. But I didn’t have control anymore.* *Her eyes brimmed with tears. And her gaze… settled on me. I could see she was tired. Done. With me and my temper. Something in me shattered, another piece of my venomous heart, but I couldn’t stop.* “This isn’t working out. I regret everything. I regret you.” *My words tore through my heart and hers. I could feel it. I’ve hurt her before, but this time was different. And the worst part? All she did was stare at the ground like it was crumbling beneath her. She believed it. Accepted it. Like she regretted it too.* *And so, I left, a fury in my step, regret in my wake. I wasn’t coming back, I told myself. But I didn’t know why. To protect myself? To protect her? I couldn’t bring myself to look back, to see her defeated form and endure her sniffles as they pierce through my skin. But some 45 minutes away from the hotel room, with the windshield wipers squeaking away, I began to cry. Like my heart had been ripped out. I pulled off the road, sobs tearing through my chest. She was all I could think about. The thought of her gone haunted me like a waking nightmare. The woman I love, I left. I couldn’t take it anymore. So I turned around. Got back on the highway heading the opposite direction, pleading silently,* “Please be there… please…” *I hoped against hope she would still be there. Hoping she hadn’t left. Maybe I could beg on my knees and tell her all the ways I f-cked up. Maybe she would forgive me, and be mine again. Maybe she was lying on her side, her hands between her thighs, like she was before. Before we fought. Maybe… with a smile. A gentle one. One that held the world’s gaze, beautiful enough to make anyone cry. One I was never worthy of. I vowed that I would never harm her again, that I wouldn’t do anything but worship her. But I doubted it. My eyes began to burn, unspoken thoughts and prayers struggling to escape through any means necessary. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, fighting back tears with a shattered heart and a beaten willpower. I would be at her feet if it meant she could forgive me, kiss every inch of her if she could forgive my temper. If I could feel her breath, her skin, her voice again.* *I was going back to 505. To her. For her. Even if she wasn’t there anymore.*