Eve was dreaming.

She was diving in the ocean; the sun's red rays pierced the darkness around her. She twisted and turned, pushing at the salty water surrounding her. In her mouth, she held a blissfully ripe apple, its juices flowing as she bit into it. It was warm outside.

Eve looked back at the two people chasing her. They wore straw and wool robes, with mischievous grins on their faces. Eve had stolen the apple from their farm. The brothers had known Eve since she was a little child and liked to pretend she was a miscreant. This was the tenth apple this week they had "accidentally" left unattended.

Behind them was their family's farm, a wide field overflowing with fruit-bearing trees, bushes, and other shrubbery. The brothers' house was two stories high and made of orange wood. The entire farm lay atop the back of a 200-meter-long larva-whale. Its skin bulbous and green, the whale undulated left and right as it made its way elsewhere, its innate desire for migration never-ending.

The brothers had a father who had named and raised the whale their farm was later built upon. The old man had passed years ago; Eve had attended the funeral, though she remembered little else except meeting the two weeping brothers.

Eve looked back - the brothers slowed down abruptly, staring. Their mouths hung open; their eyes filled with fright. The shorter brother took a shovel from his back and moved towards Eve, his lips trembling. The taller brother shouted at Eve to come back, his voice shaky and breathless.

Eve stopped running and faced her direction of motion. Some twenty meters in front of her was a long creature, covered in a white exoskeleton, with a mouth wide enough to swallow three Eves at once. Its four black eyes bore into Eve's soul, planting terror. Eve's lungs and throat prepared for a scream, but the creature, in one swift motion, engulfed Eve in her entirety.

"Ah!" screamed Eve as she awoke.

She sat on her bed; morning's golden rays painted her room. Her covers, linen and cotton, were torn and scattered around the floor. Her shirt, a thick black pullover, was torn in two at her chest, exposing her bare chest and stomach.

Her window was broken, letting the crisp morning wind carry snow inside. A small pile of it had formed atop the scattered glass.

Eve massaged her eyes and looked around once more. Yup, her sheets, shirt, and window were still broken.

"What the?" Eve asked herself.

She went to stand up and was surprised to see the legs of her bed broken as well. The paint on the ceiling and walls was cracked in six spots. A bookshelf had fallen and scattered Eve's books across her table.

"What. The. Hell?" she asked again.

She pulled her shirt closed and inspected the broken window. "Did an animal get inside?"

Eve spared a look outside the window as she tied her cherry-red hair in a bun. The second-largest city on the planet, Lürich, was still as shadowy as ever. Here, atop the 32nd floor of the Jigsaw building, Eve could see all the way across the city. This morning, the city had chosen a frozen snowy aesthetic it had recently come to love.

Third time it's snowing this week, Eve thought, and wondered how she didn't freeze to death during the night. She went to check her phone - which wasn't where she had left it.

Eve knelt next to the small table beside the bed and found her phone beneath it. She picked up the rectangular copper plate and prayed in her head. She turned it over and exhaled. It was thankfully unbroken. Eve checked the weather; -8°C.

Shouldn't I be an icicle? Eve thought as she checked the time - it was eight-thirty. She would be meeting Nianna and Atilan downstairs in 5 minutes. Her gaze caught on the clock - she was late. Her skin shivered and pulse quickened. Eve felt herself start to tremble.

She set the phone down on the bed and calmed herself. The alarm hadn't gone off, and Eve had to hurry if she planned on meeting her friends.

Eve opened her closet and put on her favorite black sweater and warm pants. She then ran to her mirror and inspected herself.

"Maybe I am dead?" Eve said as she studied her reflection. She was pale. Paler than usual. Those nasty veins she always tried to hide around her mouth were clearly visible. Darker and more obvious than Nianna's tattoos, Eve thought.

It was clear to her that she was sick, something she couldn't afford today. It was the 20th of December, the last day of college before the winter exams next week. She couldn't miss today; Professor Starion had promised he would go over the essay questions that could come up in the exam.

Eve put on some light makeup, enough to hide the fact that she looked like a corpse. She grabbed a face mask from deep within her piled coats. She pulled it over her mouth and exhaled. The woolen mask was warm. If anybody asks, I'll just say I have a cold.

Eve looked at the time. Eight thirty-five - immediate shivers - her arm shook as she held the phone.

"Shit!" Eve said and grabbed her laptop bag. She opened the door in a hurry and took it clean off its hinges. The wood splintered and shot around the hallway.

Eve stared at the door, which hung from its handle in Eve's hand.

"What?"

Mavian heard the commotion and perked up from the couch in the nearby room.

"Eve? What the hell is going on?" he asked, standing up.

"No idea, Dad" - her vocal cords had trouble saying that to him - "I think an animal busted into my room last night," Eve said as she entered the bathroom, opening the door as gently as she could.

"An animal? This high up? Yeah right," Mavian said from outside, inspecting her room. Eve heard him gasp. He continued: "Every single dime it takes to fix all this is coming out of your allowance."

Eve gritted her teeth as she sloshed some mouthwash. She spat out both the mouthwash and an "Okay". Not wanting to spend any more time in Mavian's proximity, she raced out of the bathroom, grabbed her hat and coat, and jumped out of the apartment.

Eve approached the elevator doors and checked herself in its reflection. She put on her fedora; a black brimmed hat decorated with a steel rosy pattern. She pressed the button to call the elevator and sent a quick text to Atilan:

You:

Coming down. In the elevator

Ati (Lan The Man):

OK

Me and Nia are waiting at the door

The elevator door opened, and Eve stepped inside. The copper floor was dirty. Someone had knocked over one of the four potted plants in the corner and didn't bother to scoop up the dirt. At least they picked up the pot.

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Eve closed the front of her coat and tied it across her waist. It made the flat copper birds on the coat's sides jingle. Downstairs, the doors opened into the atrium. A dozen or so people nodded at Eve as she stepped out. She nodded back.

Atilan and Nianna were chatting in front of the large glass door at the end. They both wore woolen coats, as almost everyone did this time of year. They turned as Eve approached.

"Morning!" greeted Atilan. He had soft brown eyes and long black hair under a brown Gatsby hat.

"Hey, hey. What's with the mask?" asked Nianna. She was tall, only appearing small next to the two-meter-tall Atilan. Her hair was black and curly, barely contained under her feather-trimmed top hat. A crow, a tattoo, peeked from beneath Nianna's collar.

"Morning, guys. I think I've come down with something," Eve said as they went outside. Atilan pushed open the door, and momentarily they were outside, in the winter air of the city. A thick cover of snow had settled, and the group had to step cautiously.

Eve braced for the chill to enter her bones – when none came, she looked down at her coat.

Unusually effective?

"Hope you get better soon," said Atilan with a smile.

They turned to walk eastwards, toward the closest train station that would take them back west into the campus. Steel cruisers buzzed above their heads, moving along the street, carrying their drivers and passengers, and levitating some 30 meters above the ground. Another three lanes were above them, denoted by floating bronze buoys.

The sun was still low, but it cut through the morning clouds with ease. The pine trees that lined the streets provided shade, unwelcome in winter, and protection from snow - very welcome in winter.

A group of a dozen or so men and women shoveled snow across the street, forming walkable paths.

The streets were buzzing with activity this early in the morning; people went to their jobs, bought food for breakfast, and chatted about. They passed a bakery, the same one they passed each morning on their walk to the station.

Atilan looked away from the bakery and closed his eyes. He took hold of Eve's and Nianna's shoulders so they could guide him.

"Ready?" he asked.

Eve looked towards the bakery. Miss Ri's Finest, the name of the shop, could be read above the list of today's specialties. The list read:

Chocolate dough donuts - filled with strawberry jam.

Cinnamon rolls - soaked in fresh vanilla pudding.

Atilan smelled and wiggled his nose comically. After he took a deep breath, he said: "Chocolate. Donuts definitely - with strawberry. The second is cinnamon, it's gotta be... And I think, vanilla pudding?"

"Insane," said Nianna, blinking at the list.

"That's 17 days straight without a mistake, by the way," added Eve.

Atilan let go of their shoulders and said: "I'm just that good."

He smiled down at Eve and frowned, though his eyes were still happy. "I miss this," he said.

Nianna rolled her eyes. "I know you do, Atilan. But you won't change my mind."

"Doesn't stop me from trying."

"Well, it should. Like I said many times already. College isn't for me; I will walk you guys to it every day. But I'm not going inside. It's just the way I want it."

Eve felt a pulse from Nianna, unlike anything she had ever experienced. It wasn't physical; nothing pushed her. It was thick and deep and immaterial, like a heatwave yet opposite. It was cold and piercing, dissipating as abruptly as it appeared.

Atilan said: "Cool. Ok. Just surprised, as you always said you loved math. Could have been a proper mathematician within a few years."

Nianna smiled and bumped Eve on the shoulder. "Little help?"

Eve focused back on the conversation. "Uh yeah. Let her be, Atilan, we've been over this many times. How is the gravity exam preparation going anyway?"

Atilan's head whipped around, a grin wide on his face. The kind of grin he springs when you said exactly what he wanted you to. Both Eve and Nianna laughed, and Eve once again noted how something had been bothering Nianna. And had been for a while now. Her laugh was more reserved, not to mention she hadn't been home in 6 months - letting Eve take the brunt of Mavian and Barani's ire.

"Funny you should ask. Check this out," Atilan said as he grabbed hold of his hat. He whispered as they walked:

"Gravitational acceleration equals -0.001 of the gravitational constant times mass divided by radius squared."

Atilan's feet left the floor as he began to gently float upwards, his smirk persistent.

Eve and Nianna gave him a small applause.

"My congratulations," said Nianna.

"Future high mage material," said Eve.

Atilan whispered another equation and returned his gravity back to normal. "Thank you both. Though this is only after two sleepless nights and multiple head injuries."

The train station was in sight, and they made their way up its stairs and into the train levitating above the motor lane. They scanned their phones above the ticketing device and found comfortable seats next to each other. The train wasn't packed, but a couple of people sat across from them.

Eve felt something as she returned her phone back to her coat. Waves radiated from a man opposite her. Deep and icy, like the one from Nianna, but these never subsided. The man shifted in his seat and Eve saw his expression. His brows were furrowed, his teeth clenched enough that the muscles of his jaw showed. Maybe I should have stayed home. I really am sick.

Slowly, the train accelerated and the cityscape of Lürich moved outside the window. They were moving away from the residential towers and into the lower-density area which housed the campus. To the north, Eve could clearly see the Alps, beautiful in their ethereal snow cover. Sparsely spread throughout them, Eve saw vast and beautiful castles - the homes of the Others.

"Eve? You alright?" asked Nianna, her blue eyes concerned. "You were staring at that guy."

Eve blinked. "I don't know. I woke up to my room trashed, the window was broken too. I think something entered through the window. Maybe bit me - I'm super pale. Look." Eve lifted down her mask.

Under there, her lips were pale pink – bordering on white, dark veins radiating away. Her cheeks, flush with copious amounts of blush, clashed in their intensity.

"Whoa," breathed Atilan. "Yup, that's stay-at-home material."

"Any pain?" asked Nianna.

"No, but that might be a symptom too. I don't feel anything in particular." Neither hot nor cold. All that's clear is the pulsing, Eve thought and spared another glance towards the man.

Nianna set her palm to Eve's forehead and felt her temperature. "You feel normal, I don't see…" Nianna's eyes widened and met Eve's.

Nianna was motionless.

"You good, Nianna?" asked Atilan.

Nianna's hand flew to Eve's neck, where she checked Eve's pulse.

"For the 10th time today, I ask… What is happening?" Eve said, sighing.

"No…" whispered Nianna, leaned in, and licked Eve's neck.

"Alright!" Eve stood up from her seat. "I am not a popsicle. This has been the weirdest day in a long, long time. I am not getting my allowance for the foreseeable future. I cannot work because I have to study for 10 hours a day!"

Chills crossed Eve's entire body; she felt supremely sick for a moment. She swallowed, confused at her own reaction and continued: "If I don't study that much, I will flunk this semester. And now I am being licked at random!"

"Would you prefer it be scheduled?" asked Atilan.

Eve gave him a flat stare, but he snickered anyway.

She stomped in a small circle just as the train was slowing down at the campus station. Students exited their cars and walked across the chiseled stone floor, already cleaned of all snow. Atilan, Eve, and Nianna departed the train as well.

"Who did this to you?" Nianna whispered to Eve.

"Nobody did anything. Wait… you don't think someone broke into my room?"

"What are you two whispering about?" asked Atilan.

Eve let out a little laugh. "Well, the working theory is that I was assaulted by an Other last night."

Atilan's expression was dubious. "Unlikely. The Others rarely break into homes; they prefer the streets. Case in point." He pointed at a group of people nearby.

They were murmuring among themselves; new people joined as others backed away horrified. Through the crowd, Eve could see the bright blue tape of the PACT supported by metal rods stuck to the ground.

Atilan stopped a passer-by, a classmate of his, and asked him what was up.

"Other attack," the green-haired boy responded. "Keepers were nearby thankfully. They managed to eliminate the Other before it could kill more. But the poor groundskeeper, the creature ripped off his arms and legs."

"Damn," Atilan said, his jaw hard. "Another attack. Wonder if the media will be reporting this one?" He looked exceptionally kind most of the time, but Atilan could make a perfectly intimidating face when he wanted to.

Eve spied through the people a pool of red liquid. Her heartbeat quickened. She began walking forwards, faster and faster.

She ran.

Nianna appeared in front of Eve and held her face steady. She stared into Eve's eyes and said: "Please. Eve, please promise me you will not go there to see."

Eve, confused at her own involuntary actions and the draw of the crowd said: "I- I promise. Will you tell me why you licked me?"

Nianna turned Eve around so that she was facing the university, away from the crime scene. "I promise. But after your classes. I will wait here. Oh, and don't kiss anyone."

"Excuse me?" breathed Eve before laughing.

"Promise?" insisted Nianna.

Eve looked over Nianna's face; she was worried. Eve nodded and the taller woman let her go.

"All good?" Atilan asked as Eve began walking. Her mind racing over the events of this morning. She looked up at him, and said:

"Yeah. Nianna and I are going to have a private talk after classes. Everything will be ok."

Eve cringed as a wave of nausea washed over her. As she looked back, she found its center to be Nianna, her eyes meeting hers. A soft reassuring smile spread across Nianna's lips – yet that nausea remained – pulsing like a beacon.