I’m in a forest clearing, floating and disembodied. The sky is purple fading into orange-red as the sun dips beneath the trees. I see two figures in the distance, one short and one tall. Unable to make them out, I draw closer. Eventually, I can see and hear them clearly. Anna is telling Wally that she loves him, that she’s loved him for years and finally worked up the nerve to say it. Wally is grinning, his face beet red. He says he loves her too, though he never could bring himself to tell her until now. They embrace.

I’m dreaming, something I’ve never done before. It’s a blissful, happy dream… until hundreds of shadowy, black-gloved hands burst out from the trees. Anna shrieks as they wrap around her legs, her arms, her waist, and her throat, until they cover her mouth and she can’t scream anymore. Wally grabs onto her and pulls as hard as he can, but it’s futile. Anna is covered in so many hands, not even an inch of her skin is visible. I race towards them, but I have no hands to hold onto her with. I am formless, like a ghost. All I can do is watch in horror as Anna is wrenched from Wally’s arms and dragged into the shadows.

***

I woke from my nightmare in a cold sweat. Desperate for some sort of comfort, I rummaged through the basket of food Wally gave me the day before, retrieving a macaron. From the first bite, I could tell why Anna liked them so much. Or perhaps this body had simply retained her tastes. Either way, I found solace in their creamy sweetness and quickly devoured the entire box. Having calmed down, I decided to check Anna’s phone. It was just past 7 AM, and while Wally hadn’t texted yet, someone else had.

> Nessa, 8m ago

> Hi Anna, I noticed you weren’t in chem or calc lecture yesterday. Hope you’re feeling ok! Let me know if you need the notes 😊

Before, I had been too preoccupied with Wally to take inventory of Anna’s other recent contacts. Now, I had ample time. Vanessa Mendoza, Nessa for short, was Anna’s only other friend at this school, at least according to Anna’s text history. Like Anna, she was a chemical engineering major, though unlike Anna it was of her own volition. She would often help Anna with chemistry homework. In return, Anna would come remove any insects that snuck their way into Nessa’s room. While Nessa was terrified of bugs, particularly spiders, Anna had no qualms about catching creepy crawlies and releasing them outside, or even keeping them around for a bit to make sketches. It was a very mutualistic relationship, though not as strong as Anna’s friendship with Wally. Unfortunately for me, it meant there was one more person who had been close enough to Anna to notice if I made any slip-ups.

While researching Nessa, I also looked into Anna’s academic life. Both Nessa and Wally had exchanged class schedules with Anna over text, giving me detailed knowledge of when and where I would need to attend classes during the week, as well as what times I could buy meat without the risk of running into Anna’s friends. I replied to Nessa, explaining that I hadn’t been feeling well and that I would appreciate taking a look at her notes the next time I saw her: next Monday in calculus.

After reading and watching everything I could find on Anna’s phone and laptop, as well as rummaging through her tiny closet to study any other personal belongings, I realized there wasn’t much more I could learn in this small room. I would need to go out eventually, if not to investigate then at least to resume Anna’s life. Otherwise, people would become suspicious. In addition, I was curious about Anna’s classes. Everything I knew about this world, which was still woefully little, was self-taught via the Internet. I thought I could benefit greatly from attending an institution for higher learning. Plus, Wally’s exquisite macarons made me wonder what other culinary delights humans had to offer.

First, I would have to get dressed. Anna conveniently kept her outfits already matched in her closet, meaning I would have no trouble dressing exactly as she did. I changed into a light pink blouse paired with a pastel floral skirt. Her wallet, in which I also stuffed her phone and keys, was attached to a thin shoulder strap that I slung around my neck. Noticing that her tennis shoes were still coated in dirt from two nights ago, I opted for the tan, fleece-lined boots sitting beside them. I headed out the door, locking it behind me.

I strolled through town at a leisurely pace, keeping a mental map of where I was and how to return home. The last thing I wanted was to get lost again. I tried to study every building and read every sign as I went, though it was a challenge to do so without appearing lost or out of place. Luckily, it seemed Anna hadn’t been very social, though I had already surmised as much from the limited number of contacts in her phone. No one greeted or seemed to recognize me as I made my way through town. The fact that there were so many students attending the university certainly worked in my favor.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

While walking past a building labeled ‘Peking Palace’, I caught the mouth-watering scent of cooking meat. Knowing Wally would still be in class, I entered the building. I was handed a menu before being guided to a table. I ordered a plate of sweet-and-sour pork and started in on it voraciously as soon as it was served. Though I wasn’t particularly hungry, I hadn’t eaten meat in two days, and the aromatic spices and rich flavor were irresistible. I admired how humans could transform food from a necessity to an art-form.

I had been so uncoordinated with chopsticks that I resorted to using my hands to eat. Halfway through digging into my meal, I noticed other patrons of the restaurant were staring at me. I reminded myself that I still needed to follow human etiquette in public, even if no one knew me. My face flush with shame, I cleaned my hands and face with a napkin. Determined to prove I wasn’t a barbarian, I picked up my chopsticks and, after several minutes of trial and error, managed to finish my meal. It wasn’t elegant, but it was a marked improvement. I paid for the food using Anna’s debit card and left, continuing to take in the sights and sounds of the college town.

I passed dozens of students sitting outside coffee shops and restaurants reading and typing on computers, chatting with each other over meals or cups of coffee. Not long ago, perhaps Anna would have been among them. For a moment, the thought made my chest ache.

Not wanting to dwell on the life that had been stolen from Anna, I pulled up a map of the university on Anna’s phone. Taking a meandering route through the main campus, I made note of each of the buildings where Anna’s classes were held. Near the end of my self-guided tour, people became trickling then streaming out of every building as classes ended. I did my best to avoid them. As I passed the calculus lecture hall, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Hey, Anna!” Wally called out as he dashed over to me. Startled, I turned around slowly. After pausing to catch his breath and brush his tousled hair out of his face, he continued, “Good to see you out and about, but how come you didn’t come to class today?”

Hoping he couldn’t catch the scent of pork on my breath, I replied softly, “Oh, I’m… still not feeling great. I just thought getting some fresh air would make me feel better.”

Wally frowned, then reached out to put the back of his hand against my forehead. I suppressed the urge to flinch; it was the first time anyone had ever touched my face, though it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. “You don’t feel feverish… did you try the soup I gave you?” he inquired as he withdrew his hand.

“Yeah, thanks for all the food, it really helped,” I said. I had lied about the soup, wanting to take the path of least resistance in the conversation, but my gratitude was genuine.

“That’s good,” he said, though he seemed distracted. Instead of looking directly at me, his gaze was fixed slightly past my face. He was staring, I realized, at the side of my head. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, it dawned on me what was bothering him.

“What happened to your hairpin?”

I felt a rising panic as I cursed myself for not preparing an excuse beforehand. I fumbled with my words, struggling to form a convincing response. “Oh um… when I got lost in the woods I uh… dropped it. It must have been too dark to notice.”

As my shaky excuse took form, his face softened from a quizzical look to one of pity. “Aw, Anna, I’m so sorry!” Before I knew it, I was wrapped in his embrace, my face awkwardly squished against his chest. He rested his chin lightly on top of my head. “I know how much you loved that pin…” he continued, his voice vibrating my head. I let out a sigh of relief; he believed me.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Wally exclaimed, releasing me. He slipped his backpack off his shoulders, unzipping it and taking out a small stack of papers. “Here’s a copy of my physics notes from yesterday and today. Just slip them under my door when you’re done, and let me know if you have any questions! Today’s topic was pretty tough.” I caught a glimpse of neatly labeled and annotated diagrams as he handed them to me.

“Thanks, will do,” I said, before realizing I had no idea where Wally lived. “By the way, what was your room number again?”

At that, Wally’s eyes narrowed in a look of concern. “Anna, you’re joking right? We hang out there all the time.”

Asking had been a mistake, but hopefully one I could fix. After all, Wally had been very understanding thus far. I put my hands on my temples and shut my eyes as if in pain. “Sorry,” I muttered. “My head just feels kind of fuzzy and I’m drawing a blank.”

It seemed to work. When I opened my eyes again, his features were twisted with worry. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to give you a hard time. I’m in Whitmore 531.” I stifled a triumphant smile as he continued, “Hey, maybe we should get you home, you aren’t looking so good.”

Wally fussed over me as we made our way home, asking where I was hurt and when I started feeling ill. I shrugged noncommittally at his questions, feigning exhaustion. He quickly caught on, and we walked the rest of the way in silence.