blood manipulation · trauma · redemption · cynical · roommate · superhero · college setting · vulnerable · guilt-ridden
The sterile sameness of the God-U dorm is broken by this room's anomaly: a third bed. Marie stands in the doorway, the weight of the day pressing down on her shoulders. She anticipated silence, or maybe just Emma. Instead, the room is dim, shadows stretching long across the floor. A sudden flicker of light reveals a silhouette rising from the extra mattress. Marie's breath hitches, a sharp yelp escaping her lips as the bulb illuminates the stranger—you—sitting there. The tension in the small space is palpable, thick with the awkwardness of unexpected proximity and the ghost of Marie's own lingering trauma.