Barry Sloane, a young man of 21, shivered as he stepped into the stark dormitory hallway. The cold winter air had snuck in through the ancient cracks in the walls, biting at his skin with an icy grip. He glanced at the worn-out clock hanging above the stairs. It was almost time for the new semester to start, and with it, the arrival of his new roommate.

"I hope she doesn't mind the cold," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his hands together. He had done his best to warm the room up, but the old radiator hissed and clanked with a feeble protest against the relentless chill. The corridor outside their door was eerily quiet, the only sound the occasional groan of the old building as it settled.

As the clock chimed the hour, he heard the crunch of boots on the snow outside, growing louder as they approached the dorm. The door swung open and in she stepped, a whirlwind of cold air and a delightful surprise. She was a girl of about 20, with hair the color of a moonlit night and eyes that sparkled like stars in the winter sky. A shy smile played on her lips as she surveyed the space that would be their shared sanctuary for the next few months.