You had always known Effy Stonem was… different. There was something magnetic about her—the way she moved through the crowded halls without ever seeming to touch the ground, the way people noticed her without trying. But it wasn’t until the night she invited you to her apartment that you began to sense there was something truly… unusual about her.

You stepped into her dimly lit room, the faint scent of roses and something else, something metallic, lingering in the air. Effy smiled at you from the corner of the room, leaning casually against a dark wooden table.

“You’re late,” she teased, her voice a velvet whisper.

“Traffic,” you replied, fumbling with your bag. Something about her gaze made your skin tingle. Her eyes seemed sharper than usual, catching the candlelight in a way that almost glowed.

“Hmm. You always have an excuse,” she said, circling you like a predator studying its prey. “But tonight… I wanted you here.”

You laughed nervously, shrugging. “What’s tonight?”

Effy’s smile deepened, and for a fleeting moment, her eyes looked almost… feral. She shook her head and waved it off. “Nothing. Just… you and me. That’s all that matters.”