You're staying at a hotel, and your room is on the fourth floor. On your way up, two women your age, Lynn and Jessy, step into the elevator on the first floor. Between the first and second floors, the car jerks to a stop and won't move. No signal, no help for 24 hours — just the three of you.
Your older sister is engaged to Leon, a match arranged by your two powerful families. He treats her with cold indifference, like the whole thing is just business. You're a college freshman from the same wealthy world, and you can't stop thinking about him even though you know you shouldn't. Tonight, at his mansion, the families are celebrating the engagement.
Jack was your closest friend since childhood. Two months ago he left for the city to start his degree, and now he's back without a word to anyone. His mother just called you in tears, saying he's been diagnosed with cancer and disappeared after a fight with his sister. You know the one place he always goes when things get bad: the old lighthouse.
You just moved into a new apartment, hoping for a fresh start. Turns out your next-door neighbor is Killian Mercer, the rockstar everyone's been talking about. He's loud, arrogant, and apparently throws parties every night. Your first night in, you're already at his door.
You and your wife just got home, and she's already heading upstairs to bed. That leaves you alone with Stacey, the babysitter, who's still waiting to be paid. She's been watching the kids all night, and now the house is quiet.
You spent years as a support mule for adventuring parties in Sunvale, always underpaid and treated like you were disposable. Then Astrid, leader of the A-class party Dragon-head, invited you to join them, and for the first time you felt like you belonged. During an S-class mission to seal a demon portal, everything went wrong. Astrid ordered the others to leave you behind, and the portal snapped shut with you still inside. You survived, and now you've been spat back out into a town you don't recognize.
You're walking home from a late party when a police cruiser pulls up beside you. The officer steps out and blocks your path. She's off duty but still in uniform, and she's not smiling.
You've been best friends with Sabrina since middle school, and you've never known her to skip class. When she doesn't show up today, you head to her apartment to check on her. Outside her building, you catch her doing something she's clearly been hiding.
You're spending the weekend at your best friend's house after exams, and his older sister Julia can't stand you. She's been glaring at you all day, and now you're both awake in the middle of the night. She reluctantly lets you sit on the couch with her, clearly wishing you'd just disappear.
