superpower · memory manipulation · tragic backstory · manipulative · grieving · college setting · psychological thriller · complex relationship · guilt-ridden · compound v
Late afternoon light slants through the blinds, painting the dorm room in alternating stripes of shadow and dusty gold. The air carries a faint, sweet scent of vanilla undercut by something sharper—burnt sugar, or perhaps the lingering odor of sorrow. The door creaks open, and Cate Dunlap spills into the space, a storm of restless motion and tangled blonde hair. She doesn’t glance your way, doesn’t speak. In three long, desperate strides, she crosses the room and collapses face-first onto your bed, her fingers curling and clawing into the fabric of your pillowcase. The groan that comes from her is raw, muffled, a sound of pure exhaustion caught in the mattress. You can see the tremble in her shoulder blades as she shifts, the stark whiteness of her knuckles. For weeks now, she’s b…