Mike wakes from a dream, and Phuong gets a call.

Mike - Destiny's Plaything: 4+1-1 Weird = 4. Something bad is going to happen to you. Mike marks exp.

Phuong - Sect move: 5+1-1 Charm = 5. They ask her to do something bad. Phuong marks exp.

Mike wakes with his alarm at 7:30 the next morning, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he struggles awake. "No!"

"You good, dude?" Tyler asks. His roommate is already dressed, staring at him slightly as he looks up from his computer.

"Uh...yeah." Mike scrubs his face. "Weird dream." Of...sex and mushrooms and dirt and ****...I do not like the boner I have right now... He takes a moment, breathing deeply and letting things cool down, before hopping out of his bed. Picking up his phone, he sees a text message. Swiping it open, his eyes widen. "Oh, shit."

Phuong, across campus, hasn't slept well since getting Ali's text right before heading to bed. She forwarded it to her superiors immediately, of course, but it being the middle of the night she knows it will take them time to get back to her. She's in the student union early, getting coffee to fight her fatigue, when her phone buzzes: Papa.

She swipes the phone open immediately. "Ready," she says curtly.

"You did well to contact us, Phuong," the old woman's voice says in her ear. "This is a strange beast, and we are not sure what it is...but you must of course investigate it and put it down."

"Of course. I'll take care of it," Phuong says, carefully neutral.

"Be careful with the chosen one, girl," the order's head admonishes her. "Remember, the most important thing is keeping him safe until he's ready for what's coming. We expect you to do anything - and everything - to ensure that happens."

"I know my job," Phuong replies.

"Do you? Because it would help if he felt attached to you. He seems...affable enough, but you passed up an opportunity last night to tie him closer."

Phuong's blood runs cold. How do they always... "I didn't...think it was necessary," she says haltingly. The old woman sighs.

"Well, perhaps not. And he is not a member of the Beloved. But then, one day he will be the most high of us all. And I know we raised you with proper values: total obedience. Total secrecy."

"Of course," Phuong whispers.

"You have the best sense of him, of course. If you think being his fucktoy wouldn't further the cause, then you made the right call. But I wonder. He is a man, after all, and you'd be amazed what a man will do to stay near a tight and willing set of holes." The old woman chuckles. "In any case, that's a minor matter. This monster running loose in Meadowfield is not. Find it and kill it. And, more importantly...it looks like the monster spreads some sort of infection. If you find any living victims, you should bring them to us."

"What?" Phuong frowns. "Why?"

"This is a monster we don't recognize immediately, perhaps an entirely new one. We may or may not be able to save its victims - depends on how quickly it works - but at the very least we could study them and learn how to fight this thing in the future. I'm sending you the address of one of our Meadowfield facilities now." Phuong's phone chimes and she glances at it, memorizes the address, and deletes the message. "Don't let us down, Phuong. We serve, and he rises."

"We serve and he rises," Phuong mutters back ritualistically. The phone clicks off and, discomfited, she slips it into her jacket pocket. Standing, she slips her purse onto her shoulder and heads off to find her charge.

Daisy Merritte is finishing her morning jog when her phone chimes. She slows, then begins to walk, as she nears her dorm. It's still early in the fall semester, and Meadowfield stays warm into October, so she's wearing just a purple sports bra and jogging shorts. Pulling the phone out of its armband, she glances at it. There's the gross photo Ali sent last night - she doesn't know how her cousin finds herself in this kind of situation - and now, a text from Phuong Marie.

We all need to meet. 10:30, study room B in Jackson Library.

A moment later, Ali texts:

still not a student jackass. how do i get in

Daisy grins as she types:

Don't worry, Al! I got u. <3

A few minutes later, she's in the dorm shower, rinsing the suds out of her hair and smiling happily. Gosh, another chance to go monster-hunting! I hope it turns out to be something...cool and not too gross. That photo was nasty.

As she's toweling off, she steps into the main area and discovers another girl's walked in: Christine, a shorter, curvy brunette down the hall. "Oh, hey Christine! How's it going?"

"Uh, fine." The other girl blushes slightly and looks away as Daisy, completely un-self-conscious, continues to dry herself, putting one foot on the low bench in the room to rub the towel over her thigh. Christine is also naked, though her towel is wrapped firmly around herself in preparation for her shower. Clearly feeling socially trapped, she asks, "You, uh...have any fun plans for tonight?"

"Oh, I think I might be out with some friends!" Daisy chirps, toweling off her small, perky breasts with a little laugh. "We'll see. We're gonna meet up in like an hour and figure out plans. You?"

"Uh...I have a date, actually."

"Oh yeah? That's great! With who?"

Christine shrugs. "This guy I met on an app. A little cagey, but...I'm not having much fun or success here at school, so. I take what I can get."

"What? I can't believe that! Look at you, you're gorgeous!" Daisy smiles sunnily at her as she dries her armpits.

"You're gorgeous," Christine mutters. "I wish I looked like you..."

"Aw, no, don't say that! You're totally cute!" Daisy protests.

"Guys only wanna have sex with me with the lights off, and it's never...good," Christine mutters.

"You know what? That's on them, Christine." Daisy shakes her head. "Maybe they're shy, or get performance anxiety. But you're totally hot!"

"No, I'm not."

"Oh come on. You totally are!" Daisy sits on her towel on the bench. "C'mon, let me see!"