?Marcy jerked awake in the darkness. It was 2:00 AM.?Upstairs, her neighbors were throwing yet another rager. The muffled thumping of bass vibrated through her pillow, mocking her. She tossed and turned, pressing the blankets over her ears, trying to drown out the noise. She had a massive college exam at 6:00 AM—a test that practically determined her future—and her neighbors were making sleep impossible. It wasn’t until the clock crept toward 4:00 AM that exhaustion finally won, and she drifted into a fitful slumber.?Meanwhile, drifting silently above the Earth, a ship that looked more like a giant organ than a machine floated through the void. It was a grotesque fusion of twitching flesh and cold metal. Inside, a creature with massive, saucer-like eyes stared down at the blue marble below.?"A fine planet for the Creator to seed," the creature rasped.?A female-looking entity beside him nodded, her movements fluid and strange. "Yes. This one will do. It is teeming with life."?"The Creator will be pleased," a third voice added, a rhythmic clicking sound following its words. "May the Creator's hand mold this world."?With a sickening lurch, the living ship began its descent into the atmosphere.?Back on the surface, Marcy woke up with a start, wiping drool from her cheek. Out of pure instinct, she scrambled for her phone, but she didn't even stop to process the numbers on the screen. She sprinted to the bathroom, caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall, and let out a strangled scream.?"5:30 AM?! I'm late! I’m so late!"?She scrambled into her clothes, tripping over her shoes as she flew out the front door. She rounded the corner of the hallway at full tilt and slammed directly into a solid chest.?"Ow!" she cried, bouncing backward.?"Oh, sorry, neighbor!" a warm, masculine voice said.?A hand reached out to steady her. Marcy looked up into the face of Allan, her crush from across the hall. He gave her a lopsided smile that usually made her heart melt. "You in a hurry?"?Marcy gasped, her face heating up instantly. "Yes! Yes, sorry! So sorry!"?She didn't wait for another word. She bolted down the stairs, her mind reeling. He actually touched my hand! she thought, a small, giddy smile breaking through her panic. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, halfway to campus, before the realization hit her like a physical blow: in her rush, she’d forgotten her bike.?She had run the whole way. And now, she’d have to walk back.?By the time Marcy finally reached the college gates, it was 3:00 PM. The campus was quiet; the classes were over. She stood there, panting and defeated, realizing she had officially flunked the most important test of the semester just by missing it.?To make matters worse, something cold and wet hit the back of her neck. Then another. The sky opened up, and within seconds, it was pouring. She was miles from home, soaked to the bone, and utterly broke.?When she finally dragged herself back to the apartment complex hours later, she found the final insult of the day. Her bike was gone. All that remained was the snapped chain lying on the wet pavement like a dead snake. The thief hadn't even bothered to take the evidence.?"How nice of them," she muttered, her voice trembling.?She trudged up the stairs, exhausted and shivering. As she rounded the landing, her heart didn't just flutter—it shattered. There was Allan, laughing with another girl. She was spunky, stylish, and looked leagues more attractive than Marcy felt in her drowned-rat state.?Allan caught sight of her and waved. "Hey, neighbor!"?His smile faltered when he saw her tear-streaked, soaking-wet face. A flash of guilt crossed his eyes, though he didn't seem to know why.?"Hey... neighbor," Marcy choked out, her throat tight. "Nice to see you..."?She fumbled with her keys, ducked into her apartment, and leaned against the door. After a numb, shivering shower, she crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling. As if the universe wanted one last laugh, the music started up again upstairs. The party was back on.?Marcy couldn't take it anymore. The frustration, the failure, and the heartbreak boiled over. She buried her face in her pillow and cried her heart out until, eventually, she slipped back into the dark

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