The blow didn’t hit me. It went right through my body, as if I were a ghost. The young woman screamed. “Holy—” She gasped and pointed right at me. “You’re transparent, Leith! What the hell?”

I stared down at myself, only to find nothing remained of my limbs. “I’m invisible?” I blurted, too dumbfounded to have any more of a reaction than that.

The young woman quickly pulled her hand away.

I frowned, and reappeared in a manner that left me twice as stunned as before. “Also, wow,” I said. “You actually went for my face.”

She let out a sheepish laugh, shook her fist. “I mean, I wasn’t going to punch you half-heartedly since you asked so nicely.”

Great, was my first thought, I’m stuck with a sadist.

“How did you do that?” The young woman added, as she leaned in, supposedly to catch my words a tad better. “Did you know what was going to happen? Is that why you asked me to punch you?”

I sighed. “I don’t really care for pranks, to be honest.”

“Ah.” The young woman hummed. “If you don’t know then, why don’t you try doing it again? Maybe this time you’ll get some cool flashback from the past and it’ll all come rushing back to you!”

The side glance I spared her was nothing short of unimpressed. “Are you enjoying this? Do you want to hit me again?”

“Why?” She cocked her head to the side and raised a brow. “Do you want to be hit again? I never suggested that.”

Well, that’s embarrassing. “No,” I said with my head hung low, while remembering the regret I’d felt for a second before her fist had been on the verge of colliding with my body. “Definitely not.”

A moment passed, enough for a light drizzle of rain to start showering the city, and us along with it. From afar, thunder called. I turned back to the young woman. I held out my hand and asked her, “Can I call you Aria? And, uh…” I averted my gaze. “I’m fine with investigating whatever’s going on here, but maybe we could find a place to stay before that? You know, just so we don’t casually die of pneumonia.”

A) The young woman cringed. “Aria?” She made a sound, like she was about to throw up. “Sounds too fancy. Just call me Nova.”

B) The young woman shrugged. “I don’t really care for names, but if it floats your boat, sure.”

C) “I’m not naming myself.” Her fingers curl into fists. “This is stupid. Just pick a nickname and let's go with that.”