The infirmary was one of Winter’s least favorite places to be. She hated everything about the place. From the sterile, inhuman smell that hung in the air, to the unwavering fluorescent lights, to the death-white tinge that seemed to paint every surface. If it were up to her, she would’ve gone right back to the dorm, washed herself up, and gone straight to bed. The mark on her inner thigh remained, but the pain had faded, becoming a thankfully distant memory.

    Karina hadn’t been able - or willing - to explain the mark to her. None of them were really sure whether the black-haired woman was telling the truth. She didn’t speak much after the incident, clamming up almost entirely, pointedly ignoring Winter’s presence.

    Giselle and Ningning had accompanied Winter to the infirmary while Yerim and Karina had gone off… somewhere else. Winter wasn’t really sure, but she found herself worrying. Though Karina claimed to know Seulgi and Joohyun, she was still a foreign woman with no history in the city. Not to mention her mysterious, potentially destructive powers. Protocol would technically dictate that she be kept in a holding cell until morning, at which point some of the higher-ranking commanders, such as Instructors Sooyoung and Seungwan, would come to interrogate with her. Karina didn’t seem the type to let herself be locked up, however, and Winter feared the woman would end up getting herself into trouble by refusing.

    Nonetheless, when the doctors were done checking Winter out, Giselle and Ningning departed to the dorm, likely to avoid being chastised by Yerim for staying later than visiting hours. That left Winter to lay on that uncomfortable mattress, cover herself with stiff blankets, and try to get some rest.

    Except, she couldn’t. She tossed and turned, trying many different positions, willing her racing thoughts to still. Was it the adrenaline that continued to pump through her veins? Probably not. She’d never had trouble falling asleep after mock missions and training exercises. And it definitely wasn’t the unfamiliar environment. She’d gone through many simulations, which trained her to sleep in the roughest of situations, from rocky caves to sandy bluffs.

    After the events that had occurred today, she should be exhausted. So why did she feel as though every nerve in her body was primed and ready? Her Crest was fitful and disobedient, flowing over her arms and shoulders, at the muscles on her back. And there was still that sense of “something else” underneath, an underlying thrum that hadn’t left since the Evil had bitten her… 

Eventually, Winter pulled herself from the bed, took a wooden chair from outside her cubicle, and sat in front of the window. She was on the ninth floor of the infirmary, which was located in an adjacent civilian neighborhood known as The Rainbow. Many of the signs and lights were neon rather than fluorescent, and the streets were marked by stripes of various hues, even a few that were not included on the color spectrum. The most prevalent of which was pink, but white and azure could be found as well. The buildings themselves were built of brown brick, with unique designs such as wedges on street corners and extravagant cloth overhangs.

The Rainbow was a common place for recruits to go in order to unwind and free themselves of the rules of the Guardian school. Winter, Giselle, and Ningning had many fun - and embarrassing - memories there. 

The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, painting the skyline a fresh indigo, when Winter heard the door to her cubicle open. She turned, wondering what the doctors could possibly want at this hour, hoping it wasn’t another blood sample.

She found herself staring at Karina. The taller girl had apparently found a place to change and dress herself, as she now wore a pair of denim trousers and a neat, if not plain, white blouse. They were plain clothes, things that Guardians didn’t often get to wear. The outfit looked extremely out of place on Karina. In Winter’s opinion, she was the type of woman who wore battle suits and nothing else.

“Can’t sleep?” Karina asked casually, taking a seat at the edge of Winter’s bed.

“No,” Winter said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. She was suddenly very aware of how much skin this hospital robe showed. “How did you get in here?”

A small, mildly smug smile came upon Karina’s lips. “They had to let me in. I’m an apprentice of the council, of course.”

Winter raised her eyebrows. “They were able to verify that?”

Karina nodded. “Joohyun had documents written about this specific scenario, apparently, and informed Yerim to access them given certain parameters. Once her daughter saw the truth, she granted me my rank. I now have access to most areas of the city. My masters are thorough, to say the least.”

“You’re a citizen, then?”

“Not exactly,” Karina’s smile widened by a tiny margin. “A Moonlight Guardian of the first division.”

Winter paused. The first division? That put Karina roughly in line with Yerim’s position. And, more importantly, it now meant that she outranked Winter.

“And before you ask, there’s no need to change the way you address me,” Karina said, lifting a Crest-covered palm. “My title is more of a formality than anything else.”

Winter nodded, glanced out the window at the orange glow of the rising sun, then decided it was time to start prodding for answers. Perhaps without anyone else around, Karina would be inclined to be a bit more honest about her past, as well as the nature of her unique Crest. Especially since they had, apparently, affected Winter in some way.

“You know more about the mark than you’re letting on,” Winter said, rubbing her hand against the spot on her inner thigh. “More than you told Yerim earlier.”

Karina was silent for a few seconds, then stood up from the bed and walked over to Winter. The taller girl moved with effortless grace, ghosting over the floor, footsteps barely making a sound. She crouched between Winter and the window.

“May I see it?” Karina asked, a hint of craving spicing her normally controlled voice.

Winter felt her face gro