Chapter 1
Arendell, Capital of New Ánslo
The harsh wind picks up again, almost pushing the woman over as she glances both ways down the street before dashing across the icy, wet pavement.
She exhales, adjusting the bag on her back before making the trek down the congested main road.
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As Freja unlocks the door to the multi-level, living quarters building, flakes of snow stick to her coat as she struggles and fumbles with the lock before the gate pops open with the rusty greeting it has.
The woman manages a smile or a split second, moving past the gate as it closes behind her. Approaching the main entrance to the worn-down building, Freya grabs another key and steps into the warmth of the lobby.
“ID?” The heavy security guard, Henrik, asks as she approaches the gated hallway leading to a staircase and an elevator with the administrator’s office on one side and the dean’s office on the other. “Freja Dalgaard?”
She manages a smile, something of a whimper coming out of the woman as the guard hands the card back.
“Curfew starts in half-an-hour,” he tells her, his eyes almost glazing over her body for a moment before meeting hers again. “Remember, don’t come back out again unless it’s an emergency. Also...beginning tomorrow, the gates are open at ten now instead of eight-thirty.”
“Why?” She asks, the question barely above a whisper as her hands shuffle to the bag’s strap and gripping it.
“Why? Hell, I don’t know. Some new stupid law passed that’s going into effect within the next couple of weeks. Our building was one of the first to be hit.”
The hefty guard rearranges himself to open the gate.
“Curfew begins in half-an-hour,” he repeats, letting her through.
