PROLOGUE
She glanced at the row of paintings on the wall. Walking slowly, she took her time drifting from one picture to the next until a particular artwork caught her eye. It was a painting of a group of people, among them a rather gaunt and silver-haired figure, donned in a robe of crimson. A man of science, it would seem, given the array of apparatuses scattered on the table before him. A striking subject on his own, however the attention of those surrounding him were not half so much on the man as it was on the experiment he was carrying out. In their center stood a machine, on top of which was a glass bowl, and inside of it a bird. Judging from the limited use of light and the abundance of shadows as well as the expressions of the other persons in the room: some of which were expectant, some disinterested and some grim—even distraught, bode ill for the fate of the poor creature in their midst. Somewhere in the back of her mind, something stirred. Turning around, she found herself face to face with a man: pale, slightly tall with a dark mop of hair and glasses. They stood staring at each other for a few seconds, after which his lips moved into a semblance of a smile, and he left the room.
It would not be the last of their encounters.
A small gust of wind blew from a car passing by. She pulled her coat in tighter around her body to ward off the chill. The weather's been terrible lately. The days have alternated between warm and cold temperatures at random intervals. More cars flew past, intent on beating the impending signal of a red light. Her phone rang.
The voice on the other end was impatient. Tone slightly raised, desperate to be heard over the growing din in the background. "Where are you?"
Several excuses and apologies were uttered. "I'm on my way."
Tires squealed. A sudden crash. Sirens.
She never made it to her destination.