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Earlier that morning, Rachel had attempted to sneak out of John's apartment, being as quiet as a burglar tiptoeing through their victim's home. The disappointment was evident on her face. Regardless of the type of relationship she had, Rachel somehow couldn't make it work. In the past, she had lost numerous friends, romantic partners, etc. Needless to say, her own flesh and blood were nothing short of vile savages. The only exception was her mother, who had been laid to rest not too long. But to give the man some credit, the situation was a little different with him. He had been perfectly clear regarding his expectations for a "no strings attached" type of night. In turn, Rachel had agreed, despite the small voice in the back of her head telling her to walk away.

"Leaving already?" The voice from down the hall made her stop and take a few steps back. John was walking toward her with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Yes. We had a fun night but I'm sure you have other things to do now."

"You're right, I have things to do...like cooking breakfast for you. Come on, sit down and stay another half hour, I promise I can cook."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little. "Okay, fine, but do you want my help? I can make some killer toast and my eggs are to die for." She put her stuff down by the front door before following John into the kitchen.

"Well, you're offering so why not?"

-----

Some time later, Rachel found herself engaged in her typical routine. She worked through her list of errands and chores before settling down on the loveseat with her legs up on the armrest and her cell phone in hand. She was reading an article when she received a few incoming text messages as well as alerts. Unable to ignore them, Rachel stopped reading to see what was going on. At first she thought the news was some sort of prank, but the same thing was being reported across multiple platforms. She sat up straight, looking at the various sources before eventually turning on the TV as well. If nothing else, it appeared that the New York City population had collectively lost its mind.

With knowledge of the alarming news, Rachel headed over to the window. She looked out for a moment before sinking to the floor, her back to the outside as she settled into a meditative pose. Closing her eyes, Rachel projected her Soul-Self to manifest and take shape above her, the sudden feeling of weightlessness prompting her to open her eyes once more. At that point Rachel had eyes and ears outside of her physical body, and the raven-shaped spirit hovered behind her momentarily before taking off at increasing speeds towards Central Park. Her mission at the moment was simply assessing the damage up close, and once she got to see for herself what was going on, she would determine her next move.