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the water soothed the itch, then forced them back open as she realized there was something on her skin. What the hell? She frowned, headache forgotten for a moment. It looked like she’d gotten tattooed. On both arms. She jerked away from the water, peering at the black circle and vine-like lines suddenly inked on her body. Her heart sped up, pounding uncomfortably as she swayed on her feet. What was going on? She grimaced and rubbed at the marks, but they didn’t come off. She grabbed a few paper towels and sat on the toilet, scrubbing at her arms, but she didn’t succeed in doing anything more than irritating her skin.
    Eventually she gave up and sat there, trying to think through the headache. She let her mind drift, remembering the dreams she’d had the night before, especially the last one that was so vivid. She didn’t have any trouble recalling that one. She felt her face go hot. Even though the dreams were strange, she felt oddly comforted, as though the two men really knew her. As though she knew them. As though they were her friends and she could turn to them for comfort. She grimaced. Her mind had obviously cracked from the migraine or whatever the hell was wrong with her. A sudden stab in her temples made her gasp, and her arms began to throb, not itching any longer but burning. She almost cried out, trying not to throw up, and then as suddenly as the pain began, it stopped.
    Emma sat up, disoriented. She felt a flash of confusion then a cool stillness washed over her. She closed her eyes and saw Duncan looking at her worriedly. When she looked down, Jake’s arms were spread out on a table and both forearms had the same tattoos that had suddenly etched themselves on her skin. Duncan gripped Jake’s arms, the feel of his skin warm and reassuring. Emma didn’t know how it was possible, but she knew without a doubt that she was seeing through Jake’s eyes, right now. Suddenly, Jake breathed deep and flexed his hands, making the tattoos ripple, and Emma was back in her own head, confused and exhausted. Except, she wasn’t alone anymore. She could feel them both at the back of her consciousness, as though the pain and tattoos were the catalyst that finally connected the three of them together. She frowned, sensing the men’s worry for her. It was weird. She was obviously losing her mind. Emma wondered what to do next. Should she go home? She didn’t want to miss class and throw the rest of the afternoon into chaos by going home sick, so she shook her head, deciding to stay. The headache was better now, anyway.
    Emma stood up and left the bathroom, happy to see that the office had cleared out. Everyone probably went to lunch , she thought as she retrieved the salad she’d left in the office refrigerator a few days ago. Some of the leaves were a bit limp, but it was mostly okay to eat. She wasn’t up to dealing with the school cafeteria or even the faculty lounge today. She settled into her chair and swiveled around to flick on the small television she kept on the shelf behind her desk, idly flipping to the local news. After a few bites of her lunch, she abruptly sat up. On the television, the anchor was detailing the surge of people posting on the internet about the sudden development of unexplained headaches and marks appearing on their arms. Emma frowned. She wasn’t the only one experiencing this?
    “Twitter is still trending the rash of unexplained headaches and tattoos that people all over the world seem to be experiencing. According to reports, the incidence of this phenomenon seems to be holding steady, with maybe one person in five hundred thousand over the past week developing headaches, strange hallucinations or dreams, and the sudden appearance of tattoos on one arm. Physicians have been unable to explain what is causing these symptoms, but anecdotal reports show that, generally, couples are experiencing the symptoms together. This suggests that the transmission may be sexual in nature,