College is a lot different than I thought it would be. In high school, I couldn't wait to be on my own, so I could sleep in, party and, of course, meet girls. And up to this point, most things have played out how I'd hoped; well, except for one. Either way, it didn't really live up to all the hype.

Music, laughter and the smell of beer float down the hallway, and slip under Ramón's door, reminding him that it's Saturday night again. He sits at his desk under the yellow glow of a Walmart lamp, pretending to study. Suddenly, his phone lights up and vibrates, but he doesn't feel inspired to reach for it.

I already gave them my answer. I have zero intentions of going to that "sick" party over on Cemetery Road, especially after what happened last time. I didn't ask for Jerome or Alex's help—like that stuff was really going to help me talk to Riya.

They said they were sorry and were just trying to help me loosen up a bit. But all it did was fuck everything up more. I saw things that night I never want to see again in my life; my head hasn't felt quite right since then.

It's nice that they brought me back to my room and checked on me the next morning, but I'm still not ready for another party...Fuck. I don't even know if I want to stay here sometimes.

A heavy sigh escapes Ramón's mouth as he grabs the phone; he swipes the notifications away, flips it over, and turns off the lamp. His hands slide into the pockets of his black hoodie as he gets up and wanders over to the window.

The withering ivy covering the dorm is gradually revealing weathered stone under its falling leaves. A ghostly mist hangs over campus tonight; every time the fog rolls in off the hills, it makes all the buildings look like an old Victorian town. From afar, the tower over the main building resembles a shadowy castle of some lost and forgotten realm.

After the music dies, and the last drink has been drunk, the campus will fall into a deep slumber. Then a haunting hush will descend on these grounds. It will last for an hour or so before the crows that now outnumber the leaves in the trees begin signing their melancholy songs.

There's something strangely comforting about their eerie cries. I guess I like the sound because it reminds me that something else is alive outside my window. Their cawing cuts through the dead silence that hangs over campus during the hours before sunrise; those are the only times I really feel at home here.

Ramón cracks open the window ever so slightly, letting in the air laced with winter's impending approach before jumping into bed. A crisp breeze drifts in from outside, kisses his cheek and sends a chill through his body. He pushes his messy, black hair back as a half-smile creeps across his face. The world and his room begin to fade away until all is dark.

***

"Ramón," says a voice calling in the night, drifting in his window on a breeze.

He sits up with beads of cold sweat rolling down his brow and looks around his darkened room half-out of breath.

Who said that?

He holds his breath, straining to hear her voice again. But only the faint call of crows can be heard in the distance. Ramón rushes over to the window and looks out into the night, but sees no living soul wandering about.

Her voice was hauntingly beautiful; it was too clear to be a dream. I just wish I knew who it belonged to.

As he rises to his feet, a memory comes racing back to his mind like the rapids of a rushing river.

Alex mentioned something about an adventure app. What was it called again? Nauticus something, maybe?

Ramón walks over to the desk, grabs his phone and swipes his thumb across the bottom of the screen, unlocking it. He types Nauticus into the Play Store app; and seconds later, the results come back with something called iNauticus.

Apparently, I missed an "i."

The app's logo features a black crow with a tilted head on a golden background; the words iNauticus hover above the bird in an arch. After quickly reading the description, he clicks install and downloads it.

Once iNauticus opens up, Ramón enables his location, accepts the terms and conditions, and continues with the other preliminary steps. The app uses some kind of quantum number generator when providing a destination to travel to.

Ramón soon arrives at the point where he has to set his intention for the journey ahead. In other words, iNauticus needs him to provide it with what he hopes to experience. Ramón immediately recalls the voice that sung his name on the misty night air.

While he waits for the results, Ramón imagines a beautiful, young woman who shares a connection with him that's beyond what words can express. Eventually, iNauticus generates a set of coordinates based on Ramón's intention, and he enters them into Google Maps.

It brings up a location at the edge of town that's roughly thirty minutes away by bike. He checks the clock on his phone, which reads, 3:10 AM.

That's about an hour of travel time getting there and back—might as well start this journey now; she's out there, waiting for me.

Ramón slips his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulls on his sneakers before heading out the door. Once outside, he enters the combination to open the lock on his bike. And after wrapping the chain around the rusted metal rack, Ramón clicks it closed and mounts the seat. He then pulls his gloves on before riding off into the dark and foggy night.