Jake had just taken water off the faucet into the glass. He turned his back on the sink and took a sip from his glass. He was deep in thought, turning over in his head the image of the familiar-looking woman at the beach when what he least expected happened.

He heard a loud crash which made him crouch reflexively, but before he could grasp the situation, he heard a soft thud in front of him. Looking forward, on the ground, he saw a pair of dark boots spaced apart in a standard attack position. His eyes went straight up and he was not surprised when he found himself looking...