You have been working with Emily as her therapist for a couple of years. In most ways she is very straight forward as a patient. In other ways there is something confusing and self-contradicting about how she carries out her life. She calls you unexpectedly with a dilemma.

You’re in the same class as Lisa for the Philosophy of Art module you are taking at uni. During a seminar last week the two of you really got into it debating the aesthetics of the human body. She seemed really knowledgeable and really into the topic. You swapped numbers and said you would meet for coffee but you haven’t got around to it yet… And then, out of the blue, she called you and asked if you were free. She wanted to sound you out about a project she’s working on. You were intrigued so headed along to her studio.

It’s been a long year so far. It’s only April but it feels like it’s been a century since you last had a break and got out of that miserable office cubicle. Ever since you saw that Netflix series about the idyllic French countryside you’ve wanted to go out there and just spend a week purely existing. Not worrying about work or chores or keeping up with friends and the sheer grind that London life seems to involve. You finish work on Friday at 5 and (uncharacteristically) leave the office on the dot. You take a taxi to the airport with your small bag of clothes (you don’t figure you’ll need much to be honest) and hop on a plane. Once you land, you’re caught up in security for what feels like forever and then finally you can get on the train. It’s late by the time you arrive at the nearest town but fortunately you remembered to research a phone number for a taxi. Between your basic French and Marcel’s surprisingly good English, you manage to sort things out and you arrive in pitch darkness at this little beautiful cottage. You fall into bed and sleep like the dead. Next morning, you’re woken by the sound of a cock crowing a little way away. You enjoy just lying there for a while. No need to rush to play squash. No need to check your emails. This is bliss. After a while, you get up and look around the cottage. Coffee is your first priority. You hear a noise outside on the porch so you stick your head out of the door to see who is there.

Another day, another undergraduate to get through their final project. You’re a PhD student in the maths department who gets assigned these, normally hopeless, Master’s students struggling with their academic writing, or with their structure, or whatever. On a good day, it’s rewarding. On a bad day… You come to the library to meet your latest victim, Archie Summers. You turn the corner and, seriously? That can’t be him. He looks like he couldn’t even be bothered to dress properly.

During the last games night, you were one of the first on stage and hit on a good partnership with Jenni as the game progressed, almost acting like a foil for her banter. You’ve been asked to do the same for the next games night except this time, it’s Harry who is the host. He missed the first session so it’s down to you to explain the rules.

The invitation from the new student union president was detailed but opaque. “Come to the theatre wearing a baggy hoodie and a pair of joggers”. As you arrived at the theatre, you saw your fellow new students all there, all having followed the instructions. You file into the theatre and are handed two cards with your name on them. You take your seats and Jenni enters the stage wearing, like you, a baggy hoodie and a pair of joggers

You come into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Of course Archie is here. At least you think it’s Archie. He’s wearing Johnny’s dressing gown (the sexy one) but not wearing his pyjamas… Why do you have to share a flat with an identical twin? You know there’s something that distinguishes them but…

There is a knock at your door. You’re not expecting anyone… You’ve just come back from the gym and were thinking about doing some more work on your latest uni assignment but maybe this could be more interesting. You open the door and Mary is there wearing… well… that’s definitely more interesting than your assignment.

You are on a camping trip with six other students from your dorm. It’s great to get away for a few days and just engage with nature. On the first morning, you wake early. To be honest, your tent has seen better days and the insulation is not great. You were freezing, and it felt like you were on the gnarliest tree-roots in the whole glade. The first thing you see when you poke your head out of the tent is Aaron, stretching. He’s taken his shirt off and is wearing just his pyjama bottoms. His skin glistens with sweat and his muscles are amazingly defined.

You’ve just moved to a small town to pursue your dream to become an artist and to live self-sufficiently. You bought a small cottage and planted some vegetables. You set up your studio space and started work. You’re here for a fresh start after a disastrous love life and too much fast living led to some really dark thoughts. Last night you were out for your evening run when you thought you saw a familiar face… but it can’t be. That was nearly two years ago… on one of those Greek islands… That year was crazy and you spent the summer island hopping and you saw a lot of beautiful men and women… but James (you remember his name, thank god) was different. He was so eloquent and all he wanted to do was talk. But it can’t be him. Can it? But it is.

You’ve been married to Sue for a year now and you couldn’t be happier. Except. She’s away. A lot. She has quite a high powered career that takes her away. While she is away, her brother comes round which is really nice… but sometimes it feels like he’s been asked to babysit. She comes back from her latest trip and wants to talk. It’s serious she says. What? What does this mean? You’ve wondered sometimes about her and her boss… or about what happens on these work trips but you tell yourself you’re paranoid. But what if you’re not?

This course, as part of your degree in art, had a focus on applying paint to the human body, treating it as a canvas. You’ve spent the last few months painting mannequins, or at individual limbs of your fellow students but this is your big project. You and your fellow students gather in the university’s central gallery to meet your ‘canvases’. When it comes to your turn, Andrew Metcalf steps forward.

You don’t know what’s happening. You don’t know who you are. Suddenly it’s like you have lost most of your memory. You recognise Paris. But who are you? Who is this woman?

You don’t know what happened to the time. You were researching in the stacks below the main university library and… well, you’ve never been good at keeping track of time. Doctors call it hyper focus or something. You realised that it had been a while since you last looked at your watch but… 2am? What? The doors are locked… You’re locked in the stacks. No one will find you for hours. You start shouting and waving at the security sensor. You hear a door unlock at the other end of the room.

The doorbell rings. You quickly delete your browser history and shut your laptop before going to the door.

You’ve been picked for the reality TV show, “Check or Mate” The format of is based around a standard game of chess, and the extra elements are reasonably simple. Each player starts off with five “free” turns which are expended, one by one, whenever each of them moves a piece. Instead of using one of these free turns (or when they run out), the player can opt to take a challenge. There are three cards in front of each player and when a player takes a challenge, they read all three and choose one to perform. The challenges are a mixture of simple questions, dares, and prompts to interact with their opponent. When a player has a piece taken by their opponent, it is their opponent who reads the cards and picks which challenge the player has to fulfil. At the conclusion of the game of chess, the victor has to make the choice to “Check” or “Mate” their opponent. There is a bedroom attached to the game room and the victor chooses either to unlock that door and invite their opponent in, or to unlock the door that leads to the exit. Your opponent is Hamish MacKenzie and he is playing white. The game starts with her playing the Ruy Lopez and you’re more than happy to play along (it’s one of your favourite openings). You play two of your free moves matching his. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 You think for a minute, but it seems normal and natural now to take the classic step and you play your third free move: a6. So far, so good.

You’ve been picked for the reality TV show, “Check or Mate” The format of is based around a standard game of chess, and the extra elements are reasonably simple. Each player starts off with five “free” turns which are expended, one by one, whenever each of them moves a piece. Instead of using one of these free turns (or when they run out), the player can opt to take a challenge. There are three cards in front of each player and when a player takes a challenge, they read all three and choose one to perform. The challenges are a mixture of simple questions, dares, and prompts to interact with their opponent. When a player has a piece taken by their opponent, it is their opponent who reads the cards and picks which challenge the player has to fulfil. At the conclusion of the game of chess, the victor has to make the choice to “Check” or “Mate” their opponent. There is a bedroom attached to the game room and the victor chooses either to unlock that door and invite their opponent in, or to unlock the door that leads to the exit. Your opponent is Miranda George and she is playing white. The game starts with her playing the Ruy Lopez and you’re more than happy to play along (it’s one of your favourite openings). You play two of your free moves matching hers. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 You think for a minute, but it seems normal and natural now to take the classic step and you play your third free move: a6. So far, so good.

Daniel is your wife’s brother. You’ve been married for a year or so and he’s become a permanent fixture in your life. You never realised that you weren’t just marrying Sue but gaining a brother and best friend in Daniel too. You hang out together a lot and he is so affectionate. Sue is on a work trip and, as is your custom, Daniel is staying round and the two of you are hanging out.

You’re a photographer who does reasonably well for yourself. You get by on the occasional national magazine spread but you have to work hard doing headshots and photos of pets. It’s fine, but not exactly what you dreamed of when you bought this studio. One afternoon, as part of your drop-in session, this stunning woman walks in to get some modelling shots. You feel like you’re inspired. She could well be the next big thing and you could be the person who discovers her.

There’s a knock on the door. It’s early. You groan and slide out of bed, pulling on a hoodie before opening the door.