23
The next morning Sara awoke to an alarm for the first time since beginning her new life.
It took her a blundering moment to understand what the noise was, and once she did, her confusion did not abate. She hadn’t set an alarm and saw no clear way to turn it off.
When she sat up, it fell silent.
She looked around the room urgently, heart pounding, for some reason afraid. Alexa stirred, rolled over, fell back asleep.
A message resolved in the air before Sara’s eyes. She blinked a few times and shook her head, trying to bring it into focus, but the confusion of the carpet and shelves and window made it too difficult to read. Feeling like an i***t for not thinking of it sooner, she flopped back and stared up at the plain white of the ceiling.
The alarm resumed its sounding and she gro
