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Over the next week she enforced a rhythm for herself, getting up with Alexa and eating together, then walking to the yoga studio where they parted ways. After that dreadful hour on the treadmill Sara resolved to run outside, though it was somewhat less of a break from her usual habits of walking in a curious daze around town. Like during her walks, she let her mind wander, contemplating the people she passed and the decisions they had all made that brought them together in this strange place.
Half the days she worked the afternoons in the bookstore, pleasant hours where she had a purpose. It was strange to have work so thoroughly decoupled from survival, and even stranger to realize that she barely noticed the difference.
She got to know the rows of books and where each belonged. Par
