The new shift assignment was posted on the kitchen board at six in the morning, which meant Edric had signed it the night before.
Wren read it while the morning bread was still in the oven. Three consecutive double shifts, starting the following day: four a.m. to eight p.m., all three under the notation Staff shortage — mandatory coverage. Her name was the only one listed. The other two Omega kitchen staff had their regular rotations unchanged while hers had been altered, which told her the shortage was not a shortage.
Daya, the youngest of the kitchen Omegas, came in at six-fifteen, looked at the board, then at Wren, then at the floor, in the specific sequence of someone who understood a situation and had already decided not to be part of it. Wren did not blame her. Understanding and in
