SOFIA
I noticed it because it didn’t fit not because it was obvious.
The house had a rhythm. Even now, tightened and controlled, it followed a pattern of movement, placement, and timing. Everything aligned with a structure I could track, even if I didn't fully understand the mechanics behind it.
This didn’t.
It started outside. I wasn’t supposed to be there alone, or at least not without someone positioned just behind me, always present, even if just out of reach. But today, I was. It wasn't that I was completely unguarded; there were still people in the distance and movement along the perimeter. But the spacing was different. It was looser.
Intentional.
“You’re allowed fifteen minutes,” Clara had told me earlier. There was no explanation or adjustment, just information.
I stepped o
