According to my watch it was after ten in the morning when I finally woke. As my eyes opened, I had that strange sensation of disorientation: that feeling of not knowing where I was, as if my dream world and reality had come together, crashing in an unknown dimension. It didn't help that I was only wearing my underwear, and the damn underwires were reminding me why I don't usually sleep in my bra.
I'd been too tired physically and especially mentally after Sterling left the room to worry about finding my sleeping clothes in my carry-on. Though I imagined lying awake worrying about my apartment, I didn't. Knowing that Jeanne was safe and the things that meant the most to me had been packed, my last thought before falling asleep was about my neighbor's cats.
Opening the blinds, the room
