Vicki returned to awareness at a snail’s pace. Her head felt like it was packed in wool or cotton or some other material meant to smother her thoughts. Something wasn’t right. She wasn’t sure what wasn’t right, but she knew it was important, whatever it was. If she could put her thoughts in order, that might help.
Water dripped somewhere close by, and each drop struck something metal. It was a steady ping… ping… ping… that brought a metronome to mind. But why was it there at all? The maintenance staff would never let a leak… oh, wait. She wasn’t home. She… well, she didn’t know precisely where she was. The last she remembered, she stood on a sidewalk in the city. She was taking a shopping and spa day for herself.
Her eyes shot wide as she realized what was wrong. She couldn’t feel her ta
