I stayed awake all night. I was overwhelmed with feelings—everything was mixed together. Joy that my beloved little sister had finally woken up, and anxiety about what would happen because I had been late. The Master had warned me about the rules, but I hadn’t been late on purpose. Would he punish me now? What if he didn’t allow me to see Ada anymore?
I kept replaying his expression when he returned to the room, thinking: what is he thinking about?
I couldn’t sleep until morning because of all these thoughts. I needed to see Ada, but how could I even ask him after yesterday? I couldn’t just leave on my own.
I left my room, thinking the Master was still asleep, but he was already speaking to someone on the phone.
“Good morning, Master Alex.”
When he stepped out of the room, he was wear
