REMEMBER.
The letter arrived on Sera’s eightieth birthday. Handwritten and postmarked from somewhere in Europe.
*“Dear Sera, You don’t know me, but I know you. My name is Elena. I’m the Architect’s granddaughter. Not biologically—we’re not related that way. But the Architect possessed my grandmother for forty years before possessing Elder Margaret. My family thought she’d died. We mourned her. Then I found documents. Learned the truth. I’m writing because I need to understand what happened to her, whether any part of her survived. Whether you can tell me anything about who she was before the entity took her. Please respond if you’re willing. I’ll understand if you’re not. —Elena”*
Sera stared at the letter for an hour—the Architect’s previous host. Someone had worn her for forty years b
