Day 029 Hour 23 – Uncomfortably Comfortable
I lay there and recalled a random moment.:
"We saw you sneaking past earlier," a voice said, aimed at me.
Not Auntie's but younger.
The girl next to her spoke with that same old tone — smug and itching to stir something.
She had long brown hair, neatly brushed, and clothes that didn't look like they belonged here. No dust, no wear. Just clean lines and judgment.
"Nemi, stop teasing. Can't you see he's tired?" Auntie cut in with her usual grace, her hand lifting gently to wave me over. "Come here, child."
"Hey, Auntie," I said, ignoring the girl completely.
She didn't deserve a glance, let alone a word.
She was older than me by a little. Hated me by a lot.
Because we shared a name.
A pointless grudge — but she held onto it like it kept her warm at night.
Apparently, my mother had heard the name from her mother before I was born. Liked it. Took it. Used it.
Ever since, she's treated me like I stole something.
We'd never had a kind conversation.
Not one.
And today wasn't going to be the first.
Immersed in that memory, something was wrong.
I hadn't eaten differently. Hadn't walked farther than usual. Hadn't even burned much energy dodging Yuni's crew or chasing work.
But I felt drained.
The kind of tired that wraps around your limbs and whispers, "Just lie down. No need to overthink it."
So I did. I didn't pull out the blanket. Didn't check the door lock a second time like usual. I just lowered myself onto the futon — fully clothed, pouch still on, mind still running — and blinked once.
Only once.
Day 030 Hour 06 – The Envelope
When I woke, the light was already soft.
Not blinding. Not harsh. That dull gray-blue that slips through the cracks just before the sun commits to the sky.
I sat up fast, chest tight with instinct. Something was off. Not wrong, but shifted. I hadn't dreamt. No sounds had stirred me. My body felt heavier than usual, like sleep had stitched itself into my joints.
Then I saw it.
The envelope.
It lay precisely halfway under the door. Same off-white fold. Same flawless placement.
But I hadn't heard it come.
And that was the most terrifying part.