1.
Paige woke to her alarm and squealed.
Had an elephant been marching on her back all night? No one was supposed to feel so stiff. If one had a choice between the ache and the electric chair, if the chair had a pillow…
She slid under her blanket and saw a silhouette.
She bolted up, pulling her blanket off.
Again.
How'd he gotten inside? And what the hell was that smell? Paige adjusted then threw off her blanket. She was fully dressed. Grimy ash and charcoal smothered her white socks and uniform. Her nose swallowed up so much cooked meat she could taste it. Hers?
She stared, lip trembling. Was what Jin said true? She didn't remember getting back and yet… there he was.
Again!
It wasn't possible, it was as though she were in another universe. Her head reeled. How else could she get there, without accepting everything he'd said.
A headache formed just trying to get a picture of yesterday. Tears welled up. She pulled her knees into her chest, her hair, now covering her face, was twisted into her mouth and chewed.
She could see herself going to sleep the night before. It wasn't clear, but there she was, yellow bra and panties. She cleared her mind to the present, determined to find some detail. Nothing.
Time was up, it was morning, there was school. School was normal, she could do normal.
Paige stood, careful of Jin, and looked for her uniform. A lump of lead landed in her stomach when she found it in her bag. She screamed silently and stared at the ceiling. It would've been so much better if she'd found it drying on the line or waiting in the belly of a washing machine. But…
They were still in her damn bag.
She'd a spare. But for all she knew, it was the spare.
It wasn't. One less thing to worry about.
Jin was still unconscious. Quickly she took her clothes and showered.