Stick found and gossip shared, fatigue dawned upon Angharad and Jin, and they shuffled back to their own rooms.

Maybe Angharad spared half a moment to wonder why Sophie was already out of bed, but she was tired enough not to wonder too long. She collapsed into bed on her side, day clothes still on, and fell asleep so fast she didn't even notice it happening.

She dreamed of open oceans, wide beaches, the bright blue sky above her. Her hair still blonde like it was when they reached Hawaii that past summer and skin the kind of fake tan you can only get for good money. Real sun beating her exposed skin until she turned faintly red and peeled, her outer layers coming off to expose a different thing underneath, wide-eyed and pale skinned, hair turning brown again, sky turning grey. And then the next layer peeling off and she closed her eyes against immense artificial lights as she shed all her skin.

She dreamed the world was a white room full of wires and she was a terrified monkey clinging to a wire puppet with a woman's face, a fake looking thing painted on a porcelain mask. Or maybe she dreamed she was the wire puppet.

She woke slowly, and didn't move for a long time.