The quietness inside the bedroom of a small apartment in New York was suddenly shattered by a loud ringtone.
A cheerful anime song blared through the dim room.
"Uuurrrghhhh!!!"
Claire groaned and blindly reached for her phone on the nightstand. Her arm flopped around for a moment before her fingers finally brushed against it. She dragged it closer and squinted at the glowing screen, the brightness stabbing painfully into her sleepy eyes.
Her vision slowly focused.
10:00 AM.
Her heart nearly stopped.
"Oh fuck! I'm late for work!"
She jerked upright, then paused as she saw the other word on the screen.
Sunday.
Her brain caught up a second later.
"Aahhh… safe!"
Her body relaxed instantly. The mattress felt soft beneath her, and the faint hum of the city outside the window was distant and harmless. She turned off the alarm and curled slightly onto her side, hugging the pillow.
