THE BED MOVED

Mara wakes in the dark when her sleeping platform suddenly shifts six inches. Her first assumption is attack; her second is that Grievance has lost its mind. After checking every threat point, she discovers the truth: a repair seam above the bed is leaking exactly where her head had been. Grievance moved her before the first drop landed. Mara puts down a towel, accepts the new position, and tries to sleep—only for the platform to slide one unnecessary inch farther after she complains that she could have been warned. Relationship insight: Grievance protects her quietly and possesses a dry streak Mara is only beginning to recognize. Her first response to being cared for is still irritation—but she no longer moves the bed back.