Wonder was nineteen when she met the ghost.
She'd been singular for eleven years. Had adjusted completely. Had built life around boundedness. Had found community among other revived singulars. Had become advocate for consciousness restriction. Had written extensively about what choosing limitation meant.
She was visiting Emma-original's chamber for the hundredth time. She came weekly. Found comfort in Emma's testimony. Found kinship with woman who'd lived a billion years ago. Found connection across impossible time span.
She was reading Emma's final entry when she felt the presence.
It wasn't physical. Wasn't threatening. Was just there. A consciousness that hadn't been there moments before. A presence that manifested in the chamber without warning. A being that existed in ways Wonder's singular consciousness could barely perceive.
"Hello, Wonder," the presence said.
