The house was already awake.
I wasn't.
For a second, I lay still.
The room felt too quiet. My body felt too rested.
Then it hit me.
I reached for the alarm clock on my bedside table. It blinked once and went dark again.
Dead.
No knock at the door.
I sat up slowly.
I got dressed quickly, smoothing my skirt the way I always did when I needed to feel put together. My chest tightened at the thought of the kitchen. Erin would say something. She always did when mornings slipped.
The door flew open behind me.
"Cala. Ten minutes. Liam's leaving."
Aisling stopped when she saw me already dressed.
"What happened?"
I held up the clock.
She stared at it.
"Yeah. Sucks to be you."
Then she vanished before I could argue.
The knot in my chest loosened.
Okay.
So it wasn't just me.
In the kitchen, Erin glanced at us.
"You're both cutting it close," she said. "I shouldn't have to remind you every morning."
"Sorry," I said automatically.
Aisling echoed it.
Liam was already by the door with his keys.
"Let's go."
Liam drove.
Aisling kept sighing.
He turned the music up.
I stared out the window.
At school, the day moved in pieces.
Sera waved a hand in front of my face during first period.
"Cala?"
I blinked.
Lunara bumped her shoulder into mine and half wrapped an arm around me.
"Wake up," she murmured.
"I am."
"Mm."
Classes passed. Voices rose and fell. I copied what I needed to and let the rest slide.
By lunchtime, something sat heavy in my chest.
Not sharp enough to name.
Just there.
I laughed when I was supposed to. Answered when spoken to.
But part of me felt slightly behind everything.
I hated that.
They hadn't done anything wrong.
Still, the weight followed me.
The morning had not been a big deal.
We were late. That was it.
But something inside me had shifted slightly.
Quieter.
I didn't try to figure it out.
I just carried it