"Stars Fading" 3rd part

[butterflydreaming]

Zoe had been in the reception area more times than she could count. It looked nothing like a medical office, decorated instead to give the impression of a corporate or law office. Today there was something odd about the light, or the bland look of the person behind the check-in desk, who looked almost too young to have a work license. She filled out the usual forms in a blur, and was waved on without having to spend any time in the small waiting room.

She fell asleep quickly. She woke just as quickly, wondering why she had not started to dream. A check of her timer showed that she was wrong: she had been asleep for a full session. She couldn’t remember a single dream; she had not even felt that she had slept. A bloom of panic began to twist in her gut. Something was very wrong.

She pulled the contacts off her skin and pushed the button that would open the sleeping pod. It made a strange grinding sound as it opened, and a clammy shiver raced across her skin, kicking up goose bumps, but Zoe made herself take her time getting down to the floor. She tidied up the equipment with care. She reached to retrieve her clothing, only to discover that she was already dressed. Before she had time to unravel what was happening, a shadow fell across her face from something above her. Then wetness -- a splattering of something cold. She blinked rapidly to keep it out of her eyes.

It was rain. She was still in the park, and the shadow came from a cloud above her that had shivered out precipitation. Zoe continued to blink until she felt fully awake. The rain clung to her short eyelashes like tears. She looked around her, trying to remember if the same people had been nearby as were now. She checked her belt, twisting it upward to show its chronometer, while digging around in her pocket for her park entrance ticket. The ticket was going blue, which meant that it was nearly time to go but she had over a quarter of an hour left.

A little girl, the same little girl that Zoe remembered from what she thought was earlier, ran up to her. "Hi! I'm Mareeka!" she announced, not at all shyly.

"Hi," answered Zoe.

"Are you leaving? Can Mamma and me have your spot when you're all done?"

The mother called out to her daughter before Zoe could answer. She came bustling up the path, huffing to catch her breath. "Mareeka!" She looked at Zoe with the pain of social embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. Was my daughter pestering you?"

"Not at all." Zoe stood up and waved at the vacated patch of ground. "Would you like the remainder of my ticket? I'm on my way to work."