Harriet led her to a cathedral. This cathedral, like every cathedral before it, was built to stun the masses into greater belief. Thea did feel a bit stunned: it was probably all the glossy whiteness everywhere. A glass roof curved over them.

A reverential hush of voices swelled into the space, which consisted of the main hall and the cafeteria. The Sleep Centre was comprised of two large spherical buildings, or “bubbles” as Harriet called them, and currently Thea was in the Client Bubble. Three storeys high, the upper floors were accessed by a gleaming stainless-steel lift in the middle, walkways radiating out from it to the higher floors like rays from the sun.

Out of habit, Thea avoided eye contact as she made her way through the tables.

‘How many people are on this trial?’ she asked Harriet.

‘Fifty.’

And there they all were, choosing food and chatting to each other. It was already making the small of her back sweat. When talking to new people, Thea became an overinflated balloon, stretching out, out, out, until her rubber couldn’t stretch anymore and eventually burst, scattering disjointed small talk. Luckily, Harriet guided her to a table on their own. It hadn’t escaped Thea that Harriet still got to wear her own clothes: today a silky jumpsuit, the kind that didn’t suit Thea because it highlighted the fact that she had too little leg – and too much middle.

‘Until the system gets to know you and your dietary needs, you have a pretty standard breakfast. Hope that’s okay?’

The plate of food was so wholesomely healthy it looked as if it should have been artfully placed next to a bunch of flowers, or a sunset, and then posted on Instagram. Usually, Thea sploshed milk on some muesli in a Tupperware container when she arrived at work. The most important thing in her mornings was to make sure she got out of the house on time, preferably washed, as she was always still half-asleep. Food was way down on her list of morning priorities.

‘So? Excited for today?’ Harriet stirred at some purple sludge in her glass. She didn’t wait for a response. ‘I’ll be with you for most of it, unless you’re having a health assessment, or you’re in a lecture. You’re going to love Sleep School: so informative. Sleep is fascinating, don’t you think?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t get much of it.’ The drink in front of her looked like coffee. She sipped at it. It was definitely not coffee.

‘Made from mushrooms! Amazingly good for you. You’ll get used to it. I swear I’ve lost about a stone working here and I just feel so energized. All the time. It’s crazy!’