I bring my hand to my mouth. It can’t be. It’s one of his! I remember when he finished it. It had taken him so long. He was so invested in it. He was moody right up until he finished it. It never sold and despite it being his favorite, he said he wasn’t surprised it never sold. He was fine with the fact that no one else would be able to see what he’d done, because it was his most personal.

Now here it is, hanging on the wall in front of me. I feel dizzy, sick. I have to put a hand on the wall to steady myself. I feel like I might fall over.

There’s something on my leg. A cat is brushing against my ankle. It’s hesitant at first, but slowly it becomes more aggressive, scratching at my leg. I shake my leg to get it off.

“Stop,” I say. “Not now!”

But it won’t stop. It bites at my slippers and nips my foot.

“Ouch!”

Suddenly, something spooks the cat. It darts down the hall. I bend and rub the spot it bit on my foot. Short of breath, I sit down to rest in the chair that’s closest to me. I close my eyes.

Jack is lightly shaking my arm.

“Penny,” he says.

I’ve fallen asleep in the common room. Ruth is gone. So is the cat. The TV is still on, but only static fuzz now. My mouth is so dry. I need water.

“Penny… please… wake up,” he says.

He shakes my arm again. He looks rattled.

“I’ve been thinking more about what you said, and I have to tell you something. I have to be fast.”

I open my eyes as wide as possible, focusing on his face. I’m dreaming. But I feel his hand on my arm. No, I was dreaming, before, but this is real. Jack. He’s right in front of me, touching me, frantic.

“Penny!” he says again. “This place is her life’s work. She believes in it. She’s made it a community. She has all the control and can’t risk any disruptions. She wants to understand more about how to live longer. The only thing that scares her is getting old and—”

We both hear a noise. Jack puts a finger to his lips.

“That’s her,” he says. “I have to go. You can’t say anything to her about us talking like this.”

I know what else he wants to say to me, just from the look in his eyes: You’re right, you’ve always been right about what she’s doing to you. She’s keeping you alive. All of you.

Without another word, he abruptly turns and leaves the room.

Exhausted, confused, I close my eyes and rest my head against the back of the chair.

Footsteps in the hallway. Not leaving but coming toward the room. I was asleep in the chair. I want it to be Jack. To tell me more, to explain. But it’s not him.