After reading the last note, Miriam felt helpless, disappointed, and overwhelmed. She wanted to think it would all be over, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy.
"What did I get? I feel the same way," Miriam thought.
But as she lay there, she thought about the note and its contents. She felt she'd realized something, but she still had to check it out.
"Thanks, Nikael. I don't know why you gave me clues, but I'll put your insight to good use."
A few minutes later, Miriam showered, ate the food in the refrigerator, and went to bed, still clutching the handbag that held her gun.
Miriam opened her eyes to find an elegant wooden ceiling above her. She was in her high school dormitory, wearing her nightgown. She sat on the edge of the bed. Her cell phone was on the nightstand. It was 7 a.m., and her classes would be at 8 a.m.
"Was it just a nightmare?" she wondered in her mind, until she saw a letter under her pillow. She opened it, and it had the following writing on it:
"One month. Enjoy it! But if you speak of this to anyone, you'll live in Hell City."
"Damn," Miriam lay down as the letter and note that had been placed on the nightstand turned to dust and disappeared.
Miriam felt anguished and helpless. She knew that, just like in her current life, she had never pushed herself too hard. She knew she was alive because of her cunning and instinct, because if Sam and Nikael hadn't met, the story could have been different.
She checked her bank account on her phone.
"Current balance: $10,000."
"They haven't sent me this month's payment. Should I ask for it?" Miriam thought about the money; she needed it to confirm her suspicions.
Minutes later
In front of the full-length mirror, Miriam dressed very carefully, as she had always acted like one of the most popular girls in high school, which, unlike others, made her life easier by taking advantage of the talents of those who admired her.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Clown horns! Clown horns!
The megaphones announce:
"Welcome to Circus City!"