"Mom?" I called. "A customer is here to drop off a project!" I called.

I glanced over to where Anthony was playing with his knife near our beds.

"Hold peaceably," I asked the gentleman with a tunic in his arms and went back inside. "Mom!" I shouted. No response. "Mom?" I asked, panic beginning to rise. We had lost Dad not a month ago. We couldn't lose her, too.

Anthony glanced up, eyes recognizing the panic in my eyes if not in my voice. I raced up the staircase to the lofted second floor. The gritty wood of the steps creaked under my weight as I climbed.

"Mom?" I asked, peeking up over the edge.

She sat there on the floor, tears streaking down her face, hair wild. He eyes slowly lifted and locked onto mine, freezing me in place. Her finger lifted and rested on me. "They're going to take you!" she shouted. She slammed her fists down on the floor. "I won't let them!" she screamed.

"Mom, who is going to take me?" I asked, confused and more than a little frightened.

She started screaming and I scurried back down the stairs. Anthony was just trying to go up, but I grabbed his shoulders and maneuvered him away from the stairs.

"Go back to playing," I told him as her screams stopped. "Mom's sick, but she'll be okay."

I went to the front door, heart pounding. I would take the project and once Mom got better, she could fix whatever needed fixing. I pulled open the door and was met with an empty street. They had left.

I turned back inside and saw that Anthony had gone back to carving something into a stick he found in the woods earlier today. I quietly climbed the stairs back to Mom.

"Mom?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

She had stood up and was staring at the back wall, wavering slightly. "So loud," she muttered. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!" she screeched, whirling to face me.

"Mom?" I asked.

Her eyes glowed a sickly green.

"Shut up!"

+++

"Naomi!" Ember shouted, shaking my shoulder. I lurched awake, panic flooding my veins. Tears were pouring down my face and I lashed out, trying to orient myself. My hands landed on the armrests of a chair.

I glanced up at Ember, horrified. I had fallen asleep.

Out ankles were still tied together, and I checked that he didn't need healing. Thankfully, he did not. The sun was beginning to creep in from outside.

My throat was dry and felt like a cat had scratched it all the way down. "I'm so sorry," I choked out. "I fell asleep," I said, tears starting fresh.

Ember worked to undo the leather around our ankles. He sat up and scooted to sit at the edge of the bed. "C'mere," he said, grabbing my hand as I wept. "You're okay. I'm okay. Nightmare? Or are you hurt?" he asked.

"Nightmare," I choked. After a few seconds, I realized who was holding my hand and pulled back. He let go easily. I could hold his hand to heal but not if he wanted to comfort me. I stood up, wiping my tears away frantically with my shaky hands. "I'm sorry," I repeated. "I...I don't know what happened. I think I was too comfortable and I just..."

He had every right to kick me out. I had one job and had failed at it utterly.

"Hey, you were asleep for much a short amount of time, it didn't even matter. I have no pain. And for the first time in...as long as I can remember," he said, "I overslept." He stood and maneuvered me to sit back down. I let him lead me numbly. He handed me a cup of water and pulled on a shirt. "Relax," he said gently. "Good morning," he said, nodding to Jack and Sam who had just entered.

I blinked, realizing that the two Slates were already set for the day. My heart pounded and I drank the water quickly.

"Relax, Naomi. You are not on duty," Ember said.

"I'm so sorry," I said again weakly.

"I'm fine, and you're fine," he said. "Why don't you get some rest?" he asked. "Maybe we will have to find a more interesting book to keep you awake," he mused, grabbing his uniform jacket.

I stared at him. He was my supervisor and I had just tragically failed. Why wasn't he mad? Maybe he wasn't one for a whip, but surely I deserved far worse than his concern and a gentle remark.

I nodded because I couldn't think of anything else to do and he slipped out of the tent, Jack and Sam in tow.

I glanced down at the page I had fallen asleep reading. Page 16. The First Longitudinal War. I had slept the entire night. How was Ember still alive?