Chapter 2 Chapter Two: Just a Dream

Rowan Vance woke up before her alarm. That alone was unusual. Her eyes opened slowly, unfocused, staring at the faint gray light filtering through her blinds. For a moment, she didn’t move. Didn’t reach for her phone. Didn’t roll over and groan like she normally did. She just… lay there. Listening.

The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she tried to place the feeling sitting heavy in her stomach. Not fear. Not exactly. Just…. Wrong.

Her alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., loud and sharp, cutting through the silence like it always did. She flinched. Flinched.

“Jesus,” she muttered, fumbling for her phone and silencing it. Her hand lingered there for a second, fingers curled around the edge of the device. There was something she was supposed to remember. She knew it.

Her brow furrowed as she sat up slowly, rubbing her face.

“What was that dream… “The words came out quiet, uncertain. It had been vivid. She knew that much. The kind of dream that leaves a feeling behind even after the details are gone. Something about… Her front door. Someone knocking.

Rowan stilled. A flicker of something passed through her chest. Her eyes moved, almost without thinking, toward the door across the room. Closed. Locked. Exactly how it should be. “Okay,” she whispered, exhaling slowly. “Yeah. Just a dream.”

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, grounding herself in movement. Cold floor. Real. Morning light. Real. Her phone buzzed again, calendar reminder.

8:00 AM – Work

Normal. Everything is normal. By the time she was in the kitchen, coffee brewing and toast half-burnt (because she forgot about it), the dream had already started to fade. Not completely. But enough to ignore. She checked her email out of habit. Inbox full. Vendors, updates, internal threads. Nothing unusual. No weird RFQs. No late-night messages.

Her shoulders relaxed without her realizing it.

“See?” she muttered to herself. “You’re fine. “She grabbed her keys and bag, heading out the door. Pausing just long enough to lock it behind her. Her hand lingered on the handle for a second. Then she let go.