I honestly am starting to wonder if I’m some sort of…NPC or something.” Win blinks, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly. She opens her mouth to speak, shuts it, then shakes her head. “Wait—what’s an NPC?” “A non-player character,” I answer. She’s still confused, open mouth staring at me. “Like from a video game? The characters who exist the moment the main player needs them to and then, presumably, disappear when offscreen—existing in some empty void.

