Wherever Nor was sleeping it was certainly more comfortable than usual. Warmer too. She shifted slightly and in her half-sleep-half-awake daze recalled something about Jem and warm food and falling asleep on a couch and meeting some people. The couch was far too warm to be left just yet she decided. As she was slipping closer to a deep, almost comatose sleep, a couple of words yanked her towards wakefullness.

“Wakey wakey,”

For a moment she closed her eyes tighter then cracked one open just a smidge. She peered from an apple to Jem and back to the apple. An incomprehensible sound of what might have been a greeting or plea to leave was vocalized. After a moment she opened both eyes, sitting up slowly. She rubbed what she recalled her mother had called sleep dust out of her eyes. Apparently it was a sign of a good night's sleep.

She swung her legs over the side of the couch and picked up the apple. She turned it around, examening it. Sometime after deliberating for a while she bit into it resoundingly. The apple was sweet and juicy. In no time she was down to the core. Even then she wasn't finished with it and consumed it so completely only the stem and seeds were left.