THE BORROWED LIFE

woke wit

from her body. The soft weight of the card beneath her pillow was the first thing she felt as her fin

pected anythi

somethi

enough for the cool breeze to drift in, carrying the sounds of the city-car horns, distant voices, the low murmur of life. But there

oked down

dy fel

er nails were longer, neatly manicured, a deep red. She held her breath and glanced down at her clothes: a sharp,

nded on the bed beside her. She reached fo

now Sel

life beg

n't even know who that was, let alone

oking furniture, minimalist and sleek. She glanced at the nightstand and saw a picture of a woman with p

he wasn't in her

g her with a stranger's face. She barely recognized herself. The woman in the mirror-Selene Voss-was everything Juniper was not: commanding,

e gotten he

was a sense of urgency in the air, a fee

for it, expecting an unfamiliar interface or someone else's contact list, bu

age po

h the board is still scheduled. D

thing about this woman, her life, or what her job even was. And yet, there was no time

no instructions, no manual, no one to tell her what to do next. It was

ilored to perfection. She was barely aware of the movements of her body as she pulled

ed back at her-a wo

abbed the phone and sent a

on my

he wasn't sure what to expect when she stepped outside. Would s

iet breath, she

rtment building lobby, with marble floors and high ceilings. A doorman in a crisp uniform greeted her, but

l man in a black suit, opened the door for her. As she slid into the backseat, she tried to collect he

she had to

ssTech" were boldly displayed across the top in sleek, metallic letters. Juniper stared at the building with a sense of fo

awyers, assistants, executives all bustling in every direction. The sheer chaos of the environment felt overwhelming, and yet

dressed in a smart blazer and p

t ten minutes before your meeting with th

at this meeting was about. Her mouth went dry, and she could fe

an imposter. Like everythi

Voss's confidence flickered within her. She stood strai

ne. Tha

nd walked off, leaving Juniper sta

e life behind and find her way back to her quiet s

t

ng breath, she moved

s no tur