The car ride blurred together in Vivienne's memory like watercolors bleeding into each other. Smooth leather seats that smelled faintly of expensive conditioning oil. Classical music drifting from hidden speakers at just the right volume. Her father's voice as he pointed out constellation patterns through the sunroof, naming each cluster of stars and sharing the ancient stories that gave them meaning. Orion the eternal hunter. Cassiopeia the vain queen who challenged the gods themselves. Perseus and his impossible quests that somehow always ended in victory.
Vivienne fought to stay conscious through sheer determination. She wanted to absorb every story, memorize the exact cadence of his voice when he explained how ancient sailors used these same stars to navigate vast oceans and find their way home across impossible distances. But her eyelids kept growing heavy. Her head kept dipping toward her chest.
"Sleep if you need to, ma chérie. Don't fight it."
