How the editing process works.

01Mara had been stood stood outside the apartment for nearly twenty minutes, though she kept telling herself it had only been five. The hallway smelled like smelled of old rain and burnt coffee.

02The light above the lift flickered in a way that made everything feel more dramatic than it needed to be flickered, making the silence feel sharper.

03She lifted her hand to knock, then lowered it again. Because she was very unsure if She was not sure she wanted the answer that waited behind the door.

04The letter in her pocket was damp at the corners and soft from being held too tightly. The letter in her pocket had gone soft at the corners from being held too tightly.

05It was not heavy, but somehow it felt like it had weight only paper, but it still felt heavy.

06When the lock finally clicked from inside, Mara stepped backwards, which was silly because there was nowhere really to go stepped back, even though there was nowhere to go.

07A breath moved through the gap before the door opened, like a person who had decided not to speak like someone deciding not to speak and then changed their mind too late.

08Mara almost laughed, not because anything was funny, but because the moment had become too sharp to stand inside.

09The door opened only a little. A chain held it in place. Behind it, one eye looked at her.

10It was not afraid exactly not exactly afraid, but it was not welcoming either.

11The silence between them went on for too long stretched, and Mara felt herself starting to speak just because wanting to speak because the quiet made her nervous.

12She wanted to explain everything at once, but all the words were standing in the wrong order.