Kara Sparx groaned as she rolled out of bed. Sleeping on her guest bedroom mattress for a few days had made her realize just how horrible it was. With her sister and niece in town, Kara had decided the two of them should share the master suite, while she slept in the tiny downstairs bedroom ostensibly reserved for guests. Of course, Kara was the first person to sleep on the guest bed. Most of her old friends had a wide array of choices as to where they would stay when they visited Cobalt City. When family came, though, it only made sense to let them stay with her.

As Kara stretched and winced at the popping noises of her back, she noticed that the house seemed oddly quiet. She glanced at the clock and realized that she had slept nearly until noon. After waking up by eight the past two mornings, s...

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