Juno stood in the doorway of her parents’ bedroom. As long as she wasn’t in the room, she could deny what she would see once she did go in. If she just squinted and stood very still, at the right angle, she could pretend he was sleeping. The light from the window fell across her father’s chest and legs, leaving his face in shadow. But he wasn’t just sleeping. He was far too still to just be sleeping. Juno felt her eyes grow hot and squeezed them shut tightly. A few tears escaped, and she rubbed at her face with her sleeve. Leaving for work without talking to him, even if he couldn’t say anything back, felt wrong. Like she was giving up. Crossing the threshold, she could feel all the small magics that she and her mother had spent the last three years weaving into the walls. Little rituals here and there with a drop of blood as a catalyst had blanketed the room with healing power, but it wasn’t enough. Her father was still dying. 

The closer she got to him, the more wrong he looked. His skin was pale and greyish, his face gaunt. His head was resting at an awkward angle. He wasn’t even in the bed that he and her mother had shared for the last twenty years. A few months ago her mother had finally been forced to admit that he needed hospice care. Now he was in a hospital bed, kept close by so her mother could still reach for him at night. 

There were no sounds in the room except the little beeps of the various monitors and machines he was hooked up to. Juno stood over her father without speaking for several minutes before sitting in the chair that she and Aya had moved in for her mom. She reached and took his hand, gently wrapping both her hands around it. His skin felt like paper. For a few seconds, she just sat, watching the rise and fall of his chest as she collected her thoughts.

“Hey dad. I’ve got work in a bit, but I wanted to come see you. I just wanted to say good morning, I guess. I got a promotion yesterday. They made me assistant manager, which apparently means I get to do twice as much work. Fun, right?”

She cleared her throat.

“I’ve gotta go or I’ll be late, but I’ll see you later, okay? Don’t forget your promise.”

Juno leaned over him and gently kissed his forehead before getting up. Leaving the room was harder than going in. Each time, she felt like it would be her last time seeing him. Before leaving the room, she lit the candle by the door and said a little prayer. Even if there wasn’t anyone listening, it was comforting, and it helped her feel better about being gone all day. Juno checked her watch and groaned. She was going to have to run to the station. 

Juno ran through the kitchen, only stopping to fill her coffee mug and grab her lunch from the fridge. Her mom was at the kitchen table with Aya, enjoying a breakfast that she apparently hadn’t been invited to. Her mom spoke first.

“Good morning, Juno. I thought you had left for work already.”

No you didn't, Juno thought.

“It’s fine. I woke up late and I’m not super hungry anyway.”

“Okay. Did you say good morning to your father?”

“I did.”

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There was an awkward pause while we all avoided saying what we were thinking.

“Well, I’m about to miss my train. So I’m just gonna… go. See you later.”

“Juno wait. Aren’t you going to speak to your sister? It’s usually customary to say a greeting to someone the first time you see them for the day.”

Juno mentally stomped down a wave of annoyance and turned to her sister.

“Right, sorry. Good morning Aya.”

“Good morning. Don’t forget that we’re watching a movie tonight, so can you pick up some snacks on your way back from work?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Juno actually had forgotten, but she was looking forward to it. But she had to get through work first. Satisfying her mother’s sense of propriety had eaten up more of her time, and now she was going to have to waste one of her very few workings. She pulled out her knife and dropped a little bit of blood onto the spell diagrams on the inside of her shoes, activating them with a short chant. A small magic, just enough to give her a bit of a backwind on her way. When she put the shoes on, she could feel a breeze pushing at her already.

The heat outside was oppressive as Juno sprinted down the sidewalk. Just a couple hours after sunrise, and the air was already rippling with heat. She could feel sweat trickling down her back despite her private breeze.

The station was only a couple blocks away, but she was wheezing by the time she got there. Her train was gliding to a stop as she swiped her card and pushed through the turnstile. It was one of the old trains. The ones with no onboard air conditioning. She sighed, but it was either spend some time in the heat or be late to work. The platform was crowded, and she had to elbow her way onto the train. The doors hissed closed. The train jerked into motion. Thankfully, someone had cracked open one of the windows, letting in a breeze. Admittedly, the breeze was no cooler than the air in the compartment, but at least it was moving. The ride was hot, bumpy, and uncomfortably sweaty. By the time she got to her stop, Juno was certain she had at least seven other people’s sweat on her. She took a deep breath of the must free air and pulled out her phone. She accidentally played a few seconds of music out loud before realizing she hadn’t actually put her headphones on. After a bit of nervous fumbling, she cracked the volume on her ‘going to work’ playlist and zoned out. She’d been walking the same way to work for three years, and if she got lost at this point, it would be more embarrassing than worrying.

As she walked, her steps still felt light and buoyed. I didn’t expect it to last this long, she thought. Maybe she’d given it more than she’d meant to. That couldn’t be it though. She’s used the shoes before once, and the spell had barely lasted ten minutes. There was no way that it would last for a half hour long train ride. The wind that had been gently pushing at her before started to pick up, making it difficult for her to stand up straight.

Juno looked around nervously, but no one on the crowded train platform seemed to notice what was going on. The wind increased in strength. It was really pushing at her now, forcing her to walk in one direction. Juno gave up trying to resist it and instead turned to look at where it was taking her. She immediately intensified her efforts to break free. She was being pushed towards a staircase that seemed to lead further downward. She was certain that the staircase hadn’t been there a couple days ago. As she struggled, the wind grew fiercer. It felt like an immense hand was at her back, pushing her almost to a run. The staircase unsettled her more the closer she got. Before she could think of something to do, she was right in front of the opening. 

“Hey! Someone help me!”

She shouted at the top of her lungs, but no one seemed to hear her. She took a breath to try again, but by that time it was too late. She was already being manhandled into the opening. As soon as she crossed the threshold, the wind that had been pressuring her forward disappeared. She turned quickly, thinking she might be able to run back, but her hopes were dashed when she saw a smooth block of stone sliding into place across the doorway. Juno looked over her shoulder at the dark passageway. There was no place to go but down.