I woke to the gentle chime of the room's environmental system adjusting to my conscious state. The lights slowly brightened to a warm amber, and the temperature shifted from the cooler sleeping setting to something more comfortable for waking hours. For a moment, I simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, almost able to pretend I was back at Starcrest in my dormitory.
Almost.
The knock at my door was firm, unmistakably my father's. Three precise raps, evenly spaced. I sat up, running a hand through my disheveled white hair.
"Enter," I called, my voice still rough with sleep.
