Fire
Summary
- In this chapter, the protagonist, Nora, wakes up in a new life where she has woken up swimming in a salt-water pool in Australia.
- She quickly realizes that she's a highly skilled swimmer and she understands that she had once been a championship swimmer as a teenager.
- While she had traded her swimming passion for music in her original life, she never really disliked swimming, but the associated pressure.
- She finds out that she is at an outdoor pool near Bronte Beach, Sydney as opposed to the Byron Bay where she believed she was going to be. This leads her to speculate whether she wasn't with her bandmate Izzy, or if Izzy was not in Byron Bay.
- She finds a locker key and discovers colorful beach clothes inside. Upon dressing, she notices self-inflicted scars and an ugly tattoo of a Phoenix on her arm, leading her to question this life more.
- Through her outdated phone and the limited social media she uses, she finds she shares poems, her contact list has unfamiliar names, she works with someone named Kind Eyes, and she has messaged Dan mentioning she's moved to a new place near Bronte Beach.
- The condition of her new apartment seems unkempt and dissatisfying. She sees anti-depressant tablets in her name and wonders about her mental health.
- She meets her flatmate Jojo, who warns her against cat-sitting due to a theory about a parasite related to cats. Nora asks Jojo about Izzy and finds out this version of Izzy died in a car crash.
- Nora immediately searches the news article of Izzy's death and the grief that she feels is real and terrifying. She remembers being questioned about Izzy's death and being heartbroken about it.
- The chapter ends with a call from Nora's work, stating that she's late for her shift at a ferry terminal. Nora acknowledges the request and fades away, signaling a transition to another life.