A soft electronic tone sounds from the kitchen.
Wren closes her eyes.
“Oh no.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“What?”
“My phone.”
“You said no tech.”
“I know.”
“But that was the system alert.”
I lean back in the chair.
“Meaning?”
“If the observer node detects something unusual…”
“…it sends a notification.”
“And?”
She stands slowly.
Her calm expression returning.
“I turned notifications off.”
“But apparently…”
“…the system didn’t listen.”
I grin slightly.
“Sounds like it’s learning.”
She disappears into the house.
I hear her footsteps cross the kitchen.
Then silence.
A few seconds later—
Her voice drifts back through the screen door.
“…that’s strange.”
I stand up.
“What is it?”
She walks back onto the porch holding her phone.
