Now it struck her more than ever: no one had asked her anything. Not her preferences. Not her comfort. Not whether she even wanted to fly or be issued a refund instead. She hadn’t chosen the seat. She hadn’t chosen the flight. She had simply been placed here.
The seat number echoed in her thoughts, stripped of meaning. It didn’t feel personal. It felt interchangeable, like a placeholder waiting to be filled by the nearest available body. Alyssa glanced around, suddenly wondering what it all meant.