“Digitally, the seat shouldn’t exist, but your booking has picked it up,” the attendant said. The seat had been resurrected by code, not intention. Alyssa pictured it appearing line by line, a ghost formed of data, assigned to her without hesitation or warning.
“The plane can fly now,” the attendant said quickly, as if anticipating Alyssa’s fear. “But not safely with the load distributed as it is.” She didn’t say the word you, but it hovered there, unspoken and unavoidable.