Somewhere Else to Go

Cambridge, 2030. Owen can’t afford anywhere to live, so when Julian Vale offers him a room for nothing, it feels like rescue. The house is warm. The suppers are long. Before every meal, Vale’s wife gives thanks for those who keep watch while we sleep.

Nobody says who is watching.

Housemates who ask the wrong questions are moved on, kindly, with good wishes. Then Tess finds a list with Owen’s name on it, and a week later she is gone. When she finally calls him, her voice is perfect. So is everything she says, right down to the one thing he said in a room where nothing was listening.