The file was thinner than the others. That should have been the first clue.
On the third night, Lena sat at the table. The photograph lay before her. She picked up a pen and wrote on the back of it: “I am number 364 now, aren’t I?” 364. Missax
And in a cold sublevel, Row 47, Box 19 quietly sealed itself shut. The file was thinner than the others
Missax.
Then Lena felt it. A soft, hungry presence behind her own eyes. Not a voice. A wish. A wish to let go of everything she’d ever truly wanted, so Missax could wear it. so Missax could wear it.