She closed the laptop. Sat in the dark for an hour. Then opened it again.
The next morning, Elara woke to a knock at her door. Her sister. Holding a potted plant she’d grown from a seed packet found in a used game case. SPORE Collection-GOG
2. Reject – Wipe Colony.
The game resumed. The monolith was gone. In its place was a new creature part: a small, glowing neuron labeled “Empathy Cortex – Price: 1 Saved Game.” She closed the laptop
She put it by the window.