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“I can’t believe this is happening,” her mother said “It’s just not…plausible?”

“Yeah I keep feeling like I just had a little seizure or so soain I don’t know I can’t…I don’t feel like he’s gone”

Cara felt a little s at her mouth For a second, she was tempted to run out and tell theether

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” her mother said “We weren’t supposed to be here anymore Not us Not—” Her voice thickened and stopped, like the words had gotten too gooey to get out Her father was ht have heard fro that h the crack in her door See what they were doing The tightness in her gut was the seconds of nighttis

“He should have been back in Paris,” her mother said “He should have been with his cousins, not on this fucking nightmare of a planet”

“I know,” her father said

“I hate it here I want to go home”

“I know, Dot I want to go home too”

Cara felt the words like a punch Hoo home? They were home This was home What they meant was Earth, where she’d never been, where she didn’t belong Where Xan didn’t belong

She must have made a noise, because her irl?”

Cara froze, then inched back toward her bed She couldn’t be found now Not dressed like this

“Babygirl?” her ain, and Cara jumped back into the bed, hauled the blanket up to her neck, and turned her face to the wall If they saw her face, they’d know she was only pretending to sleep…

Her door opened She fought to keep her breath slow and deep What would she say if they touched her? Should she pretend to wake up? What did she look like when she was just waking up? She didn’t know

“I love you, babygirl,” herhooing fast enough for two people, which struck her as funny, because it was sort of true Her heartbeat and Xan’s too For a while at least

Her parents’ voices were less clear now, but she heard the door to their bedrooain, waited some more No more noises No more voices