Sharah waited for the shuttle to leave and then stepped through the door, closingbit softly behind her. The first thing she did, every time she walked in, was greet Hope. Fingers on her leaves or in the soil and just listen.

Silence

There was nothing. Sharah’s brow furloughed slightly, contemplating. She didn’t need to hear her to know the tree was healthy though.

There was no sense of presence for Charles or Yavia. Were they home? Oh it was so … odd. She moved toward the kitchen, the box tucked under her arm. She glanced toward the den and the door beyond and then the stairs. The silence was suddenly eerie. And she missed the immediate connection of feeling them nearby. It wasn’t gone forever, it was just the headband, but it was…well now she was noticing how it would change things.

“I’m home!”

Sharah