she asks, worried. Uncle Had is right behind her, first hugging us and then looking at us with concern.

“Mom and Dad disappeared right after the solar flares. I lost an eye trying to be creative—it’s a writing war wound. And all of what’s happened is a longer story than just our parents going missing,” I say.

They trade glances. Is that a knowing look? Do they already know what happened to Mom and Dad? I’m not sure, so I decide we’ll just spill it all and hope for the best.

“You’d better sit down—this story is going to take a while.”

We all sit down on the comfortable couches and James and I take turns filling in all the details. We tell them about Madi’s kidnapping and Mom and Dad disappearing. We even mention t...

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