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you love me?”
    “Yes, Mom.” That’s all Sofia could manage. Just those two words. She clung to them, hoped they’d be enough to end this conversation.
    “And your father?”
    “Yes, Mom.”
    “Great. I’m so glad we had this talk. Aren’t you?”
    “Yes, Mom.”
    “Okay, then. Your father and I are going away for a few days. We’ll be leaving tonight. Bye, now.”
    And with that, she turned and walked away.
    Sofia thought about the fact that they hadn’t even hugged. She knew it should bother her as much as everything else, but it didn’t. Sadly, it didn’t bother her at all.
    When she was absolutely sure her mom wasn’t coming back, Sofia finally gave up the internal battle and decided to let the tears flow.
    But nothing came.
    ~
    An hour passed. Maybe more. She couldn’t really tell. She felt like she was in a haze, numb to the world. Eventually the cold got to her, and she went inside, though in some ways, the house felt chillier.
    For awhile she wandered the large house, completely ignoring the paintings and vases and tapestries and wood paneling and plush carpet that marked it as a mansion. She wandered, dreading her afternoon lessons with Lolita the private tutor. Sofia longed for the weekend, for two full days of nothing and no one—even though she knew she’d spend it sulking and checking the computer every two minutes for e-mails from Tick or Paul.
    She entered the massive kitchen, all marble tile and shiny silver appliances, hoping a snack from the fridge would jump-start her from the doldrums. Frupey—his blond hair slicked back as usual—and the head cook were there, planning meals for the few days Sofia’s parents would be gone. When that was the case—which was often—Frupey and the cook schemed to make dinner a little more tasty for Sofia, a little less healthy. Sometimes they even spoiled her with hot dogs, a secret she’d never dare tell her friends back in America.
    “Sofia,” Frupey said when he noticed her. “I was just going to come for you. I’ve received word that you have a friend coming within the hour.”
    Sofia felt a tinge of excitement, and the dull blahs inside her vanished. A friend? Her immediate thought was it had to be a Realitant. Maybe Mothball or Rutger.
    “Really?” she asked, trying not to sound too eager. “Who is it? And what do you mean you received word? ”
    “Well, it’s rather strange.” Frupey stood straight, arms clasped behind his back. Ever the butler. “A metal tube came flying through a window. It thoroughly shattered the glass and required quite the cleanup. Based on your stories of, well, you know, your new friends, I thought it must be from the adventurous science people.”
    Sofia’s heart soared. It was them. She couldn’t wait to give Master George a hard time about his less-than-apt abilities at placing his message tubes when winking them.
    “What did it say?” she asked. “Where is it?”
    Frupey bowed and pulled a small piece of white cardstock from his jacket pocket and handed it over to her.
    She snatched it out of his hands with a quickly murmured thank you and read it:
    Sofia, we’ll be there straightaway to pick you up. Within the hour. It’s most urgent!
    MG
    Unable to hide a grin, and now thrilled that her parents were leaving, she ran from the kitchen without another word to Frupey so she could pack a few things for her trip.
    ~
    Master George came alone.
    Sofia had been standing on the large brick porch for thirty minutes, the strap of her bag digging into her shoulder, staring down the long paved drive, waiting anxiously. When she spotted the old man shuffling along with an almost comical, hurried gait, she sprinted out to meet him.
    “Why didn’t you just have me go to the usual cemetery?” she asked when she reached his side.
    Master George stopped walking, bent over and put his hands on his knees to catch a few deep breaths.
    “I don’t mean to wink you back to headquarters for now,” he finally