Alison heard a knock on the bedroom door.

     It's them, she thought. They've found me at last.

     She didn't know whether to be happy or terrified.

     "Come on in," she said. 

     Abby went right to her. She hadn't seen her daughter in a year, and she'd been worried sick about Alison that entire time. 

​     Abby needed to hug her. 

     For a single moment, as they embraced, they became mother and daughter again as they'd always been, soul derived from soul, souls entwined. 

     The first thing Abby said when they, at last, separated, was, "Let me get a look at you."

     She'd gained a few pounds, Alison had, and this was someone who once fought to keep her figure slender. She'd restyled her hair so that now it looked like it once belonged to a Beatle their first year in America. 

     "You're hiding well," Gramps said. 

     "Nice to see you again too, Gramps." 

     "It took us this long to track you down." 

     "How'd you..." 

     "Beth Holland spotted you, recognized you."

     "Damn it, I spotted her, too. That was last week, right?"

     "She saw you go into this building."

     "We've done nothing but look for you," Abby said.

     "I'm fine."

     "I needed to know that for myself. How have things been?"

     "Before January, horrible. The first few months especially, really horrible."

     "Alison, I..."

     "You grow up quick, that's for sure."  

     "You should have come home."

     "And where's that?"

     "With us."

     "And where's that? Where have you been living for the last year?"

     "If you needed..." 

     "I'm with someone. His name's Winston." 

     "Does he..."   

     "What he...you know what? I know that this probably doesn't look like much to you, but this is my home, and you can't just barge in here and..."

​     "You're only nineteen," Gramps said.

     "Old enough to..." 

     "We're worried about you, sweetheart," Abby said. 

     "Worry about yourselves. You especially, Mom. The cops mean business. How's Cathy and Skip?" 

     "They're still with us. They're fine. They miss you." 

     "I miss them like crazy." 

     "You're a botanic," Gramps said. 

     "What makes you say that?" 

     "You look like you've had plenty to eat."

     "Everyone on this planet's had plenty to eat since January," Alison replied. 

     "You know The Fours is behind the botanicals, right?" 

     "Starvation is a thing of the past." 

     "At what price, though?" 

     "Why does there have to be a price?" 

​     "I watched Mother Naturia be 'born' last year." Gramps said. "An entity named Valtair had..." 

     "Don't!" Alison snapped that out. "That's exactly what I...You always...Anyway, not that it makes any difference about anything but, yes, Winston and I are both botanics." 

     "There was a knock on Alison's front door.

     "That's Winston now," Alison said. "I've been waiting for him. Come on in, Winston." 

                                                    CONTINUE