It was well past midnight when I heard soft knocks on my bedroom door. My vision was blurry with sleep as I sat up. My eyes cleared and adjusted to the darkness. It was dad with a handful of equipment. “Can I come in?” he asked. Whoa. His voice wasn’t hoarse for once, and it reminded me of his actual age. When I turned on the lights, I saw his fresh eyes and a poised body. He was more alive than I’d ever seen him be.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. I was happy to see him again, and hopeful he’d share more news about the Energy Gods. Lace curtains were draped over my windows and I had no intention of separating them. I knew the red eyes were there.
Dad laid out his equipment on my bed, in order of the simplest to the most complex. “I need to take some of your samples,” he said. I sat strai
