A few hours later, Richard and Catherine came home. They found Kaius sitting in the dark in Meela's room.
Catherine jumped, putting a hand over her heart. "Kaius! You scared me! Why are you sitting in the dark?"
Kaius didn't answer. "Mom, has Meela come home?"
Catherine froze. "No."
"That's impossible," Kaius said, shaking his head. "The officers said she went home. They wouldn't lie to me."
"Where else could she be?"
"She went home, Kaius," Catherine said softly, turning away. "Her real home."
Kaius' ears started ringing. He couldn't breathe.
"What do you mean, her real home? This is her home! She grew up here! You're her parents!
"She's just being childish! Her father is just a soldier! She'll never survive in the military! She'll come crawling back!"
He pulled out his phone an
