Kathryn
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When they returned home from the castle, Heather went to bed early and slept for most of the next day.
The following morning, in the dark before the milking, Kathryn awoke without knowing why. Sophia jumped down from Heather’s bunk and shook herself. She padded over to the air mattress and crawled into the crook of Kathryn’s arm.
Kathryn scratched under Sophia’s chin, sniffed the air and listened hard. The kitten purred. There was a difference to the room. Was it colder? Darker? Could it be that it sounded different? The space heater wasn’t clicking on or off. There were no refrigerator noises. Kyle’s breathy snores were the same as ever.
Kathryn shifted the kitten out of the way, rolled off the air mattress, and approached her daughter’s bunk—a dim nightlight slanting on h
