"Are you really leaving so soon? Why don't you stay for the night? We prepared a guest room for you as well as for your mates," Mr. Hawthorne insisted as we stood next to our parked car.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile and willed my voice to cooperate. "Thank you, Signore. But we shouldn't overstay."
Mr. Hawthorne frowned. "You know you can call me dad, Amira."
Then, Mrs. Hawthorne stepped forward to grasp my arms. Marku made a move to stop her, but I told him to let her be through the resonance. "Come visit us soon, okay, Sweetie? We missed you, and we're happy that you're back now with us."
After a few more goodbyes, we finally disentangled ourselves from my family and drove back to the compound. All the while, I couldn't help but feel like we were being followed... or that I made a
