Chapter 6: Home VisionsMy father met me at the ship’s landing dock. He helped me gather my bags—though I had fewer now than when I had left—and then took me to the car. He held doors open and carried items as if I was an invalid. I caught my reflection in a mirror on the car door and regarded a healthy tan over my once fair cheeks. Longer hair, in need of yet another haircut, and a chiseled jaw from smiling so much. I was even heavier, despite the health food I’d been eating while away on Hydron.
“Was the trip good for you?” my father asked. His voice was still tentative, as if I was breakable.
“I swam in the ocean while two waves battered me near to death,” I said, smiling wide. “I feel great. And I have the picture to prove it.”
He let out a low laugh, utterly relieved. I figured he’d
