Summary

Thea takes a train from Asheville to Orlando. The train is mostly empty, but there is another girl of Thea’s age in her car. Thea notices both the girl’s wealth and her shyness. Thea wishes she could tell the girl to stop being nervous and take charge. Thea then begins questioning her own desire to return to her family. When she spots her parents on the train platform, she feels she isn’t ready to see them. Thea greets them. Her mother looks agitated and her father looks much older. Thea is surprised by how busy Orlando is in comparison to Emathla. Thea’s mother is exhausted and tells Thea she now suffers from a permanent headache. She tells Thea they are living in a hotel, but will be leaving for their new home the next week.

When they arrive at the...