Aly's lost in much the same train of thought. She knows it's no good to what-if herself to distraction, but she can't help it these days. What if she comes back and she's already on the plane? What if her ruse doesn't work? What if they see right through her? What if, what if, what if.

I'd feel a lot better if sensei were here, she thinks, and blinks back tears. The aurora-like shimmers and the strange stars remind her of the place between, the place she'd only been once.

Then she hears someone else. "This is my roof, get your own," she says out of the darkness, wiping at her eyes.