"I couldn't agree more," said X, still cheerful. "But it's not forever, and when I go back home, no time will have passed. If I had to be kidnapped, this was certainly the kinder way to do it."

He was pretty sure he hadn't imagined Nita's surprise, but she recovered quickly, and seemed genuinely curious. That was better than X had been led to expect, and there was a certain warmth in his cheerful smile when he answered her question.

"Eight years, when I first came here."