"We've accomplished a lot," Marcus observed over dinner, surveying their organized chaos with scholarly satisfaction.
"We've survived," Kai corrected. "There's a difference."
"We've thrived," Samantha offered. "Everyone's still alive, mostly stable, and we have school supplies. I'm counting that as thriving."
"Tomorrow we have medical appointments," Linda reminded them, consulting her tablet. "Which means getting eight children ready and out the door by 1 PM."
"Nineteen hours away," Kai noted. "We have time."
"You have eight children with varying levels of dimensional stability," Linda countered. "Time is a myth."
She was, as usual, correct.
