When waiting for the kids to come home, I prepared them a snack, ants on a log made with wilted celery.

Cole comes into the kitchen after talking with Gerard.

“There’s something you should probably know before the kids come back from school. It would be better to have this conversation with Gerard, but..” Cole trails off. “When the bugs initially attacked, millions of people died, including your sister, Elizabeth. Gerard adopted Calvin.”

I nod.

“Elizabeth died? What happened?” I ask. It won’t feel real unless I know details. And it needs to feel real, otherwise I might forget it happened.

“She was attacked by a bug. She was at work when the bugs first appeared, and it crushed her. I’m sorry Jessica.”

I nod. “Thanks for telling me.” I go back to putting raisins on the celery. Elizabeth died. Bet-bet.

I’m reading Elizabeth’s obituary on my phone when the door opens and Elly runs in.

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I turn my phone off and wipe the tears off my face.

“First!” she yells. Carter comes in slightly after. They take off their shoes and bags and come into the living room. Calvin and Sal enter the house, chatting.

Elly rounds the corner to the kitchen, and reaches up to the cabinet. She freezes.

“Mom?” Elly goes out of the kitchen and drags Carter back in.

“I’m back,” I say.

Carter looks at Elly. “We thought you were dead,” he says.

Elly runs up and hugs me.

Calvin and Sal come into the kitchen. Calvin stares at me.

“I was just stuck for a while, that’s all.”

“Stuck how? You were gone the whole summer!” Sal says.

Calvin runs off.

“I don’t really know. I was in the Bug Hunting Tutorial.” I say.

Sal nods.

“I made a snack for you guys,” I gesture to the peanut-butter covered celery.

Elly takes a handful, the chewing sound making the silence more awkward.

Gerard walks into the kitchen.

“Where’s Calvin?” he asks.

“He went to his room,” Sal says.

Gerard nods. “I’ll talk to him,” he says quietly.

“So, what have you been up to?” I ask my kids.

It takes a few moments before Carter responds.

“I’ve started knitting,” he says. “I was trying to finish that blanket you’ve been working on.”

Elly then starts describing her plans for a science fair project, and I feel like things could get back to normal.