I watched him go, waited until he was completely out of sight. Then I waited another minute or two to make sure he didn’t double back before I scrambled up the hill and through the vines. I dashed up to the porch, and around the house to the back door, to Jasper.

But when I pushed it open, I found the house still and empty. “Hello?” I called faintly, and then louder. “Hello?” I poked my head into the bathroom, just in case, but it was empty too.

Without Jasper, it didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t the Vine Realm. It was only a hot shabby kitchen in a falling-down house. I didn’t want to spend another minute there.

Walking home, I felt tangled, anxious, but I couldn’t sort out exactly why. For a year, it had been like my head was full of static, like the sound of cars rushing by on the highway. That had been awful, but in a way it had been simple. The same numb ache each day. Now the static was gone, and I could hear voices again, but it was like there were three blaring televisions on at the same time, all full of shouting. I couldn’t decide which of them to worry about. That’s what I was trying to figure out as I neared home and turned up the walk, to a sound I hadn’t heard in over a year.

Laughter. Familiar laughter. Mom’s laughter. Bright bursts of it. “Hee-hee!” Even before I stepped inside, through the panes of glass in the kitchen door, I could see where it was coming from. Mom was in my usual spot. And across from her sat Jasper. They were drinking coffee, deep in conversation.

It was unbelievably strange, seeing Jasper there with my mom. Jasper always seemed larger than life to me, with her big smile and that head of curls. She was brighter than anyone else I knew. She had a shine to her. But sitting there with Mom, she looked smaller than usual, and sort of . . . normal. Like any other girl might look, with a tangle of red hair, a black T-shirt, and flip-flops. Laughing and talking with my mom. I liked it, and at the same time, it didn’t feel right.

At last I stepped up to the door and reached for the knob.

They both turned at the sound of the door opening. And when she saw it was me, Mom flashed me a smile. A real smile. Easy. I hadn’t seen that smile in months and months.

“Mom!” I said. “You’re home early from work.”

“Oh, hey, honey!” she called out. “We wondered where you’d gotten off to.”

I stood in the doorway. I had no idea what Jasper had told Mom. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and jinx us.

“Hi?” I said cautiously.