“It’s funny,” Ollie whispered into Dinah’s hair.

“What we all could see, and they couldn’t. It’s like they were a puzzle with a piece gone missing, and instead of trying to fit a new piece into the hole, they redrew the whole picture. Like they were pretending there wasn’t anything wrong. Wanting everyone else to pretend the same thing. They never spoke her name and we never asked.

“But little things gave them away. Seven spots on the transporter. Seven chairs at the meeting table.

“They left ... space.”

Dinah stirred. “Did you say something?”

“Nothing, love. Go back to sleep.”