"Vick, over here!" the shout startles me – I give an involuntary squeak. Vick pulls me close into his side.

"It's alright, baby," he says softly. "Just my brother."

Taking me by the hand, we walk slowly towards a couple standing next to a silver car. I didn't know cars were so pretty these days, all sleek and shiny.

I have a lot of catching up to do.

The woman holds a bundle in her arms; a bundle that squeaks and moves. A baby.

Vick and the unknown man are hugging each other tightly, pounding each other on the back. The woman smiles reassuringly at me. Her whole figure radiates peace.

"Hello," she says quietly. "I'm Diamond. You must be Feather."

I nod, slowly, warily. I must be careful around these strangers, in case they become like the guards at the prison. I must be careful.

"Yes, this is Feather," Vick puts his arm around my shoulders, comforting me. "Feather, this is my brother Trace, and his wife Diamond, then their daughter Clare."

I stare at them each, one at a time. They look so together, a healthy, happy family unit. Like mine was. Until they took me away.

Trace is tall and built. Brown hair, brown eyes. Handsome. Kind. Smiling.

Diamond is beautiful. Like a picture of an Egyptian queen I saw in school.

The baby, Clare, is a pink face among white blankets. Tiny. Delicate. Fragile.

I'm scared.

Vick's soulfinder is nothing like Diamond imagined her. She thought the girl would be beautiful; warm skinned and dark haired. Happy, pretty, perfect. Just like Vick deserves. But this girl – she's like a ghost. Thin and pale, adhered to Vick's side like he's the only person she trusts.

But she can see the love in his eyes when he looks at her.

If Diamond is honest with herself, she would say that she is wary of Feather, even though her heart goes out to the poor girl who endured so much. She doesn't like the look of fear as Feather glanced at her precious baby. She doesn't like the alarm in the girl's eyes; the alarm that only subsides when Vick is near her.

She doesn't trust her. As much as she would like to, she just can't. And that won't change.