If I can't sleep at night, I bother my parents. It's tradition.

So instead of laying there waiting for the monsters to get me, I jump out of bed and run to the door, not giving them the chance. I hear Mom and Dad talking and follow their voices to the living room. I'm just about to interrupt when I see how they're sitting. My dad is sitting behind my mom against the wall, playing with her hair. They're so cute. I decide to watch them instead of bothering them.

I get as close to the doorway as I can without them seeing me, and I try to hear them better. Then I realize they're talking about me.

"She's not happy here. None of us are," Mom says, keeping her voice quiet.

"What do you expect us to do, Aeryn? We came here for a reason. It doesn't do any good to pack up and go back to where our daughter's getting shot at," Dad tells her.

"So we stay here until we're completely paranoid and Rose refuses to socialize with anyone? We're not doing her any good."

"If I remember right, you were the one that suggested leaving," Dad says.

"I made a mistake," Mom says, sounding a little mad. "I thought it would be protecting her. It doesn't look like a good tradeoff."

I feel bad that they're fighting over me. But I can't help it that I don't like it here. I don't like the people. I don't trust them. I'm not sorry about that. I just don't like them fighting when it's about me. I don't like them fighting at all. I don't know why I'm still watching.

They get quiet, and Dad stops playing with my mom's hair to put his arms around her. "She thinks she's all alone," Mom says after a few microts. "She thinks that's bad, and that she's bad for being different."

"How do you figure that?" Dad asks.

"She told me."

I forgot about that. I talk to my mom a lot, and I tell her almost everything. Maybe I should stop that. It makes her worry.

Mom keeps talking. "She's unhappy, John, and she hates it here. I'm scared to see what will happen if it keeps up like this. The fact is, she's not alone. She's not even the only Sebacean/human hybrid. She needs to know these things."

Are they still talking about me? Why didn't I hear this before? Frowning, I inch closer.

"Don't bring this up now, Aeryn." Dad lets go of her, standing up, and I have to hide behind the doorway again to keep them from seeing me.

"I'm bringing it up," she says, not moving. "The more I talk with Rose, the more I know that she needs to hear this, and she needs to hear it from you."

"No. We've been through this. We don't know what Rose's life expectancy will be, she might never even be around for her to be born."

"Or maybe she could. She deserves to know she has a sister, John."

I couldn't have heard that right. Why wouldn't they tell me I had a sister? Little sister or big sister? Where is she? Why don't I know about her? I want to run away and hide under my covers and pretend I'm dreaming, but I can't move. I want to hear this.

"I've made up my mind. She's my daughter, and-"

"And Rose is our daughter," Mom says, finally standing up.

Dad holds out his arms, like he doesn't know what to do. "If this gets out, it's like the collapse of a society. Chaos. Total chaos."

"Frell their society. The only one I'm worried about is the girl sleeping down the hall," she tells him. "You think both of them aren't going to go through this? Secrets always come out, and they hurt when they do. All the problems we've had trying to keep it a secret that Rose isn't fully Sebacean, trying to hide that even from doctors... You think that girl won't have the same problems? It's not going to be any easier for her."

"That's not an argument," Dad says, his voice a little louder. "They're not going to let her know I'm her father, they're not going to let her know about Rose."

"If you don't want her to find out, keep your voice down," Mom says calmly.

Dad gets quiet and walks over to the couch to sit down. He looks tired. I feel bad for him.

Mom sits next to him, putting her hand on his knee. "Some day, she will find out, John. She is a very smart girl. The sooner we tell her, the easier it'll be for everyone."

I don't need to hear anymore. I feel a little like I'm going to throw up. I don't want to hear any more fighting, and I'd rather deal with the monsters under my bed. I tiptoe back to my room as quiet as I can and get back into bed.

I can't hear them talking anymore. Good. When I have enough guts, I'll ask Mom about this. Maybe she'll tell me what's going on.