There was nothing special about the demonstration that day. I set up with some of the guys as usual, wrapping the explosives in the branches of the trees and hiding out with the detonator. Sara and Joseph were usually the ones who did the talking. They had invited me to say something, to talk about my sister, but I had said no. I had been tempted to, but then I thought about Rhine, and I knew she wouldn't want to be part of a cause that wished for the world to burn.

I was leaning against one of the few trees I hadn't rigged with the detonator, waiting for Sara's signal. As I waited, I saw a little girl running around. She didn't seem to be running from someone but running in the way kids do when they are exploring a new place. I remembered running around like that with Rhine in our childhood, pretending to have glorious adventures like the people of the old world once did.

As the girl got closer, I saw her disfiguration. Disfigured children had become common when first generation tried having children. These children were often missing limbs, fingers, or other important body parts. I remember my parents talking about these children. People would drop deformed babies at the doorstep of their lab every night. This little girl, however, didn't seem to have any body part missing. Her face looked a little odd and the fingers on her one hand a little demented, but otherwise she seemed perfectly fine. She approached me carefully, her small head titled in curiosity.

"Maddie!" My heart nearly stopped. The little girl seemed to recognize the voice, turning away from me but not answering. I wondered if she could talk. Maybe she could tell me if I was just hearing things, or if that had been my sister's voice.

Luckily, I did not have to attempt to ask the little girl, Maddie, as the owner of the voice came forward. This time I was sure I was seeing things. My sister was standing right in front of me. Rhine was standing right in front of me. I didn't know what to say.

I took a good look at her. She was thin, extraordinarily so, and if I could guess I would say she had been sick lately judging by the pallid color of her skin. Her clothes were dirty and ill-fitting. Still, her hair was still golden blonde and her eyes captivating, and she looked just as lovely as she always had. There was something else there now, a tiredness or restlessness, that I couldn't pin down. I glanced down at her hand and realized why. There was a wedding ring on her finger.

Rhine didn't seem to notice me. Her focus was on Maddie. She held out a hand, which Maddie slowly took. She smiled faintly, as if the very act was difficult for her. She looked up, ready to apologize for Maddie's intrusion, and froze. Her eyes took me in, little by little, as if hesitant to believe I was real. She blinked a couple times. "Rowan?" she whispered.

I nodded, standing up. I was sure I had been signaled by now, but I really didn't give a damn. I had found my sister.

She crashed into me, her arms clinging tightly around my chest. I just held her, resting my forehead on her bony shoulder. She was shaking, and I knew she was crying, but there was no sound. I did not cry, but I felt like it. In that moment, I believed in the God and angels our dad used to tell us stories about. In that moment, I believed what I hadn't in a long time: There was good left in the world.

Finally, Rhine pulled away, wiping her tears on the back of her hand. Maddie was still standing there, staring at Rhine and me in fascination. Rhine smiled at her. "Where's Gabriel?" Maddie didn't answer, but her head moved in a certain direction. Rhine looked around trying to locate someone.

"Whose Gabriel?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. Rhine ignored me, her odd colored eyes scanning the crowd. Finally she smiled and cupped her hands over her mouth, shouting, "Gabriel!"

I watched as a dark-haired, tan guy came over. He had skin that was naturally tan in a way that simply didn't exist with people in New York. He didn't notice me, only raising his eyebrows at my sister. "What, did another hurricane come and whisk you away?"

I frowned at this remark, wondering when my sister had ever been anywhere near a hurricane, but Rhine just laughed, her eyes lighting up. She placed a hand on his arm. "Gabriel, this is my brother Rowan." She looked at me. "Rowan, this is Gabriel."

For a moment, we studied each other. I didn't know him, and he didn't know me, and I didn't know if we could get along. I did know one thing. He loved my sister. I could see it in the way he looked at her. It was the way our father had always looked at our mother. So I did the only thing I could do. I held out my hand and said hello. Grateful for the gesture, Gabriel reciprocated.

I could tell my sister had a million questions for me. She probably wanted to know why I had burned down our home, where I had been, and why I was at such a demonstration. I knew I had questions. Where had she been taken? What happened to her there? How had she gotten away from her husband? What was Gabriel to her? Whose child was Maddie. All these questions were swirling around in my head, and so I said, "I'm staying with some friends of mine down by the harbor." I didn't say, "You can stay too", because I knew Rhine didn't need me too. She only nodded and proceeded to follow me. Gabriel picked up Maddie, balancing her on his hip, and took Rhine's hand, tightly entwining their fingers together as if he thought someone would come and take her away. This gesture interested me, but I decided it could wait until we got home.

Home. My sister was finally home...