Then Mama looked at the man. "This is a diplomat from the Alliance Embassy. He told me we have to leave Earth."

I couldn't look at him. We're not going to Guanajuato? I hoped for a big, close family.

"Hey, we'll be together. Maybe some of our relatives will come." Ava smiled at me.

I nodded. But, I kept thinking about her kicking my backpack. "I have to return my computer to the school! What about my classes?" My voice broke.

The man waved and it rose. That student ran to the limo to take it, and my books. "I'll make sure these are turned in."

"What if the computer won't work?"

"It will! We have progs to repair it!" He smiled and ran in the building. Again, the teacher at the door didn't see him.

Can I trust these people? But if we're leaving, does it matter?

The man caught my attention. "I am very sorry. These are great changes in your lives. But slavers are coming to Earth, and they are watching you. We do not know why. Diplomats are visiting your relatives, even in other states, or Miss Diaz, in Guanajuato. I hope some of them will choose to come."

Then, he waved up holograms of 25 planets. I barely heard his descriptions of the Earth colonies on almost all of them. Mama nodded.

Ava asked lots of questions. "Who else is coming?"

"There are 54 people going to Earth MarKu..." Numbers appeared on each spinning world. MarKu had the most. Names scrolled, but I didn't see anyone I knew, on any planet.

"I want to go to MarKu, but I'll have to see where my parents want to be. How about you, Cho?"

My lips trembled. "Wherever Mama goes, I'll go with her."

Mama nodded. "I think I want to go to MarKu. Maybe we'll make friends."

The car started and we drove for a while. I was quiet. Ava kept asking questions about MarKu. It'll have a replica of the entire Beltline, a skating rink, a baseball stadium. Piedmont Park? I'd cry every time I saw it! How can I get used to a green sky with 5 moons in it?

Doors opened and we got out on a spaceship. Mama held my hand. She never holds my hand. We got out and she stayed very close to me.

Too many people, too much noise! Usually, crowds didn't bother me and I kind of liked the excitement, walking around Atlanta or shopping. Here, I just wanted to shrink and vanish! A bunch of people like us were going through a tapestry of a round room. Where are they going?

That man stayed with us. "Would you like a room? We can bring any of your relatives who come to you."

"I would like that very much!" Mama kept startling. So did I, though I tried not to do it, too. Ava went with us.

A man in white robes bowed. "I am a healer. Do any of you feel unwell?"

"I could use something for a headache," Mama said. "I have medicine at home."

The diplomat led us all to a room that had Mama's furniture in it! It had a tapestry with Mama and I and a green landscape with colorful, low buildings. Guanajuato, like Mama's pictures. She looked sad. Ava followed him through. We put our hands through first, then passed through. It was warm, then cool. It wasn't round, like that other room we saw. There was a curved wall, and through it, we saw houses. That's Elizabeth Street! We took walks up there sometimes. We're still in our neighborhood. This room was big enough to hold everything in Mama's bedroom, just like it was. Unlike our living room, half empty after Dad took things. She refused to let him take this bed, but he got the beautifully-carved headboard with its shelves that was made in Mexico. He had the receipt from the furniture store.

All of us sat on the bed, now larger and round. Mama's colorful bedspread wasn't soft, but beautiful, bright stripes in a diamond pattern.

He gave us green cubes to put our things in and helped Mama turn off the power, the water, the garbage service. He offered her clones.

"No. I have sisters and brothers in Guanajuato."

That healer wanted to touch our heads. Ava let him. "You have many pains for a young one. I can heal this, but you will sleep."

Ava looked at me, blue eyes wide. "If Cho doesn't need me."

"It's fine. I've got Mama." I forced a smile.

He felt her head again and sang beautifully. She fell asleep and he covered her up. Ava had a bendable mattress that looked soft.

Then he put me in one. I shivered when he picked me up. "O, you are frightened! I am most sorry. Should I bring a lady healer for you?" His brown eyes grew wide.

"I—don't think I need a healer!" Then I sniffed. My nose is running.

I let him feel my head and he frowned. "You have an unwell called Influenza A. I have help for it, but you need an aandat. This is a whiteness that rests on the skin. She offers protection against unwells."

He looked to Mama for permission and she said no. She doesn't trust vaccinations, either, but I had to get them all for school.

"Mrs. Diaz, she will be very unwell if she nae receives an aandat. I have herbs for discomforts, but there are limits to our healing. When we travel, we have nae unwells because Zheien, as I am, have them from birth. Elshars, who nae wish aandats, have severe unwells at times because they lack them. Earthans are more fragile than Elshars." His mind pointed out twin-fingered people like him, and people who looked like us, outside our wall. "If you take them now, you will not be as sick."

"Nobody dies from the flu." Mama shook her head.

"Here are people near you who did." A few names scrolled. Most were elderly, but one was 35, her age, and Hispanic. These were death certificates with the cause of death listed.

That convinced her. "Okay, we'll take them."

He waved, and a mass of white jelly fell on our feet! I gasped as it flowed up my legs and under my clothes!

Mama's moved more slowly. In maybe 30 seconds mine stopped moving. Hers took about 30 seconds more. But mine didn't seem very noticeable under my long-sleeved T-shirt. I didn't feel it. I did feel strong!

Mama patted her shoulders and pressed. Made a face. "Does it come off if I don't like it?"

The healer frowned. "If you removed her, you might die!"

She sighed.

I got pretty bored between Ava sleeping and Mama talking on the phone. More like waiting on hold to each place she paid bills.

That healer helped me get my stuff out of the house. I'd always been scared to admit what I liked. My clay creations looked dumb. I tried to draw but it wasn't good. I arranged my clothes and I could clean them with a wave. Embarrassing how many covered the bottom of my closet. Junk under my bed.

Ava didn't have any clutter, she's so organized. I waved her stuff to her cube so she wouldn't have to deal with it later.

A diplomat brought Mrs. Greenfield. "Oh, is Ava all right? She was acting really strange this morning!"

Ava woke up. "Oh, Mom! I'm glad you're here! Did they tell you slavers were watching us?"

"Slavers? Oh, my!"

Then her mom got busy wrapping up things. Her dad came and helped. They got their stuff from the house.

Later, they decided to let this scientist named Pirad record their memories so they could have clones.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Mama stared at Mrs. Greenfield.

"I'm an only child, you know, and you have such wonderful stories about having a lot of relatives! I want a sister or two. Ava always wanted a sister or brother, but I couldn't have any after her." She hugged Ava.

So they went off to another room. I worried.

The healer wanted to sing me to sleep, so I let him.