"Catherine. Like I said."

"Is she your sister?"

"No, I'm her mom."

"How old are you?"

She clutches the baby a little closer and doesn't answer.

"You just look awfully young. Did your implant malfunction?"

"My what?"

"Birth control implant?"

"I didn't have one of those?"

This makes Peressa look absolutely baffled. She pokes at her tinynet for a minute before saying, "I think we might be having translation issues. Can you tell me, in different words than were given to you, what the thing I asked about and you said you don't have is?"

"You think I'm too young to have a baby but she's mine and you can't have her!"

"--What? I'm not a kidnapper!"

"Good!"

"I'm concerned you might be in a bad situation, I'm not going to make your situation several orders of magnitude worse!"

"...well if I'm not dreaming then this is sure some kind of situation!"

"Your situation sounds like the plot of a book about things that don't exist."

"You got me there! I don't know what happened."

"I would ask you what happened right before you appeared here but you seemed very sleep deprived and might not remember."

"I think I was just walking Catherine."

"Do you live alone? Babies need a lot of nighttime care, I'm waiting to have any until I've got at least two reliable alloparents lined up."

"I live with my foster parents."

"That's good."

I don't know if we have any way of getting you home."

"I'm sorry."

"Guess at least I've got Catherine."