Before I have time to change my mind, the iPad is making a ringing noise. This time I hear Elizabeth before I see her. “Bree? Hang on, I’m turning on the video. Don’t go anywhere!” She sounds cheerful and I smile, thinking about how well our last Skype talk from Prague went. “Hey! Hi!” she says when her face appears on the screen. She’s on the couch in our family room and the TV flickers beside her. “Are Mom and Dad home?” I ask first. “Nope. Both out. We’re safe. Although maybe you could find some pine trees to stand in front of and make one of these calls to them. I think they’re getting really antsy to talk to you. The postcards Madison’s been sending ‘from you’ aren’t quite cutting it anymore.” I peer out my hotel window at the glittering lights of boats bobbing in the Riviera. Pine trees? She must be kidding. “I’ll see what I can do,” I say. “Yes, please. You should just watch Mom’s sad anime eyes every time she boxes up another care package for you.
