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Underneath the scent of oil and spices, there were no telltale signs of death, and the food smells were so pungent I’d bet money someone had been cooking recently.

While Ava moved more carefully with Pearl, I bounded up the stairs two at a time, pickaxe hanging from one hand, banister clasped with the other.

I reached the landing just in time to catch Kirby in the open doorway of the apartment with her back to me.

A woman in a white shirt and black pants stood in front of her. Alive. Her hands covered her mouth, and a raw sound burst between her fingers.

Smaller than her daughter, Mrs Wú’s greying hair had been tied back, and her eyes were wrinkled at the corners. All she could do was stare at first, then everything exploded at once.

Ava slipped in beside me on the landing, and Pearl started barking the second she spotted Kirby.

Kirby cried out and flung her arms around her mum, tucking her face into Mrs Wú’s neck. A dry sob heaved from one of them or both—I couldn’t be sure anymore.

Ava looked up at me with a smile. I swallowed, and my shoulders loosened for the first time since we’d left the Watsons’ place.

An older man appeared in the doorway behind Kirby’s mum, his shirt the same shade as the greying streaks in his hair. He took a step forward, then stopped as if he didn’t trust what he was seeing.

“You made it,” he said. “You made it home.”

Kirby pulled back from her mum. “Hi, Bà,” she said, her voice softer than I’d heard it before. “I’m here.”

He wrapped his arms around both of them, one hand cradling the back of Kirby’s head, the other clutching his wife’s shoulder. No one spoke. Even Pearl seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. She stopped barking and tilted her head to one side, then the other.

I cleared my throat, but it did nothing to ease the ache.

No version of this waited for me. No one to miss me or worry about me. I’d made it back into the country, but I’d never make it home.

Ava shushed Pearl, stroking her and bouncing her like a baby, her eyes on Kirby the entire time.

Was she thinking about her sister? Wondering how Sadie was coping without her?

When the hug ended, Mrs Wú’s hands moved immediately to Kirby’s face, then her arms and shoulders. “Have you been eating? Are you hurt?” she asked, her palm smoothing over Kirby’s hair. She paused, frowning at the colour. The septum ring raised no eyebrows, though, so it mustn’t have been new.

Kirby let out a broken breath and leaned into her touch. “It’s okay, Mā. I’m fine. I’m home now.”

The three of them spoke in fast Mandarin, questions and answers tangling together. Kirby nodded, shook her head, then burst out laughing.

I rested the head of my pickaxe on the floor, and Ava sighed, tears glistening.

Kirby’s mum clasped her cheeks again and looked her over, examining every detail. Kirby swatted at her, smiling through the smothering. “You worry too much. I’m okay.”

More words came, even faster this time. Her dad said something in a low, serious tone, and when Kirby answered, her voice had softened.

I didn’t need to understand the language to feel the bone-deep relief. Her parents had just got something back they must have worried had been lost forever.

Her dad’s attention shifted then, noticing me properly for the first time, followed by my weapon. He looked at Ava next, and the dog, his expression changing as he adjusted to the new faces in his home.

Kirby followed his line of sight. “Oh, right.” She dragged a hand through her hair and let out a breathless laugh. “This is Luke and Ava. They…” Her voice caught, then she cleared her throat and tried again. “We came here together.”

Her mum dipped her head, her eyes bright. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for bringing my daughter back.”

Kirby’s snort dissolved the last of the tension. “It’s not like I gave them a choice.”

Her dad waved us closer, trusting his daughter’s judgement. “Come inside,” he said. “You both tired. Sit. Rest.”

Before either of us could answer, a knock came from somewhere downstairs, the rapid tap of knuckles on glass rattling through the building.

Kirby looked at me, then both her parents.