That's the sort of thing all kids dread and fear, Claire thinks quietly to herself, even as she pulls over to sit closer to Chris, until their arms touch, until she can see every lash and the way they seem turned down to hide his eyes from view. Parents are supposed to love unconditionally, equally, and while Claire can't say that she's felt anything but from her own adoptive parents, she remembers how it felt to watch her biological father turn up and turn away the thought of even meeting her at all. There's a part of her that wants to tell Chris that it can't be true, that no parent would be unable to love someone like him, but she doesn't know that. She's never met them.

And if there's something that Claire can't do, it's offer comfort in the form of lies or uncertainties.

"No," she answers quietly, falling silent for a moment. "Maybe... maybe they were just afraid. Even adults can run from what scares them."