Vanessa prepared herself for the worst. Confiscation. Relocation. Permanent separation. She rehearsed explanations she might have to give Betty, knowing none of them would land softly or make sense to a child like her, one whose world depended on constancy.
Betty sensed the tension immediately. She spoke less. She withdrew into herself, staying close to Scooby whenever she could. Vanessa watched her old behaviors and tantrums return in small ways and felt sadness and guilt tighten in her chest.