‘Emelin?’ she interrupted, opening her eyes. I fell silent. For a moment I thought she might hug me, the way her fingers clenched and unclenched at her side, like pent-up impulses barely held in check. But she only stood straighter. Only tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and hurriedly said, ‘Please remember that you are not to blame for their judgement, will you? You did not scare them. You did not turn them into cowards. Plenty of humans would have been proud to call themselves your parents – you were very, very unlucky, that is all.’
