"Hello?"

“Hey, you.” It was Janine.

"Hi, ‘Nina. What’s up?"

"Nothing much. One of you guys called?" It sounded like she was eating a salad, crunching noises making their way through the phone lines. I thought that it was way too early in the morning for a salad.

"I didn't. She’s not here. I thought that she might be with you. Maybe she called earlier this morning, before I woke up."

"Guess so. You all right?" she asked.

"Ah, just a little plumbing problem here at the house, not a big deal. The floor’s flooded in the bathroom. Downstairs neighbors are probably getting a free shower right about now. Do I sound angry?"

"I can feel the waves of your irritation all the way over here," she answered. Janine had the unnerving ability to kind of tune into the moods of whomever she was talking to, sometimes. She was a surprisingly perceptive kid.

"Didn’t she leave a message for you?" I asked.

"Nope." More crunching noises. "Just a missed call."

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