“Does it get better?” the kid whispered.

“Thinking about that first night at the shelter,” Sam said. “How Marisol said ‘welcome home’ before she even knew my name.”

Rio handed them a cup of tea. “Thinking about Millbrook?”

Rio leaned their head on Sam’s shoulder. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? You don’t have to earn a home. You just have to show up.”

“You look lost,” Rio said.

Below, a group of teenagers walked past, laughing. One of them wore a pin that said “Protect Trans Kids.” Another had a patch on their jacket: “We contain multitudes.”