Learn more about the situation.

Sam looked down at the man on the floor with blood pooling around his head. She sniffed. "This is going to be a problem."

Janet agreed, but she had bigger things on her mind. "Sam, we can come back to him. Right now we need to get you fixed, and Jake's not going anywhere." Sam nodded passively.

"Let's try to get a handle on this new situation. Do you think you can try bonding to other people?"

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "I'll try that if you'd like."

Janet grabbed the keys from Jake's nightstand and led Sam outside, locking the door behind them. As they walked to the car, she spoke to her sister. "Hey Sam, it's a little weird having you walk around behind me like a robot. Would you mind bonding to me again?"

Sam pursed her lips. Suddenly, she frowned. "Ok, I did it. Wow, you're really worried. It's strange having that feeling come over me suddenly."

"Yeah?" Janet's curiosity was piqued. They got in the car and she pulled out of the lot. "How so?"

"It's like waking up and realizing you've overslept. Like you go from a mostly neutral state to an intense feeling before you even realize it. And you're right, it's not fun. So you want to know if I can bind to someone remotely?"

Janet's eyebrows raised. "How did you- oh, right. Yeah, let's start simple. Do you think you can bind yourself to Mom or Dad from here?"

Sam concentrated. After a second, she sighed. "Not really. I'm not sure how I feel about this idea of binding to a stranger in a public place, which means you're not sure either."

Janet was starting to get the hang of this. "Yeah, but ultimately you think it's our best course of action, right?"

Sam smiled. "Obviously. So we're going to the park? Maybe try to bond to some harmless college kid?"

Janet nodded. "Yeah. My only worry is-"

"That I'll somehow get in a state where I can't or won't detach myself. Well, better safe than sorry. By the way, this may sound weird but would you mind if I detach from you?"

Janet wasn't prepared for that. "What? Why?"

"Well, you're carrying around a lot of guilt and anxiety. You're putting on a brave face but this is really freaking you out. To be honest, it's pretty unpleasant. I think I'd like to go back to neutral for a while."

Janet considered this. "Ok, I guess. It's weird when you're like that but I can get used to it. It's weird when you're like this too, just less weird."

Sam smiled gratefully, then all emotion drained from her face and she turned to stare blankly ahead.

"Better?" Janet asked.

"Much." Sam said tonelessly as they pulled into the parking lot.