Chapter 24 You Seeing This Too?

Three mornings later, Rebecca walked straight to the marked plant before she even took a sip of coffee.

The garden was quiet except for birds moving through the trees and the soft crunch of gravel under her boots. Dew still clung to the leaves, and the soil held the coolness of the night.

She crouched beside the plant slowly. The newest leaf had opened more overnight. And this time, the streak wasn’t faint anymore.

It still wasn’t bold enough for most people to notice from a distance—but standing over it, there was no denying it now. A pale ribbon ran uneven through the center of the leaf, lighter near the middle and feathering outward.

Rebecca leaned in closer. “Well…” she said quietly.

Behind her, Sam stepped onto the path carrying his coffee.  “You checking on it again already?” he asked.

Rebecca pointed toward the leaf. “Tell me what you see.”

Sam crouched beside her, studying it for a moment. Then his eyebrows lifted. “Oh… that’s definitely different now.”

Rebecca smiled faintly. “Yeah.”

Across the fence, Dave rested his arms along the top rail like always, already noticing where they were gathered.

“That little thing still causing trouble?” he called out.

Rebecca glanced over. “Come look.”

Dave gave a skeptical look but finally pushed through the gate and walked into the garden. 

“You know it’s serious if you came through the gate,” Rebecca laughed. Dave ignored her and crouched beside the plant.

For a second, he didn’t say anything.

Then—

“Huh.”

Rebecca crossed her arms. “That’s all you got?”

Dave smirked slightly. “I’m thinking.”

The streak ran softly through the leaf, uneven and imperfect—but unmistakably there.

Dave stood back up slowly. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s doing something.”

Rebecca looked back down at the plant.

A few weeks ago it had been sitting unwanted in a leftover tray after the swap.

Now all three of them stood around it like it mattered. Maybe it did.

Sam nodded toward the marker in the soil. “You still not naming it?”

Rebecca laughed softly. “It’s got one streak.”

Dave pointed at the tag. “Yeah… but now it earned the tag.”

The morning light shifted through the trees, catching the pale streak for just a second before the shadows moved again.

And for the first time—

It looked like the plant wanted to be seen.