Nana stood in front of them,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLUsmbdWla
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbk9TA9a7ey
a time when she was even younger than she was now,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLdnUreBbt
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayJKVnInfz
a place where winters felt endlessly long11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AhqLXaa6L
and colds were always going around.
In that place,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HKn9M08dF
older children—especially girls—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEU1CMaDuR
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSbfsPXk2z
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRAZaRzbQb
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTE1cxmNkL
The nuns were overwhelmed—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbkvmsP0p6
coughing echoed through the halls,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikC4lxV4FW
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjrQwY5Jg8
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyIn960tk8
she remembered it clearly:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWufaxQUY4h
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdi4Gfbh76t
Even the nun had said,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVMwRds9oh
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgyGtmkp7q
She stared at her paper,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtYhUWmBlU
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWzsLUyCxo
Then the second.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUEaRQb8Dr
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8FXJp2bwZ
all five were crying at once,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Hd0Q8Tp68
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmJVQOXoEX
She picked them up one by one, checked them—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRr3GZWk4E5
No fever.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LO2mWMFpp
No wet diapers.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCQrVUEHln
No spit-up.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LwHYM8hAA
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ixy5RVbWc
She patted them.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7imzEMBht
She rocked them.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgLrzBFzrD
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre2b7cskhQ
a deep, pounding pressure11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsKG3nQ6E3
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6B2317FRzs
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCXIf9IHWW
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyeLWLfUS5
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoHttAmTsQ
It felt like something was being torn11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vprZeclzi
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWshuM3cxWQ
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHP8QdMfke
almost on instinct—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7dQHEhIDW
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNWgWoS6Rq
Very soft.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzyHMCVjUS
Barely more than breath—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r2NiABBcX
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvE6E5Bz2nu
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxx5s4lu6z
stopped.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVUMaaF3uo
Not asleep—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWt8qM0Afv
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2iEMoX14V
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡas97ttjCNw
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexwiIpwJXA
But its mouth—
Shut.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTrSdUlgIt
Tightly shut,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0WVNyCd7E
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsO7W6ERkeS
The third.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCmNIci7hT
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9cN8LCq2g
Her legs gave out.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP7uEchu0E
She collapsed to the floor, trembling.
Her throat began to burn.
It felt like a red-hot metal rod was being dragged across her vocal cords.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDceutk8oS1
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpa4uOemwfS
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60po9Nf3Bz
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqVJ7TwzHR
His brow deeply furrowed,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfEQ1OZFtn
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZM9rnG2Wy
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyvnWdyMu3
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9sICLyPpN
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LFajKovCO
Not just voice strain.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBauHpmekL
It was something else.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t2MsmR6Xo
A power.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW4ItSTFWu
Internal.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1GrydaCQL
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtj72KQ05Q
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQGcNJWi1i
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHC5boaOph
He didn’t speak.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhUFNMFMvd
But his presence11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUxd0y3adc
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXADwu4qVT
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvoI3zhNUw
Grounded.
Nana paused—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOd96A4GFV7
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kCBSUYsUZ
A vow.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdutZPIPnxc
A message that said,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPy7mBryzw
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzk2pk7AIAX
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pRF4fRkPx
she wouldn’t be afraid.
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xAHr57XzG
