Nana stood in front of them,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dGZlK0jyr
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBf6WxWq23
a time when she was even younger than she was now,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7gVYQK17t
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pELM5gCFw
a place where winters felt endlessly long53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6Hxxk4nv1
and colds were always going around.
In that place,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkX8T6HmAK
older children—especially girls—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tFiK90uT3
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASHC1NZOTD
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyITBpHKMw1
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1PzUehj28
The nuns were overwhelmed—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SxRnru4zj
coughing echoed through the halls,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCafnQNN9e
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ivGvkHRPn
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rFi102uV7
she remembered it clearly:53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzazB2soQbn
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePZxXEdASA
Even the nun had said,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYP0fZYhhky
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvp5dXh4OuD
She stared at her paper,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nPLQqrUGO
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDZmcSBQ2L
Then the second.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUtMbvzm9B
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XeUvnvomU
all five were crying at once,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtoGWhADiu
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjavqnDnbT
She picked them up one by one, checked them—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnhSosNQTK
No fever.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00jTTuimfV
No wet diapers.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6y38Px4Rm9
No spit-up.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJozACJw7z
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrcdvKA57e
She patted them.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJu8sPY9dWT
She rocked them.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEW72DIJ15f
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvC6w4UOin
a deep, pounding pressure53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4BbrHGewS
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZEJ2MCkLf
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhT8gCKbR2l
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfdMJk2gj4
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ08VyURcU
It felt like something was being torn53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AGZE4bc0B
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO9xJ5R8aJ
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPy69YxTK6k
almost on instinct—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RMRNYILOY
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3Gg37IyRw
Very soft.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITA9NIvpe3
Barely more than breath—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0WijcYquW
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHlRYBgvu8
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSI7SWjIPv1
stopped.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYj2RkhWli6
Not asleep—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRafW8PLxRI
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsGFrwn8Sa
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FZVAejz8j
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vnAq3o7we
But its mouth—
Shut.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi02Ke2K8b2
Tightly shut,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8hZ360n7t
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNx88StG4Q
The third.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZoEJIsZva
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeNvb2muvi
Her legs gave out.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZAa0j6UHs
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.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbApcP5lMP
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmaBzjp6UC
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn9eUTkCJi
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEfV4GDM9K
His brow deeply furrowed,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPe6GG327I
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqC9nGSDZjT
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6GnoxImI4
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4mT8BnAwn
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMkg4QU8qi
Not just voice strain.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzHDDee7Eq
It was something else.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrj6hK3YDDj
A power.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnHiKM6CVw
Internal.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIhD3YfEnz
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbzhRtMsf8
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtUjqfIrqu
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjEXqDexMx
He didn’t speak.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0G3WBAFycH
But his presence53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiIRO1hPz8
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkbKYMgzJH
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwTCGymkqM
Grounded.
Nana paused—53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wbjzPGAEN
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOhvR8ew4D
A vow.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiukvyAYP6A
A message that said,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCnk8rhcA5
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLQDqQwO6h
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzNLVdaMyj
she wouldn’t be afraid.
53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mBt5sElTe
