Nana stood in front of them,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhJUlqcL9d
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqenVPDWWuM
a time when she was even younger than she was now,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYltxvzhkWP
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTx3r1eWnV
a place where winters felt endlessly long55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzt1sAX63O1
and colds were always going around.
In that place,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDQ0JV2Vdd
older children—especially girls—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5svEtDdVF
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdxWEXmWTn
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvS7DRV4rN
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9S1l9y0cNY
The nuns were overwhelmed—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RR6I21Zri
coughing echoed through the halls,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFal9N0NNHD
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiZnN4YD9n
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91IMKUGYBe
she remembered it clearly:55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrfT6JCXnC
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeFYUnGrLV
Even the nun had said,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl1LKcXWcC
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2HryPDh90
She stared at her paper,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqtN058TPr
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPhzFLU7sn
Then the second.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMjhFw5TM4
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE3gFzIQfu
all five were crying at once,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCWhOCqKsj
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmhBAYmwJ3
She picked them up one by one, checked them—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUD31DZjxQp
No fever.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ29MPD9Y5
No wet diapers.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZoB3QqMWA
No spit-up.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C1B3GUb5c
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbub9RNDkKe
She patted them.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDdx3tlrSy
She rocked them.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5DAvJVj0E
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIta9Qk9rU
a deep, pounding pressure55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1u0P5Glep
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWm2pTLop5i
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUasJvHmxMC
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfVRhHlVhb
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhU8Eec5pt
It felt like something was being torn55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqcO0WEQvq
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgw2rA5MPWc
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXk3RfLwwY
almost on instinct—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiKSGwAZ7n
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xEgtsFQlk
Very soft.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1ynhVrb2X
Barely more than breath—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMR5hevKX8
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdT9anJl6s4
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jcjWV2Wnu
stopped.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuZr7zUmcF
Not asleep—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnMZi9rggi
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaumNiW511Z
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLtlVT9xL6
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKJBhFm9Y7
But its mouth—
Shut.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewtd1edfOm
Tightly shut,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI8v4wpFc7
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7k52hi1yjY
The third.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXnw1DleF9
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpaR8sAdJ8
Her legs gave out.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7I2JiF8rt
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.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTmRgICOe8
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2c1P2hatoD
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxoor1Z7uY
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9THSy9Ru0
His brow deeply furrowed,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jI4HJc8i9
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtI9JLRLf1
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0vDadpaXF
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihMw39tqbM
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxoHN6KzGF
Not just voice strain.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusnfmVZvNX
It was something else.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjujG9lnRQO
A power.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfuupRCoXO
Internal.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiYUqhJHvF
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xpuHlcMqr
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0IDxJ8Nv1
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJacxhnEybL
He didn’t speak.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkNvvzHu1m
But his presence55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSD8qxlDRa
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSG2Y0f452g
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡow4fXqCDWo
Grounded.
Nana paused—55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3mB2rgyKj
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9K6ed3joI
A vow.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bTaES5m6j
A message that said,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JSR44UfMl
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwW6Yr47UFw
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlSiS9ZFXB
she wouldn’t be afraid.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRPbnaWIJ2
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