Nana stood in front of them,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTQSUN7ObJ
hands quietly signing a memory long buried.
It was a story from many years ago—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuvio2C8Ar
a time when she was even younger than she was now,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX9V62bw4E
perhaps too young to speak in full sentences.
Back then, she lived in an orphanage,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ079IJ1iOaE
a place where winters felt endlessly long9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPJQUlIqsS
and colds were always going around.
In that place,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkVTyCb4UA
older children—especially girls—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4dDZrMIzq
were often tasked with caring for the younger ones.
That time, it was her turn.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfg01FRleO
Five babies, still wrapped in swaddling cloth,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWV5UJ6Sey
were laid out around her in little bassinets.
Outside, the flu was running rampant.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeqMfCFrPn
The nuns were overwhelmed—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8w9qurYZC
coughing echoed through the halls,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhsFZqsHzm
cries filled every room.
Only Nana had not fallen ill.
She sat among the babies,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQH0BNcWPL
planning to watch over them while working through a math problem—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGHBhQUtQP
she remembered it clearly:9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGJ1qKAYKs
a fill-in-the-blank problem where the numbers had to add up to 100.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicocOAbD30
Even the nun had said,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64l7HEnHkz
“Leave it for now. We’ll come back to it later.”
But she didn’t want to let it go.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaQco5jRsH
She stared at her paper,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7PXjnAfqq
biting the end of her pencil in thought.
Then one of the babies began to cry.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyCzYeYK5n
Then the second.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfe3mpi8zE
Then the third…
Within ten seconds,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyONJlM1ZbK
all five were crying at once,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyFnB7RbUW
their voices rising and falling like shrill alarms.
Nana stood up right away.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt38AwkNnOu
She picked them up one by one, checked them—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaotaG1BoY
No fever.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oHdxR6TEr
No wet diapers.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTyN6H5a6D
No spit-up.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpL1BHGOhpy
Everything seemed normal.
But they wouldn’t stop crying.
She tried.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTt53mOHVX
She patted them.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWj2oM0snsZ
She rocked them.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZIpXEN7BS
She hummed lullabies.
Nothing worked.
Her head began to throb—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ESkQs5sc7
a deep, pounding pressure9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4P6hhqMHUL
like someone was hammering on her skull from the inside.
“So loud…” she thought.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkAOgeEGXf
“And I still haven’t solved that math problem…”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaL9tev2yh
“Will the nun come in? She’s already so busy…”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEyo7Yyu6X
“It’s too loud… I need it to stop… My head…”
Her vision blurred.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWkgBtUK1x
It felt like something was being torn9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTDdg6Fjza
from the inside of her brain.
She looked up.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF4YHS3dF0
One single thought remained in her mind.
Her mouth opened—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbao24wgoV
almost on instinct—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc77fB7V2cb
and she whispered two words:
“Be quiet.”
The voice was soft.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGpeCRYqEI
Very soft.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTcAlQKCWD
Barely more than breath—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqZ5cqKoie
but perfectly clear.
And in the next instant,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgu6mgyUlR
the entire room fell silent.
The babies went quiet.
Not calmed—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRuo8WwVb1
stopped.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKm4VjqaeT
Not asleep—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEhYU4CWyu
silent.
Nana froze.
Her eyes widened.
She lunged toward the nearest baby,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzCuZGtvvx
hands trembling, reaching out.
The baby was still crying—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiahvEnv0X
there were tears sliding down its cheeks.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Zb8rmd4Gp
But its mouth—
Shut.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ825wDoP0vm
Tightly shut,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDfIqAoeZ9
as if sealed by something invisible.
She checked the second.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5jmyLDdde
The third.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYw1T8SzN8
All the same.
Nana stumbled back.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74tjQ63j4f
Her legs gave out.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BKcU9CAoG
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlxbdNeY9I
Every breath was fire.
The room was unnaturally quiet—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aR9beZujW
quiet enough to hear the echo of water pipes in the ceiling.
And yet,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssX2HAZNqE
her head throbbed even harder.
No one spoke when she finished the story.
Batman’s face was grim.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpXd8b99V4
His brow deeply furrowed,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50ILB4aNQs
calculating the possible range of sonic anomalies9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVWM2V0Q44
and neural interference fields.
Dick and Alfred stood silent,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFS1elFYge
eyes on this fragile-looking girl,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzMBf4bXFw
a thousand possibilities running through their minds.
This wasn’t trauma.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQmYavXXGV
Not just voice strain.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpwX9HEOM3
It was something else.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxRQllKpRj
A power.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbygsTEvZ7
Internal.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rGuAgsyeG
Immeasurable.
Nana kept her head down,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39HfB3CSd9
fingers curling into the hem of her dress.
Then,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LN5W9iNcz
a hand reached out.
Jason stepped up beside her.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCqcT6nO1V
He didn’t speak.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡym8UqrQdTW
But his presence9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0Z0i0nOeA
spoke for him.
His hand was warm.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepKXRR3F3P
Firm, despite his unspoken worry.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97rtthFVn9
Grounded.
Nana paused—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LRGmcd0KR
then slowly reached back and took his hand.
It felt like something unspoken was exchanged.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIhftWCBPH
A vow.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlRc9d6yu9
A message that said,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbxA9EQKdJ
“I’m still here.”
She didn’t know what this power would bring,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7jjV1Vtm7
or whether it would happen again.
But she knew one thing:
As long as Jason was beside her,9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzc27EVgbF2
she wouldn’t be afraid.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr3nc8CyQb
