Page 91 of The Monster's Daughter
Another time, two hybrid teens sit across from each other, unsure whether to flirt or argue. I pass them a slice of shared cake. “Talk with sugar. It works better.”
They blush. Bella watches from the doorway, smiling.
Late one night,after we’ve closed, I’m wiping down the counter when Bella comes up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“You miss them?” she asks against my back.
“Every day.”
“Think they’d be proud?”
I nod. “I hope so.”
She spins me gently around. “I think they’d love this. All of it. You. Us. Natalie being a tiny terrorist with a marker.”
“She wrote ‘pastrami forever’ on the bathroom mirror,” I say.
“See? Legacy.”
We stand there for a moment, letting the silence fill in the gaps. The hum of the fridge. The faint buzz of the streetlights outside. The smell of roasted meat still hanging in the air.
She kisses me, slow and sure. “You brought something back to this planet. Something real.”
I pull her into a hug, feeling her heartbeat sync with mine. “We all did. Together.”
And tomorrow, I’ll do it again. One sandwich at a time.
CHAPTER 51
BELLA
The morning air in the kitchen is heavy—humid, warm, and flecked with the roasting smell of coffee beans from the corner brewer. I hover over the holo-pad, staring at the golden crest of the invitation.Galactic Unity Summit – Keynote Speaker Bella Corvain.The words glare back at me like a challenge.
I taste metal in my mouth. My fingers curl into fists.
Behind me, Kage clears his throat. “You okay?” he asks, voice quiet but firm.
I twist around, heart banging. “I’m terrified they’ll see me and hate me for opening my mouth.”
He steps close, his presence a calm storm. “Then they’ll hear you stand loud enough not to be ignored.”
I swallow. “I don’t know how to be that person.”
He presses a kiss to my temple. “You are that person already.”
When we arriveat the summit—not by diplomatic transport but by our own reclaimed ship touching down in the gleaming plaza—I feel my pulse in every joint. The plaza is massive:mirrored walkways, hovering holo-arches overhead that shift in color, pillars carved with the emblems of peace treaties. I can smell fresh ozone from the transport beams, the cold edge of technology.
Natalie tugs my hand. “Mommy, they’re watching. I think they expect me to hide today.”
I glance at her scaled cheeks, her soft horns glinting. “Then don’t.” The words come sharper than I thought.
We’re led backstage through gleaming corridors of blue light and quiet murmurs. I hear the deep voices of ambassadors, the soft hum of translation fields, the echo of security boots. My chest catches. I steady myself, clamp my lips shut.
Kage touches my elbow. “You’ve got this.”
The hub lights dim. The emcee’s voice echoes. “And now—Keynote Speaker Bella Corvain, on reclaiming our future.”
I step forward. The stage is an island in a sea of faces. Cameras swivel. The plenary dome stretches overhead, distant stars projected behind the dais. My feet feel sticky on this polished floor. I swallow again.
