Chapter One Hundred Twelve
The Questions
The country house. Four years after Kat's first lesson. Early summer.
Kat was now five years old.
She had grown from a toddler into a small person—curious, bright, and endlessly questioning. She wanted to know why the sky was blue, why the roses had thorns, why Grandma Lilith was so old and yet so strong.
But the questions Maya dreaded were the ones about the hunger.
"Mama, why do I feel different?"
They were sitting in the garden. Kat was playing with the petals of a rose, her small fingers gentle on the red curves.
"Different how, baby?"
"I don't know. Just... different. Like there's something inside me that isn't inside other kids."
Maya's heart clenched.
"That's the hunger," she said.
"What's hunger?"
"It's... a feeling. A need. A want. It's something that runs in our family. Something that can be beautiful or dangerous, depending on how you use it."
"Do you have it?"
"Yes."
"Does Daddy?"
"No. Daddy is special. He doesn't have the hunger. But he loves us anyway."
"Does Grandma Lilith have it?"
"Yes. She's had it for a very long time."
"Does she still have it?"
"Yes. But she's learned to control it. To use it for good."
"Can I learn?"
"Yes. We'll teach you. Together."
Kat smiled.
"Okay, Mama."
She went back to playing with the petals.
Maya exhaled.
---
The kitchen – Afternoon.
Leo stood at the counter, chopping vegetables.
Maya sat at the table, her head in her hands.
"She asked about the hunger," she said.
"What did you tell her?"
"The truth. That it's in our family. That it can be beautiful or dangerous. That we'll teach her."
"That's good."
"Is it? She's five years old. She shouldn't have to think about this."
"She's five years old. She's already feeling it. The least we can do is help her understand."
"I'm scared."
"Good. Fear means you're alive."
He walked to her.
Kissed her forehead.
"We're not alone in this. We have Lilith. We have the younger Katerina. We have everyone. We'll figure it out together."
"I love you."
"I know."
"Say it back."
"I love you, Maya. I love you. I love you. I love you."
"Again."
"I love you."
"Again."
She kissed him.
"I love you too."
---
Lilith's cottage – Afternoon.
Maya knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Lilith sat in her rocking chair, a blanket across her lap, her white hair loose around her shoulders.
"Grandma Lilith, Kat asked about the hunger."
"What did you tell her?"
"The truth. That it's in our family. That it can be beautiful or dangerous. That we'll teach her."
"That's good."
"Is it enough?"
"For now. But she'll ask more. She'll want to know where it came from. Who started it. Why."
"What do I tell her then?"
"The truth. That it started with a woman named Katerina. That she was hungry and scared and alone. That she made mistakes. That she hurt people. That she changed."
"She's five years old."
"The hunger doesn't care about age. The hunger remembers. And if we don't teach her, the hunger will teach her itself. In dreams. In whispers. In need."
"I'm scared."
"Good. Fear means you're alive."
Lilith took her hands.
"You are not alone, Maya. You have never been alone. You will never be alone. We will help you. We will help her. Together."
"I love you."
"I know."
"Say it back."
"I love you, Maya. I love you. I love you. I love you."
"Again."
"I love you."
"Again."
Maya kissed her cheek.
"I love you too."
---
The garden – Evening.
Maya walked among the flowers.
Kat ran ahead of her, chasing a butterfly.
"Mama, who was Katerina?"
Maya stopped.
"What did you say?"
"Katerina. The one I'm named after. Who was she?"
"She was... a woman. A woman who lived a long time ago. A woman who was very hungry."
"Hungry for what?"
"For love. For touch. For connection. She didn't know how to find it. So she took it. From other people. She consumed them."
"That's sad."
"It was. But then she changed. She learned to give instead of take. To love instead of consume. To live instead of just exist."
"Is that why you named me after her?"
"Yes. Because she changed. Because she hoped. Because she wanted to be better. And I want you to know that you can change too. That you can hope. That you can be better."
Kat was quiet for a long moment.
Then she walked to Maya.
Hugged her legs.
"I love you, Mama."
"I love you too, little one."
---
The porch – Night.
Maya sat on the porch swing.
Leo sat beside her. Kat slept in his arms.
The stars were bright. The moon was full. The world was quiet.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Different."
"Different how?"
"Different because I'm not scared anymore. Different because I trust her. Different because I trust myself. Different because I think she's going to be okay."
"That's growth."
"It's terrifying."
"Good. Fear means you're alive."
She leaned into him.
He put his arm around her.
"I love you," she said.
"I know."
"Say it back."
"I love you, Maya. I love you. I love you. I love you."
"Again."
"I love you."
"Again."
She kissed him.
"I love you too."
The stars shone.
The moon glowed.
And Maya—the daughter of former servants, the granddaughter of a former goddess, the mother of a new generation—sat on the porch swing, held by the man she loved, her daughter in his arms, and felt something she had never felt before.
Faith.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Twelve