Chapter One Hundred Three
The Pregnancy
The country house. Two months after Maya and Leo's decision. Autumn.
Maya had been feeling strange for weeks.
Tired. Nauseous. Hungry—but not the old hunger. Something new. Something that made her crave pickles at midnight and fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon.
"You should take a test," Leo said.
They were sitting on the porch swing. The leaves were changing. The air was crisp.
"What if it's negative?"
"Then we try again."
"What if it's positive?"
"Then we celebrate."
She kissed him.
"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."
---
The bathroom – Morning.
Maya sat on the edge of the tub.
The test was on the counter. Two minutes. Two minutes that felt like two years.
"Come on," she whispered. "Come on. Come on. Come on."
The timer buzzed.
She looked.
Two lines.
Positive.
"Leo!"
He burst through the door.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything. Look."
She held up the test.
He stared.
"Positive?"
"Positive."
"We're having a baby?"
"We're having a baby."
He lifted her.
Spun her around.
"We're having a baby!"
They laughed.
They cried.
They held each other.
---
The living room – Afternoon.
The family gathered.
Maya sat on the couch, her hands on her stomach, her face glowing.
"We have an announcement," she said.
"You're pregnant," Lilith said.
"How did you know?"
"I can smell it. The hunger. It's different now. Softer. Growing."
"Is that bad?"
"No. It's beautiful. The hunger is changing. Becoming something new. Something life-giving."
Maya wept.
Lilith held her.
"I'm so proud of you," Lilith said.
"I haven't done anything yet."
"You've done the hardest part. You've chosen. Chosen love. Chosen family. Chosen hope."
"I love you, Grandma Lilith."
"I love you too, little one."
---
The celebration – Dinner.
The table was long.
Food covered every surface—dishes that Lilith had learned to cook, recipes she had collected from every corner of the world. The children ran around the table. The adults talked and ate and celebrated.
"To Maya and Leo," Marcus said, raising his glass.
"To Maya and Leo," everyone echoed.
"And to the baby," Eleanor added.
"To the baby!"
They drank.
They ate.
They rejoiced.
---
The complication – Lilith's cottage. Evening.
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, I need to ask you something."
"What?"
"The hunger. Is it going to affect the baby?"
Lilith was quiet for a long moment.
"I don't know," she said. "No one has ever been pregnant with the hunger before. Not like this. Not after the heart was destroyed."
"What if the baby is born hungry? What if it needs to feed? What if it consumes me?"
"Then we'll be there. Your parents. Leo. Me. Everyone. We'll help you. We'll help the baby. We'll figure it out together."
"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."
"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 bedroom – Night.
Maya lay in bed.
Leo lay beside her, his hand on her stomach.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Strange."
"Strange how?"
"Strange because there's something inside me. Something growing. Something hungry."
"That's not hunger. That's life."
"They feel the same sometimes."
"They're not."
He kissed her stomach.
"I love you," he said to the baby.
"The baby can't hear you yet."
"I know. But I want to practice."
She laughed.
"You're going to be a good father."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're already trying."
He kissed her.
"I love you, Maya."
"I know."
"Say it back."
"I love you, Leo. I love you. I love you. I love you."
"Again."
"I love you."
"Again."
She kissed him.
"I love you too."
They held each other.
And dreamed of the baby.
---
The garden – The next morning.
Maya walked among the flowers.
The roses were blooming. The lavender was fragrant. The honeysuckle was climbing the trellis.
"Maya."
She turned.
The younger Katerina stood at the edge of the garden.
"How do you feel?" Katerina asked.
"Different."
"Different how?"
"Different because I'm not alone anymore. Different because there's someone else inside me. Different because I have a future."
"That's growth."
"It's terrifying."
"Good. Fear means you're alive."
Katerina walked to her.
Took her hands.
"The hunger will whisper," she said. "When you're tired. When you're scared. When you're alone. It will tell you that feeding would be easier. That taking would be simpler. That consuming would be safer than loving."
"What do I do?"
"You remember who you are. Not a monster. A mother. A woman who chose love over hunger. Every day. Every hour. Every time the old need whispers."
"What if I forget?"
"Then we'll remind you. Your parents. Leo. Lilith. Me. We'll remind you every day. Every hour. Every time you need to remember."
Maya wept.
Katerina held her.
"I love you," Maya said.
"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 porch – Evening.
Maya sat on the porch swing.
Leo sat beside her.
The sun was setting. The sky was orange and pink and purple. The world was beautiful.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Different."
"Different how?"
"Different because I'm not scared anymore. Different because I trust you. Different because I trust myself. Different because I think I can actually do this."
"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 sun set.
The stars came out.
And Maya—the daughter of former servants, the granddaughter of a former goddess, the mother-to-be—sat on the porch swing, held by the man she loved, and felt something she had never felt before.
Wonder.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Three