Gabri


    I’d been happy enough when Lenora rang me to see if I’d have lunch with her, but I’d been waiting


    during the entire meal for her to question me about what had happened with Ste. So far, she hadn’t


    said a word. Finally, I decided I couldn’t stand it any longer.


    “Sometimes, wolf pups have a double doubling.” The words shot out of me without me fully knowing


    why I said them. It wasn’t true, and I couldn’t be sure Lenora knew that.


    I’d just lied to her face. It felt terrible, but also like the only choice I could make.


    Lenora’s eyebrows rose, and her teacup stopped halfway to her lips. She put the cup down without


    drinking. “Oh, my. That sounds like quite the surprise.”


    “You heard about it, didn’t you? What happened at the school. I’m sure the rumors are flying.” My


    laugh. rasped in my throat without much humor. Heat zed in my cheeks.


    My friend leaned forward with a look of concern. “I wasn’t going to ask you about it. But if you want to


    talk


    about it…”


    Oh, I did, didn’t I? I needed to unburden myself to someone about my worries, but I didn’t dare.


    I couldn’t reveal that my granddaughter was a Celestial, not without also having to exin what that


    meant. It would have to be enough just to start a rumor of my own.


    “It’s very rare, but as I’m sure you also know,Ste is a hybrid.”Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “I’d heard. I don’t know much about hybrids,”


    Lenora admitted with a gentle smile. “But here in Brightsky, we wee everyone as equals.”


    A burst of relief flooded me. I hadn’t really been afraid my friend would somehow reject my


    granddaughter,


    but it was still good to be assured of it. Lenora and I had experienced a lot together all those years


    past. It was


    good to feel like I could trust her.


    She’s a Celestial.


    The words fought toe out, and I held them back by gritting my teeth.


    “Gab? You look upset.” Lenora reached to pat my hand. “Is this double doubling, this rare thing…


    harmful?”


    “No, nothing like that. Shocking, that’s all. One minute she was a little girl, and now she’s a lovely


    young woman. Time flies the older we get,” I said with a ruefulugh. “But this is too fast.”


    “What’s done can’t be undone. She has her family around her to support her. I’m sure she’ll be able to


    weather this change without too much trouble. As will you.” Lenora tilted her head to give me a curious


    look.


    “And I hope you know, I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”


    For the next hour, we chatted about other Brightsky gossip. Lenora relieved my mind that the news


    about Ste had spread, but nobody was saying anything unkind. In an enve open to anyone, a child


    who grew into an adult within hours wasn’t even close to being the most scandalous event.


    We parted ways with a hug, and for me, a much lighter heart. On the way back to our quarters,I thought


    I’d stop off and pick up a few things for Ste. Her mother had bought her an entire new wardrobe, but I


    had


    some ideas about other things she might need.


    A birthday cake, for one. How many had she missed? I wasn’t even sure she could count them, or if


    she’d really be able to ever name her urate age again. Would she continue to age, or would she


    stay forever


    locked into the appearance of a young woman, never going gray or getting wrinkles?


    all.”


    “Moon Goddess,” I murmured to myself as I looked over the bakery case at the cakes for sale. “Guide


    us


    For a moment, my vision swam. Doubled.


    Quadrupled. I closed my eyes tight and pressed my fingers to the spot between my eyes. The small


    re


    of pain there faded under the pressure, and when I opened my eyes, my vision was fine.


    I’d been meaning to check in with an enve eye doctor for the past few weeks but had been putting


    off


    the appointment. I knew my vanity wasn’t going to help me, but I hated even the thought of needing


    cheater


    sses for reading.


    So far, I’d been able to ignore the small issues with my sight, but I had to admit they were getting more


    frequent.


    “That one,” I said to the clerk, pointing at the tall chocte cake festooned with pastel flowers. “Please


    write, ‘Happy Birthday, Little


    Star’ on it.”


    I paid for the cake and carried the box with me toward home. Wanting to avoid crowds so I could get it


    back as fast as possible, I decided to take a different route home. Just as I turned the corner to a new


    hallway I’d never used, the lights got so bright it was like a sh of lightning. Then, the hallway plunged


    into darkness.


    At home, I put the cake on the table and cursed myself for dropping it. It could be salvaged, but the


    icing was smeared along the inside of the lid. I definitely needed to make that appointment with the eye


    doctor. The sh of light and dark hadn’t been themps along the way, but my own eyes.