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My mother accepted his hand and shook it. “A deal is a deal,” she said with a smile. “She’ll be by your side the entire time, and I can’t wait to watch the two of you grow up.”

The scene shifted suddenly. The membrane I was looking through began to shift and shimmer, obscuring my view of Night. When it cleared again, I was standing in a kitchen. My mother was holding a warm mug of ginger mint tea as she stared out of the window above the sink. It was impossible to tell the true color of the sky through the gray haze, but given the sun’s position, it looked like it was approaching dusk.

Heavy footsteps entered the kitchen, and a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around my mother from behind. She leaned back against the man’s chest, and he kissed the side of her neck, his hands on her belly.

My heartbeat quickened. Was this my father?

“How are my sweet girls doing?” he asked. His voice was even deeper than Night’s, almost just a growl.

“We’re happy and healthy,” she said. “How is my