“Alright, turn the key.”

The engine kicked briefly but didn’t start. That didn’t worry Millie, however.

“Again,” she called out. The engine kicked once more, but again it was only for a second.

“Okay, I see it! Thanks, hun.” Millie popped out from behind the hood of her 1988 Acura Integra. She shot a big smile to her fiance sitting in the driver’s seat.

He smiled back, leaning out the window. “Is that all you needed me for?” He asked with a laugh.

Millie nodded brightly. “Yup. The screw on the fastener needs to be in place for me to get it, so I needed the camshaft in the right position.”

The deep, piercing blue eyes of her fiance looked at her questioningly. “Did you really need me for that? Couldn’t you have just done that yourself?”

His voice was a tad snippy, but Millie didn’t think anything of it. He was under a lot of stress at the moment and she didn’t want to contribute to it.

“I could have—if I wanted to jump in and out of the car a few times.” Millie chuckled, before walking around the car to meet Liam as he got out. He shut the car door behind him, but his flawless, pristine features were marred by a grimace.

“Hey,” Millie said, stepping up to him. “It’s alright to be nervous.”

Her adonis smirked, before sighing. “Yeah, I know. It’s just…it’s a lot.” He waved helplessly in the air.

“Well, think of it this way,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “OCS is only, what, twelve weeks? You’ll be back before you know it.”

Liam responded to her hug, squeezing her gently. “That’s only the start, Millie.”

“I know,” she replied. “But think of how hard you’ve been working to get to this point?”

Liam smirked again. “How hard we’ve been working, you mean. Please tell me you’ll be quitting your second job now that you’ve got that mechanics position.”

Millie rolled her eyes. “I will, I will, but it’ll have to wait until I’m working in the garage. Mr. Rodriguez is going to be starting me at the counter, and that position doesn’t pay much better than what I’m currently making at, ah, you know where.”

Millie whispered the words as she gazed around. Her car was parked on the side of the road in front of their apartment complex. Her now fellow New Yorkers bustled by, not caring in the least about their conversation. But the big city was still somewhat new to Millie, and she didn’t care to blurt out her life details where strangers could hear.

“You mean hooters?” Her fiance whispered in her ear, and she jumped before lightly hitting him on the arm.

“Hey I haven’t heard you complain about it before,” she teased, and Liam laughed.

He followed her as she walked back to the car’s engine, picking up her screwdriver and renewing her efforts to remove the cover on the ignition coil she was replacing. Absently she blew at the short strands of brown hair that fell across her vision. Sometimes she wanted to grow her hair longer, but it curled too much for her to want to deal with on a daily basis. The bob just past her ears was as short as she’d go, however, given the unfortunate assumptions people would make about her otherwise.

The warm hands of her love wrapped around her waist as he watched her work. “Are you sure you’ll be okay while I’m gone?” He asked.

“I’ll be—” she grunted as she removed the casing, revealing the next fastener she needed to remove, “—fine. Tanya’s going to rent out our spare bedroom, so that’ll help a lot.”

Liam hummed thoughtfully in her ear. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen her. I thought you’d want to have CJ move in though?”

Millie shrugged. “CJ’s got his own place with his boyfriend, above his bar remember?”

Liam shook his head. “I still can’t believe he dropped out of school to be a bartender. Wasn’t he doing good?”

“Well, yeah,” Millie said, “but he really likes it. Plus he’s super good at it—you know that. When’s the last time he didn’t mix our drinks for party night?”

“I suppose,” Liam responded. But his gaze was distant. He’s not really listening right now, Millie concluded. Lost in thought I guess.

“Besides, he’s got enough business classes done that it’ll be a cinch for him. He doesn’t need to be a lawyer.”

Millie laughed, but Liam’s gaze remained far away in the corner of her eyes. Eventually, she stopped working on the engine, set down her tools, and turned to face him.

“Your dad still wanted us over tonight, right?” She asked him.

Liam nodded. “Yeah, a farewell celebration. I suppose I’ll find out what strings he pulled then, too.”

Millie lightly smacked Liam’s arm. “Hey, don’t be like that. You got in on your own merits—your dad didn’t pull any strings, I’m sure of it. Besides, isn’t nepotism illegal in the army?”

Liam laughed lightly. “Yeah, I…yeah. Sorry.” He rubbed at his short black hair, his piercing eyes finally meeting Millie’s.

“Thank you,” he said, before leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips. Millie’s heart raced a million miles an hour—even growing up together as they had, falling in love during school, planning now to spend their lives together…every time he touched her it felt special. Exciting. Like heaven itself.

Reluctantly, Millie pulled away before smiling up at the angel who loved her.

“Alright, go get ready,” she said. “I’ll finish up out here and maybe I’ll join you in the shower if you’re still getting ready.”

He smiled, before chuckling. With one last kiss, he broke away and headed back into the complex. Millie watched him go, wondering just how lucky she’d been to share her life with him. Sure, there’d been rocky points in their life, but now?

Now everything truly felt—

“Perfect!”

Millie finished fiddling with the side mirror at CJ’s declaration and brought her hand back into the car. She rolled up the window on the passenger’s side where she sat, looking once more at the mirror.

The young girl she’d been had grown older, maybe not in as many years, but certainly in experience. Her hair was still a short, brown bob, but her once skinny, pretty face was slightly chubby but still as lightly tanned as ever. However, her brown eyes were framed by the bags and eyeliner she wore in equal measure. The image disappeared as she turned back to the driver’s seat.

“Let me know if you need me to adjust it again. I’ve been meaning to fix it, but it’s loose and—”

“Millie,” CJ said, cutting her off with a chuckle. “It’s fine. The fact that this rust bucket runs at all is amazing.”

Millie glared at her friend, but not with any real malice. “Hey, Integra is a wonderful car. Don’t you dare insult her.”

CJ laughed again, shaking his head. His short brown hair was styled, and a smile came easily to his freckled face. His cute features were pale and effeminate, as was his voice, and he wore his customary formal attire, though he did roll up the sleeves of his button-up shirt.

“Yes ma’am. My deepest apologies to you and your car this day.” He said with a dramatic flourish of his free hand, keeping one hand on the wheel at all times. Which was good—if he had removed it again she would have smacked him. Again.

“Good,” Millie said, sticking her tongue out, before reaching over to adjust her seatbelt. It didn’t fit comfortably over her large, pregnant form, and her bright blue, flower-covered maternity dress was bunching in areas, not helping the matter. Meanwhile, outside the car, she watched as the scenery of upstate New York passed her by.

“So, are you excited?” CJ asked. “I know it’s been a while since you went to see your parents.”

Millie tried not to grimace, and just sighed as an answer. CJ glanced at her but didn’t push the point when he realized she intended to remain silent.

She would have visited over the holidays, but…it didn’t feel right now that she was alone. She probably wouldn’t have been able to face them at all if she hadn’t given up and decided to move back in with them. Her crumbling dignity meant little in the face of single motherhood looming before her, and she’d run out of excuses to deny their offer to help.

Eventually, Millie broke the silence. “You sure you don’t want to stay over? I’m sure my parents have the room.”

CJ shook his head. “Look your dad’s great, but your mom’s…also great, but in her own special way. Besides, I’ve already booked a hotel room and I may have a date planned.”

Millie laughed sardonically. “Of course you do. I can’t believe you’d choose a grinder date over a dinner date with my parents.”

“Well,” he replied, “as much as I’d love to discuss with your mom for the thousandth time if being gay isn’t really more a choice than biology, I think I’m gonna have to pass. It was a hard choice though. Really.”

He smiled widely to sell his sarcastic tone, and Millie rolled her eyes. “Your loss. Dad’s gonna be making pork chops and mashed ‘tates. There might even be some gravy involved.” Millie wiggled her eyebrows enticingly. It was a struggle at times to keep smiling, to keep joking, to act normal. But thankfully bantering with CJ came easily. Her best friend was probably the only thing keeping her together.

“Hmm, once again, tempting. Maaaaybe, if it was his haggis I’d consider it.”

“Oh, god no,” Millie said, gagging. “The last time he tried to ‘explore’ his heritage mom and I both got food poisoning. Plus I think she burned his kilt.”

CJ burst out laughing. “No way—really? But I thought your mom was the nice one in your family.”

“Pffft shows what you know. My great great grandma came from the Six Nations, give my mom a war club and she’d probably be able to beat a bear to death if it crossed her.”

“Huh. And here I thought she’d use a tomahawk.”

Millie lightly smacked his arm. “Don’t be racist, dummy.”

“What, didn’t they use tomahawks?”

Millie sighed. “Fuck if I know. You can ask my mom when you see her if you’re really curious. All I know is what we learned in school, which is diddly squat.”

“Well, at least you know your Scottish side well enough.”

Millie laughed lightly. “Sure, just ignore the fact that my dad is further removed from those roots than my mom is from the Iroquois.”

“Hmm, that begs a question though,” CJ said, scratching at his clean-shaven chin. “Did you get your temper from your dad’s side, or your mom’s?”

Millie turned slowly to look at him. He glanced over to meet her eyes.

“Yes,” she said deadpanned. After a beat, they both broke out laughing.

Maybe things will work out for the best, she thought. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to try to be optimistic.

“Sweetie, it’s so good to see you! Oh, look how big you’ve gotten.”

Her mother embraced her tightly. The woman was shorter than Millie, a bit darker in skin tone, but damn was her grip strong. Her long brown hair was curled despite its wonderful natural straightness, much to Millie’s confusion, and the crow’s feet next to her eyes were the only real sign of her years. Millie tried not to think of the implications of being told how ‘big’ she was, however.

“Hi, mom. Hey dad,” she said next, as her father stepped up to give her a warm hug. He was much taller and had to lean down to meet Millie’s middling stature, his dark curly hair was salt and peppered with age, and his handsome features were accented by his well-trimmed beard.

“It’s so good to see you, Millie. How was the drive?”

“Fine. Sorry to spring this on you…”

“Nonsense!” Her mother cut in. “We’re just so happy to have you home.”

The shorter woman squeezed her tightly again, and Millie draped an arm around her mother. Looking around, it was nice being back. Her parent’s large house was comforting, set a few miles outside of Toronto in the suburbs. Millie watched absently as a cool summer breeze rustled through nearby trees, easing the heat. Not that summers in Toronto were particularly harsh in Millie’s opinion. Her family had lived farther south on the American coast when she’d been growing up, and that had been far worse.

“Are you going to be staying, CJ?” Her father asked.

Her best friend began to give polite excuses, but Millie tuned it out as she felt her mother tugging at her.

“Don’t worry, the boys can unpack for you. Let me show you where we’ve set up for the baby!”

Her mother’s voice was filled with excitement. A part of her hurt to hear it, as though guilty for making them wait so long for grandchildren. But Millie had always wanted to wait for the right time. For things to be perfect. Sadly, it turned out birth control wasn’t a hundred percent effective. It also turned out her life wasn’t as perfect as she’d thought. She tried not to dwell on that now.

Instead, she followed her mother into the house. Walking past the large living room where a TV was blaring, they went down a hallway lined with several rooms. Eventually, her mother stopped at one in particular and opened it up, stepping inside as she gestured around to show it off. The wallpaper was a light blue with scenic, if generic, decorations and a beautiful white crib set against the wall. A chest and drawer were nearby, and Millie had a gut feeling they were already filled with clothes.

“You…set it all up already?”

“I…sorry, Millie. I was just so excited. Look, we have plenty of time before the baby comes, so we can change whatever you want. Oh, you’ll love this! Look, I brought out my old rocking chair. Now, you can use it. Come on, come sit!”

Her mother gestured towards the indicated chair on the other side of the room, with a few other seats next to it. Millie followed her and allowed herself to be gingerly coaxed into it. As she sat back, she rocked unsteadily, feeling uncomfortable. It wasn’t that she didn’t like a good rocking chair, but with how big she was, she felt almost trapped now that she’d planted herself in the seat. She’d almost certainly struggle to stand back up, not to mention how surreal it felt to her to be sitting in the seat her mother had nursed her in when she was a babe.

“No, it’s fine,” Millie eventually replied. “We can…nest, or whatever later. Thank you for setting this up.”

She tried to remember the specific terminology her mother had used. The woman had also recommended a laundry list of books that Millie hadn’t touched yet.

“Sweetie, have you been getting enough sleep?”

Millie turned to look at her mother, wincing when she realized how obvious the bags under her eyes must look. Eventually, she shrugged.

“It’s been difficult, I guess. I keep having to get up to pee in the night, and my back keeps hurting even when I lay down. But it’s fine.”

Millie tried to wave it off. Honestly, she’d had a relatively gentle pregnancy, and for that she was grateful. It was the ever-crushing feeling of being alone, of having her plans for her future dashed, and the fear of what was to come that had been keeping her up at night.

“Well,” her mother said, “would you like some tea? Or snacks?”

“Hmm. Can I have some water and crisps?”

“Of course! I’ll be right back,” her mother gave her a knowing wink. Millie rolled her eyes as the woman left the room. She liked chips, but she was fairly certain her mother thought it was a pregnancy craving. At least she’s not saying anything about my weight. I’m supposed to get fat having a baby, right?

She tried not to think about that as she felt along her chin. It wasn’t fat fat, but it was certainly becoming plump. When she’d first found out she was pregnant, she’d made plans to keep exercising and to stay in shape despite it. But she’d found herself lacking the motivation to keep with it, even after she’d moved in with CJ following the…incident.

A short while later her mother returned with refreshments, followed by the footsteps of her father and CJ bringing items into the house. She felt bad not helping, but she also knew from experience that everyone would yell at her to sit down if she tried. So she remained planted, even if she did fidget, and dug into her bag of crisps. She rocked slowly, staring out the window as she quietly ate, her mother sipping at some tea as they shared a companionable silence. Before too long, her hand found the bottom of the bag and she searched longingly into its depths but found not but crumbs to her name. Now with 30% more chips my ass, she thought bitterly.

“Is everything alright dear?” Her mother asked, noticing Millie’s dark look.

“It’s fine,” Millie said quickly. “Where’d you put the water?”

Her mother gestured, and Millie took the glass from the table nearby. As she drank, however, the two men entered the nursery.

“Hey, my cab’s here so it’s time for me to go,” CJ said.

Millie tried to hide the hurt in her eyes at the news. It was selfish of her to want CJ to stay, especially after all he’d done for her. The last year had not been easy for either of them, and he’d born the brunt of her temper far more than he ever deserved.

“I want a hug before you go then,” Millie said, rocking forward to try and stand. Predictably, it was as difficult as she’d thought it would be and she failed to get out, falling back like a turtle stuck on its shell. CJ laughed good-naturedly and walked over to lean down and hug her. Millie’s cheeks flushed slightly, the embarrassment of being stuck in a damn chair threatening to ruin what little good mood she had left. She stamped down on the feelings, however, and squeezed her scrawny friend tightly.

“Hey, shoot me a discord call or something later, okay?” CJ said.

“Sure. Be safe on your way back, and…thanks, CJ. For everything.”

The cute boy winked at her with a smile. “Of course! Gotta watch out for my bestie and godson, right?”

Millie smiled before noticing her mother’s eyebrow shoot up. She’d offered to let CJ be the Godfather, more as a joke to prompt him to do bad impressions, not actually thinking about how her religious parents might view that.

“Yeah,” she said as he pulled away. “Just keep working on that impression, okay?”

CJ laughed again, before scrunching his face. He didn’t actually say anything—he couldn’t seem to do the accent justice—but he got laughs for his goofy antics from her father at least. He shot them finger guns before chuckling and waving goodbye as he left Millie. Her father walked him out.

Soon after, she heard the front door close in the distance. Millie sighed and tried to come to terms with her immediate future. The next two months would go by relatively quickly, she assumed, until she came to term. Then…well, she had her mother to help guide her through the rest of it. It would be fine. Right?

“So, Millie,” Her father said after he re-entered the room. “Do you have anything you want to change in the room?”

Millie opened her mouth to speak, but her mother cut in. “I think she’s tired dear. Let’s discuss this later, okay?”

Millie side-eyed her mother but didn't say anything. The woman wasn’t wrong after all, and besides which, her mother was shooting her father an odd look.

“Ah, well that’s fine,” her father said, before standing back up and walking over to Millie. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I was going to set up a telescope for tonight, so if you find yourself still awake you can join me.”

“A telescope?” Millie asked. “Why?”

Her father gestured broadly. “For the asteroid of course! Haven’t you heard about it?”

Millie shook her head, and her father laughed.

“There’s one swinging by the Earth, maybe thirty-two thousand Kilometers out. You know that’s lower than weather satellites?”

A little lower and maybe all of this will be over, Millie thought but bit back her retort. Her father was clearly excited, and her being bitter about how her life fell apart wasn’t an excuse to be mean to him.

"Isn't that a little close, dad? Shouldn't people be freaking out?"

"Ah, its fine," he said with a laugh. "The thing's barely bigger than a person."

Then how do you expect to even see it? She bit back that response as well. It was likely just an excuse to spend some time together anyway.

"Er, sure then. If I'm still awake we can stargaze."

Her father nodded happily, but turned when her mother suddenly cleared her throat. The older woman shot her father another stern look. Millie raised an eyebrow at their obvious antics, but they both pretended not to notice as her father finally caught on to whatever her mother was suggesting. Then, he stammered an excuse and left the room, claiming he forgot something in her car. Millie rolled her eyes and sighed as her mother took the opportunity to bring up the worst subject possible.

“Ehem, speaking of news. I’ve, ah, been meaning to ask,” she said cautiously, “have you…heard from Liam?”

Millie could feel the blood drain from her face. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Was she chasing dad away so she could bring this up? Wow.

“No, mom—not really,” Millie replied. “I told you, he and I…broke it off. You know—after I found him and Tanya.”

“But, didn’t he say—”

“Yes, he said a lot of things after he found out about the little souvenir he left me. Like how he wanted me to get a test done to see if it was his. So surprisingly—I’m not really interested in dealing with a scumbag that was screwing behind my back with one of my closest friends. M’kay?”

“Millie,” Her mother said, holding her hands up defensively. “I’m not trying to get you two back together—I just…want to know if he’s going to take on any responsibility.”

“He offered, I declined. I don’t need his money and I don’t want him in my son’s life.”

Her mother wrung her hands again as she fidgeted in her seat. “I’m sorry, Millie. You know we’re just worried about you, is all. Your father and I will be here for you, of course, but a child…a child should have a father. And…and I heard Liam was in town. Maybe we could get together and talk things out?”

Heard he was in town? Really? She glared at her mother. Has the bastard been going behind my back to talk to my parents? Why can’t he just leave me the fuck alone?

Her mother wilted under Millie’s glare, before letting the topic drop. Which, for that at least, Millie was grateful. She’d had many a…loud conversation with her parents about the situation. In fact, said loud conversations had started years back when they’d first discovered that she and Liam had been living together out of wedlock. And now that Millie was faced with the prospect of single motherhood? Her religious parents had done what they could to be supportive, but she sensed their disappointment.

“Well, regardless.” Her mother transitioned. “We do have a bed set out for you. Do you need to get any new clothes?”

Millie sucked in air between her teeth. She rather liked shopping under normal conditions. Less so when the only things she could wear had to have several x’s before its size.

“I—”

She was interrupted when her father returned with suspicious timing. Millie’s eyes popped open when she saw the cake he was holding, small candles lining the top. She couldn’t help but feel this was a little carrot and stick of them.

“Happy birthday sweetie!” He called out, and her mother smiled warmly.

“But…my birthday was over two months ago?” Millie protested.

“So? We haven’t gotten to see you for over half a year,” her father said, pouting like a grown man should not do. “And now our Millie’s come home. Consider this all the holidays we missed.”

Millie could only groan reluctantly. They had clearly decided to drop the Liam discussion for now. Still, she found herself fighting to keep a small smile off her face. This was really nice.

“Fine, but don’t you dare judge me if I eat the whole thing,” she said.

Her parents laughed, her mother’s mouth opening to say something—

But she never got a chance to say it. Because the world as they knew it, came to an end.

An alarm began to blare. Their phones buzzed, and Millie could hear the TV in the living room screeching static. A second later, the alarms intensified, transforming into an ear-piercing alternating tone filling the airwaves with an all-consuming message. Millie took it about as well as a deer staring at oncoming traffic as she practically jumped out of her skin.

Her father frowned, setting the cake to the side as he pulled out his vibrating phone. Her mother’s panicked features mirrored Millie’s own before the woman covered her ears to muffle the noise. Millie followed suit.

“Is that Alert Ready?” Her mother shouted, and her father nodded. Suddenly, another horrendous static burst out. It was followed by an electronic voice that boomed with an echo across every electronic device.

“The Canadian Government has issued a warning across all Provinces and Territories. Asteroid impact imminent. Seek shelter immediately.”

The message repeated, but it didn’t help. It didn’t make sense.

The sun was shining and the sky was clear. Millie’s birthday cake was just sitting there, tiny flames flickering merely. It was a normal day—but that normalcy was shattering. Outside, birds were taking flight as the blaring alarm filled the streets. Millie could see people rushing in or out of their homes, several looking between each other and a few…

A few pointed into the sky and screamed in terror before running back into their homes.

Millie’s mother clung to her protectively, but her father opened the nursery window and leaned out to look. He had to shield his eyes from the sun, but Millie watched his face go white.

“Oh my God.” He whispered, before signing the cross on his chest. He turned back to the family. “Inside, to the bathroom. Now!”

“Shouldn’t we go to a shelter or, or…?” Millie asked, now beginning to see…the sky was starting to get even brighter. Oh my god, it…it's really happening? This can’t be—

“We won’t make it.” He answered, lifting her effortlessly from the rocking chair.

“Wha—” Her protest was interrupted by an apocalyptic boom that shook the house. The nursery window shattered, as did every pane in the house. Millie screamed but never heard it as her ears felt like they’d burst as a deafening ringing took over. She grabbed onto the hands holding her tight—her father’s. He half carried her as they raced to leave the room. But they only made it a few steps.

A light flashed. It covered everything for one brief heart-stopping moment. Millie closed her eyes expecting the end. But it didn’t come.

She blinked only to see the light was now off in the distance, traveling like a wave. It had passed through her, and suddenly she felt nauseous. But shouldn’t she be on fire? Incinerated by the blast? Was that not…fire?

She gripped her stomach protectively, where she could feel her child squirming and kicking with her sudden burst of adrenaline. She stumbled, and her parents nearly fell with her before her father found his feet and kept them all upright. As she grabbed his flannel shirt, however, she stared fearfully at her hand. Something that hadn’t been there before had appeared.

A glowing light shined on the back of her hand. It looked like dancing squiggles made of fire.

She tried to say something as she pointed at it erratically. But her voice was silent in the wake of the ringing in her ears. Even still, her father noticed her gesture and glanced down to see the spark on her skin. His eyes widened before he tried to scrub it off, probably thinking it was fire, but his fingers didn’t affect it. It didn’t even move with the shifting of her skin. It just stayed there before growing…darker?

No, not darker, she realized. Looking back, she saw the sun was dimming, as though a shadow had begun to descend over the city. She gasped as her father suddenly brought her and her mother close.

He was saying something. She could feel it in the vibration of his chest. Praying, perhaps, as he held them. She felt her mother’s tears on her shoulder as the woman trembled.

Were they going to die? Just…out of nowhere like this? It wasn’t right. She didn’t want to die. It wasn’t fair.

But then the light on her hand burned. She shouted as she clutched at it in pain. Her father made room, just enough to see her arm again as she clutched it. She looked up briefly and met his eyes. She saw helplessness in them before—

Light burst out around her.

This time it wasn’t a wave crashing over them. Instead, a billowing light enveloped her. It pushed her parents away before violently dragging her back several feet into the middle of the room. She screamed to no avail and watched her mother reach out. But the woman recoiled just as quickly, her hand suddenly red. As though it had been…burned.

Millie yelled again, trying to say something, anything, but all she could hear was ringing. Her father, though? He didn’t let whatever barrier had formed around her stop him. He tried to get to her, his face contorting in agony. His arms, struggling to reach her across what looked like empty space, were instantly ignited.

She watched the most horrific sight she’d ever seen. The man she loved most in the world was burning. Veins bulged in his face as spittle flung out of his open mouth. He was screaming for her even as his arms blackened. She tried to reach out to him, all while babbling for him to stop.

But he wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t let her go. He wouldn’t—

“Dad! Please!” She wasn’t even sure if sound existed anymore, but she screamed so hard her throat hurt. She tried so hard to grab his hand even as she felt her feet leaving the floor. She was floating, just hanging in the air, slowly spinning. The crib nearby, the rocking chair, she even saw the cake covered in glass. She dangled helplessly a foot away from her father’s blistering fingers.

She wouldn’t stay still though. She kicked out, flailing in place as though trying to swim. She strained until her muscles hurt trying to reach him. She did everything she could before she met her father’s desperate gaze one last time. He was crying. She was too. Held just inches away from salvation before the light intensified.

It was their one and only warning.

Another boom. A localized shockwave, bursting out from her. It scattered chairs, knocked down boxes, and threw the broken glass. The cake splattered against the wall. The blast slammed into her father, throwing him into the crib, which splintered into pieces. She saw him slump to the floor, his head lolling as his arms continued to smolder as he lay in the wreckage. Millie’s mother was also thrown to the floor, and she looked up dazed, back and forth between them as her own tears ruined her makeup. She reached out to Millie one last time, screaming words she couldn’t hear.

“Why—why is this happening!?” Millie tried to scream.

Did she manage it? Could they hear her?

Did it matter?

A wrenching in her guts caused her to grip her stomach protectively. She howled again as a crushing force enveloped her before it felt like she was squeezed through a pinhole. The world flashed with one last burst of burning light before everything went dark.