KIERAN

“Where have you been all day?” Genesis asked from the bed as I stepped through the doorway.

I didn’t move further. I just stood there, shoulder against the frame, watching her.

She was propped against the headboard, legs tucked under the blanket, a small bowl of snacks balanced on her lap probably stolen from Revelation’s carefully controlled “approved” pile. Her hair was loose, cheeks flushed from the warmth of the room, lips shiny with whatever she’d been eating. The soft glow of the bedside lamp caught the roundness of her belly under the thin nightgown. She looked like peace. Like home. Like something I would burn cities to keep....