Her shoes squeaked as she slid across the court, teammates screaming her name—but she had only one thought in her mind.
One selfish thought.
"I have to win."
Her enthusiasm drowned out everything around the gym. The roar of the crowd faded. All she could hear was the drip of sweat hitting the floor, the swish of the net.
Game over!
The crowd erupted. They chanted her name over and over.
"Clove!"
She ducked into the locker room, grinning ear to ear. Green eyes glowing. Dark bangs stuck to her forehead. Her hands trembled with adrenaline as she shared high fives with her teammates, laughter on her lips.
But as she sat down on the bench, it hit her….
The pain
At first, it was a whisper in her gut.
Then a pull.
Then a twist.
Then a stab.
Clove doubled over the bench, gasping for breath. Her friends crowded around her in panic.
"Someone get the nurse!"
"It might be her appendix!"
"Clove? Are you okay?!"
She couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. Could barely think.
It felt like something inside her was being torn open—
Or torn out.
She blacked out before the ambulance ever arrived.
---
But the sound of monitors didn't greet her.
Neither did the cold fluorescence of a hospital room.
She woke to candlelight room
A wide stone room stretched around her, the flames dancing in every corner. Cloaked silhouettes surrounded her, unmoving, silent.
At the center of them stood a woman in white robes, her face obscured by shadow.
"Congratulations, Miss Clove. You're officially a mother."
Clove blinked.
"...I'm what?"
At the foot of her bed sat a basket. Something small was wrapped in cloth inside it.
She felt empty.
Hollowed.
Exhausted.
Her hospital gown was gone, replaced with ceremonial white robes like the ones worn by the figures around her.
Clove's voice cracked. "A mom? I'm fifteen."
The tiny face peeked out from the covers.
Not human.
Its skin shimmered with scales. Two tiny wings twitched at its back. Its eyes too sharp, too powerful to met hers.
Her heart dropped to her stomach.
"...What is that?"
The woman in white spoke calmly.
"That is your kin"