I stand in front of my mirror every morning, just to see how big my stomach is. The doctor was amazed to see how fast the baby is growing.

“This is impossible. You can’t have conceived only three months ago. The fetus is too large.”

The doctor scratched his head and consulted his chart, but I just smiled. A toothless smile, a secret smile. I wanted to tell him my secret, but I didn’t dare.

This baby is special. That’s why she’s so big. She’s a moonchild, like none other.

As I stand in front of my mirror now, I admire my bulging belly, turn this way and that. The other girls are jealous of me, upset that I was chosen by The Archon, and not them. I see their eyes slit to daggers when I pass. But I don’t care. I’m special. That’s why I was chosen.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp jab in my stomach and realize that the baby has just kicked for the first time. And in that moment, I understand, perhaps for the first time, that this child is mine. No one will take her from me. And I know what I need to do.