“Happyyy birth-day dear Sailor….Haaa-ppy birthday to you.”
Sailor giggles softly and blows on her 8 unlit birthday candles.
“Okay, do you want to do cake or presents next ?”
The birthday girl mulls over her choices, glancing up at the ceiling before picking from the small stack of presents. She unwraps the gift from Luce first, grinning excitedly at the glitter facepaint.
Her attention is quickly taken by the playbill the gift had been wrapped in. She curiously smooths out the worn playbill for Alters: A Musical on the table.
“Nova, this is from the year I was born.”
Nova had been twelve years old when he and his Dad went to see the musical. He’d been a fan of the Alters video game for years and saw his opportunity to see the show when he and his dads flew to Long Island for Sailor's birth.
He’d been relentless, if not a little selfish, about wanting to see the show. He’d been told the weeks after Sailor's birth were for being with Aunt Twyla during her post partum recovery and getting the premie baby ready to travel. But, after non stop begging, he’d finally convinced his dad to take him to the show the weekend before they went back to Las Vegas as a family of four.
Luce and newborn Sailor came along because his Dad couldn’t bear to be away from her for even one night. They’d stayed at the Washington family’s condo while he and his Dad went to the show.
Nova had laughed as his dad struggled to follow the in-joke filled musical. Afterwards, they’d had a late dinner at Golden’s, a small unassuming diner tucked in a hip corner of the West Village. Over virgin daquiris his Dad confided in him that things at home would change with the new baby but that he’d always make time for Nova and never use him like a third parent.
Sailor was fussing when they wandered back to the condo at 3 a.m, punch drunk whisper-singing songs from the soundtrack. Haley took the fussy newborn from an exhausted Luce, quieted her with some gentle sways and a bottle and they all went to bed.
Then the Siege happened.
Helions came down.
Morningstar soldiers occupied the streets.
Bombs fell.
And finally…New Aeterna.