“Like a goddess, huh?” Nova asks, humor dancing in his eyes. “I’m personally a fan of Norse Mythology. I have a name in mind that fits you and I think you’ll like it.”
“What?” Two asks, curiosity shining in her eyes.
“Freyja. Here, let me look her up for you,” he states, pulling out his phone and searching the internet… new concepts to us both. Nova has opened up an entire world for us with that device.
I watch intently as Two tilts her head so she can read the information about this Goddess Nova called Freyja. I watch as a smile graces her face and she emphatically nods her head. “Yes. I love it. It’s perfect.” I’m a little jealous of the fact that hers came easily to her and I’m still sitting here debating.
Nova, who’s sitting between the two of us, leans over, and whispers. “You said you felt like you’d broken the chains around you today, right?”
“Yes,” I whisper back. “Why are we talking like this?”
“I didn’t want to disturb your sister while she reads about Norse Mythology. Plus, I didn’t know if what we’re about to discuss is something you want her to overhear until you come to a decision. I don’t want anybody, including her and me, to influence you in any way.”
“You have an idea about what I should call myself, don’t you?” I question.
“I do. There’s a name that reminds me of your description,” he taunts, not telling me what it is.
“Well,” I snap, my patience waning. “What is it?”
“Chaney,” he answers.
“Chaney,” I repeat, letting it roll off my tongue so I can get a taste for it. “I like it. It feels right.”
“I thought you might,” he laughs, taking a swallow of his beer. “That’s step one, now we need to move on to step two.”
“Which is?” I inquire.
“Middle names,” he remarks.
“It never ends,” I complain.
“That’s life, unfortunately,” he expresses, his demeanor taking on a serious stance. “It’s a never-ending loop of trials and tribulations. Some are easier to overcome than others. Believe it or not, this is going to be the easiest challenge you and your sister are going to come up against.”
“That’s not soothing, Nova,” I chide.
“It’s not meant to be, Chaney,” he counters. My entire body ignites when he uses that name in reference to me. It’s like I finally have a sense of ownership over myself. Something to be proud of. I’m a new person, not that beaten down woman that he rescued earlier in the day. That may sound ridiculous to the average person, but to me, it’s the perfect definition for the emotions flowing through me.
This is mine and Father can’t take it away from me.
“Freyja Destiny, and Chaney Freedom. Both strong, meaningful names,” Nova says, nodding his head with approval. “Now, you said earlier you didn’t want to use your father’s surname of Jennings, so what do you want to use instead?”
“We talked about it while you were plating our food, and we voted on it and came to the conclusion that we want to use your last name, Nova,” I announce.
“Mine? Why mine?” he asks.
“Why not yours, Nova? You’re the only good person we know. It’s our way of thanking and honoring you,” I repeat, voicing the reasons Freyja and I came up with together. “You didn’t just rescue us, Nova, you saved us in more ways than one and are keeping us safe. It’s what we want. Are you mad?”
“Not at all,” he quickly says, correcting my assumption. “It just caught me off-guard.”
“Freyja and Chaney Cruz has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? It just flows off your tongue like it was meant to be,” I point out, wanting him to agree.
“It does. Are y’all sure that’s what you want? You can’t take it back once it’s finalized and documented,” he states.
“It’s what we want,” I forcefully say.
“Alright then. I’ll let Booker know and he can start working on getting y’all a paper trail. We’ll find a couple with that last namewho’s passed, hopefully recently, and put them on your birth certificate. We’ll get y’all some homeschool transcripts and lay out some breadcrumbs so it’s hidden that y’all are self-taught and were restrained by your father.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it,” I complain.
