She grabs the climbing tunnel beside her — one of those synthetic-wood play structures bolted to the floor.
And shethrowsit.
Not tips it. Not knocks it over.
Throws it.
It crashes against the wall with a metallic shriek, cracks along one panel, splits another clean down the center.
Children scatter. Some cry. Others gape.
Nessa stands there, chest heaving, golden irises glowing faintly as she clutches the raptor close to her chest again.
Then she starts crying.
The footage ends.
I say nothing.
I can’t breathe.
“She calmed down after a few minutes,” Delma says. “No one was hurt, thankfully, but… Dr. Sorala, this isn’t the first episode.”
“I know,” I say, my voice rasping. “She’s been having night terrors. Sleep’s been inconsistent. There’s stress in the household.”
Delma raises one sculpted brow. “And the strength?”
I fake a laugh. It sounds like static. “Adrenaline spikes. She’s small, but wiry. We don’t always know what kids are capable of under pressure. I’ve seen toddlers lift medcarts when cornered.”
Delma doesn’t smile. “We’ll need to report this to the behavioral registry. The play structure’s damaged. And some of the children are shaken.”
I nod, numbly. “Of course. I’ll make arrangements to pay for the damage.”
She leans back. “Maybe take her home early. Let her decompress.”
Nessa’s quiet on the walk back.
She clutches my hand with that same white-knuckle grip she uses when she’s about to fall asleep.
But she’s not sleepy now.
She’sthinking.
I can see it in her brow. The way she squints up at the pink-tinted clouds above the shield dome.
Her golden eyes reflect the filtered light.
We’re almost to our building when she finally speaks.
“Am I bad?”
My chest cracks in half.
I kneel in front of her, brush a hair from her cheek. “No, sweetpea. You’re just strong. And sometimes, when we’re strong and scared at the same time, things get a little messy.”
“But I broke the school.”
“No,” I say firmly. “You protected yourself. We just have to learn when to use that strength, okay? Like a superhero. They don’t always punch.”
