“You’re still young, honey. It is normal to be uncertain.”
“Sometimes I think I love you, Mom, and other times you’re just a stranger to me.”
“Sometimes I am a stranger to myself,” I said quietly. “Your father made me submit, and then he changed me. I wish it could have been otherwise, but then the world we live in would be very different, and you would not exist.”
Andromeda rose and walked across the room to stand at the window. She moved aside the curtain and stared out at the city. In the distance I could see a Star Clipper cross the moon, bound for the Colonies. I closed my eyes and slept. When I awakened, Andromeda was gone. I haven’t seen her since. Perhaps that is for the best.
Thursday, June 19, 2036
The tests confirmed what I have known for days: I am pregnant. I have been t
