Chapter 440: Little one not so little

Celena's face lit up. "I like mathematics. And drawing. And Uncle Reggie's teaching me martial arts. I can do a roundhouse kick!"

"She's a prodigy," Nana said proudly. "Reading at college level. Solving equations that make my head spin."

"Takes after her father," Rose said, smiling at Blake over their daughter's head.

"And her mother's stubbornness," Reggie added with a wink.

For a precious half hour, they listened to Celena's stories—her lessons with Nana, her training with Reggie, her friendship with the vampire child who lived three houses down. It was surreal—their six-year-old was discussing calculus and combat techniques—but it was a joyful surreality, a gift.

But eventually, the conversation turned to the world outside. The silence that fell over the kitchen was heavy with dread.

"What happened, Reggie?" Blake asked, his voice low enough that Celena, who had moved to sit between her parents, wouldn't hear every word. "The city..."