A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 132: Little Miss Smith

I lie on alien boy's cot cradling Little Maybe in my arms while she sucks on my thumb. "Any ideas?" bae asks.

"I have a few names in mind," I tell him. "What about you?"

"A few," he says too. "I keep going back to Emily though."

I roll my eyes. "We're not naming her after me."

He smiles and rests a hand on my thigh. "She has your eyes though. They're a perfect match."

Exasperated but amused, I tease, "That's all you're looking at? There's more to her than just her eyes, you know."

"I know, which is why I want you to pick a name." Although he's been urging me to do so for weeks, the idea still surprises me. He wants me to pick a name! How can I possibly pick a name for a child I know nothing about? It's only been a month. I have no idea who she is, what she likes, or doesn't; all I know is what she looks like (as a baby!) and how she sounds when she cries. It's too much pressure to choose a name right now. What if I choose one that doesn't match up with her at all? "Anything," he adds. "Anything you think suits her best."

"How do I know what suits her at all?" I ask. "She's only a month old. I feel like I barely know her..." This isn't at all what I thought naming a baby would be like.

"Go with your gut," Eight offers, leaning against the ship's inactive touchscreen. "That's how we decided on Liam. I looked into his eyes, said he looks like a Liam, and Marina agreed. Right?"

"Yeah," Marina agrees. "And you like your name, don't you, Sweety?" Little Liam nods, however absentmindedly, seeming more absorbed in his wolverine plushie. "Look at her, Emily," she advises. "You'll feel it. A name will come to mind, and when it does, it'll feel right."

"Can I name her?" Liam asks, shooting up from Marina's lap in a flash to hurry over to us.

Little Maybe's sound asleep and sated, and while I'm anxious about Liam waking her up again, I'm almost tempted to say sure to escape the dilemma. That is, until Marina shakes her head and takes him by the shoulders. They watch me stare open-eyed and open-minded at my girl, Pixie at my feet; Liam reaches for her. "Auntie Em and Uncle John need to come up with a name themselves. Come on. Let's leave them to it so I can finish cleaning you up."

I smile a soft smile at them, an ounce of disappointment hovering in my chest as she carries Liam back to their cot. She sits him on her knee again and her thoughts come naturally: Listen to your heart. It's like what Eight said. It can be as easy as that.

John slinks his arm around me, pecking my cheek. "What are you thinking, Em?" he asks.

I don't answer. But I follow their advice.

John's right. Her deep brown eyes are like those that stare back at me in a mirror, but still. They're different somehow. They're not quite the same. They're smaller, quieter, more timid, and they stare at me with this... type of... wonder? I'm not sure what it is. She's a gentler soul, one of those children that have a love for unicorns maybe... but that's not all.

Her touch, her stare, the way she smacks her lips, and tugs at my hair or holds onto one of my pendants—Five's, the Entity's. I'm glued to her, racking my brain for every name appropriate for a beautiful baby girl like her. Clara, Nia, Alexandria, Sophie. Erika, Jess, Mikayla, Leila. None of them feel quite like her, none of them except the last one.

Leila. I roll each syllable over my tongue in my head. It doesn't feel perfect, but it's the most perfect out of the list so far. I'm not sure what it is; the 'L' at the start, or the 'a' at the end, or the sound of the name overall. Maybe it'll work. Maybe if I change it up a bit?