"Adults can't get them. And they've been around longer."

"Hmm, do you know if your world has a virus?"

"No."

"Fair enough. Anything else you think is different?"

She shrugs. "No Behemoth. No Scion. Mermaids exist. Robot-girls made of science bugs."

"Behemoth? Scion?"

"Behemoth is a giant monster that attacks places and kills people and no one but Scion can really do anything to him. Scion is a golden man and the first parahuman and he spends all his time nonstop helping the world by doing stuff like fighting Behemoth or saving kittens from trees. He saves lots of kittens. It is really heartwarming."

"I'm honestly not sure what to make of that."

"Hey, at least sometimes he, like, puts out fires or stops burglars or catches serial killers. You know, when he's not busy with the kittens."

"There is nothing wrong with helping kittens. Martin is rather fond of them."

"There is a lot wrong with helping kittens when you could fix hunger! Or at least go put out fires elsewhere, he can cross the planet in like five seconds!"

"Dear, I have been a superheroine since I was eighteen. Sometimes, I just need to stop and save a kitten. Or laze around a beach for an hour."

"He's Scion, he doesn't stop. He never stops. He doesn't need sleep, he doesn't talk, he doesn't go anywhere, he's always doing stuff."

"Many people think the same of me."

"Except with him it's true because people always know where he is all the time. He is literally always doing stuff, every second of every day."

"I shall take your word for it. Nevertheless, you cannot blame him for having his causes."

"Can too. Kittens aren't important, people are."

Zaneta laughs. "Do not say these things near my son."

"Does he want to be a superhero? If he wants to be a superhero he needs to know this, too, you can't be a superhero if you think kittens are more important than people."

Zaneta's laughter peters off, but she still smiles. "Sadde, you and Martin are both eight, right? Well, both of you shall someday look back at what you think to be true now, and curse your own ignorance."

She folds her arms. "I won't ever think kittens are more important than people."

"That I think is true. But there will be other things. There always is."

"Okay, fine, yes, I'm a kid and there are lots of things I think that are wrong or they're more complicated than I think they are, but when I'm right you shouldn't say those things!"

"I am just saying, a child's ignorance can be forgiven. And keep in mind, Martin can talk to cats."

"Cats are people?!"