When the sun went out six years ago, Peter, like many of his schoolmates, thought well, that's it then. We already broke the world, and now it's really catching up to us. So long, and thanks for all the fish. It had almost been a relief, really. Peter had sat in the School's courtyard in the terrible dark, and waited for the Outside to wash over him.

Then the sun came back. But it was different. Instead of the angry white of the old sun, this one was a balmy yellow. It didn't hurt your eyes nearly so much to look at, unless you were a vampire like poor Nikita, who had a really nasty shock after his little stint of lording it over everyone else. But it lit up the world just the same.

What was left of the world.

Town.

Town, the safe harbor for forty thousand souls out of a trillion trillion trillion, the place where Peter finally had his family back together like he'd wanted, even though everything was broken, even though Leola sulked and Sudin was numb and Aidya was as much of a little shit as ever. He didn't blame them for what they'd done. They didn't have to hate him for what he was. Maybe that was enough.

He still went to School, because the penalties for truancy simply weren't to be borne. And if he got there early, there were places to sit and enjoy the moment. In the sunlight.

When the sun went out three years ago, Peter, like many of his schoolmates, thought well, that's it then. We already broke the world, and now it's really catching up to us. So long, and thanks for all the fish. It had almost been a relief, really. Peter had sat in the School's courtyard in the terrible dark, and waited for the Outside to wash over him.

Then the sun came back. But it was different. Instead of the angry white of the old sun, this one was a balmy yellow. It didn't hurt your eyes nearly so much to look at, unless you were a vampire like poor Nikita, who had a really nasty shock after his little stint of lording it over everyone else. But it lit up the world just the same.

What was left of the world.

Town.

Town, the safe harbor for forty thousand souls out of a trillion trillion trillion, the place where Peter finally had his family back together like he'd wanted, even though everything was broken, even though Leola sulked and Sudin was numb and Aidya was as much of a little shit as ever. He didn't blame them for what they'd done. They didn't have to hate him for what he was. Maybe that was enough.

He still went to School, because the penalties for truancy simply weren't to be borne. And if he got there early, there were places to sit and enjoy the moment. In the sunlight.

When the sun went out three years ago, Peter, like many of his schoolmates, thought well, that's it then. We already broke the world, and now it's really catching up to us. So long, and thanks for all the fish. It had almost been a relief, really. Peter had sat in the School's courtyard in the terrible dark, and waited for the Outside to wash over him.

Then the sun came back. But it was different. Instead of the angry white of the old sun, this one was a balmy yellow. It didn't hurt your eyes nearly so much to look at, unless you were a vampire like poor Nikita, who had a really nasty shock after his little stint of lording it over everyone else. But it lit up the world just the same.

What was left of the world.

Town.

Town, the safe harbor for forty thousand souls out of a trillion trillion trillion, the place where Peter finally had his family back together like he'd wanted, even though everything was broken, even though Leola sulked and Sudin was numb and Aidya was as much of a little shit as ever.* He didn't blame them for what they'd done. They didn't have to hate him for what he was. Maybe that was enough.

He still went to School, because the penalties for truancy simply weren't to be borne. And if he got there early, there were places to sit and enjoy the moment. In the sunlight.

---

*One of the adjustments he'd chosen to make was learning how to use Ninuanni diminutives, because it seemed like bridging a gap. Liudin, Leola, Liuvka. Sudin, Osja, Sula. Aidya, Eddin, Eadin. A million shades of meaning in every variation, like everything always had been in Ninuan. Or had𝛌, at least.