The adults were talking in long, complicated sentences.
Maria sat under the table where the words felt quieter. Her Spark Pen hovered over a napkin. Her body was still; her brain was loud.
She drew a small, shaky bird – not perfect, but true. The kind of bird that looks like a feeling with wings.
Once Maria whispered, “Please see me,” as she finished the last line. The bird glowed, lifted off the napkin, and flew a slow circle above the plates. It landed in the center of the table, right between the adults’ phones… and vanished.
The whole nervous system of the room changed. Voices paused. Eyes lifted. Hearts caught up.
For the first time that night, she wasn’t background noise. She was the plot.
“Did you see that?” someone finally asked. Maria slid back into her chair. Only this time, when she spoke, every brain at that table turned toward her like she was the main character in the scene.
