Looking back, Jenn was, once again, wondering how she had managed to get from point A to point B. Just about two years ago, she had prepared to give birth to her first child, while her husband had celebrated a promotion at the bank he had been employed, making both of them deliriously happy. That is, as long as the pregnancy hadn’t been kicking her behind. Or worries about her husband’s fidelity, especially when he reconnected with a woman he had called a friend for years, that is, until she had connected with said woman.

Then, her son had been born, and while there had been some small complications and challenges on the way, things had been fine, or as fine as things could be with an infant in the house. She loved Sebastian dearly, but there were times when she was just done with her husband Chris, her baby, and the world in general. Only for the world to apparently decide that it was done, too, and kick things deeply into the weird zone, with blue flames reducing civilisation to rubble, blue boxes popping into people’s vision and turning the world into something out of Chris’ video games, complete with levels, skills and, regrettably, monsters.

Surviving, especially with an infant in tow, had been the greatest challenge she had faced so far, with limited supplies, zombies scratching at the door and a general feeling of hopelessness pervading the community centre they had sheltered in with some others, trying to protect the children to the best of everyone’s ability.

And then came Samantha, or Jade as she had made herself known, apparently rejecting the reality around them and substituting it with one more convenient to her, or something along those lines. Jade’s powers had left a mark on her. Jenn was well aware of the change in her thinking afterwards, even if she didn’t think Jade had consciously done anything. No, the mark she now carried was one of awe and veneration; the experience turned Jade from an incredibly awkward and quite clueless woman into something more. Something she couldn’t help but admire and look up to, especially when she and the group she had been living with were introduced to Apple Gate Farm and a larger community. Only for said community to get into trouble because some people, Chris among them, were convinced that their experience in asset management and finance made them the best managers and administrators. The problem was that when their usual practices went belly up, there was no government, no taxpayers, to bail them out and keep the system going. It just went all down the drain, with numerous people leaving and taking as many supplies with them as they could.

Including her, carrying Sebastian with her as she went.

During that flight, remembering how Jade had shaped the world around her had been part of what kept her going, the knowledge that the world could be changed if one had enough power. Eventually, her pleas to give her the power to keep her son safe had been answered, but just because it worked the first time didn’t mean she was ready to rely on something she didn’t understand. And so, Jenn kept praying, each morning when she rose, each night when she readied her son for bed, putting everything she had into those prayers.

And, in turn, her prayers were answered, not just by the system, giving her a measure of insight into the abilities she gained, but also by the world itself. Sure, seeing a message pop up before her, telling her that she was now a Novitiate, was nice, as was a written explanation of her powers, but experiencing those powers herself was a lot more convincing. Living those powers, knowing that the Mother out there was helping her to protect her precious son, gave her something she had yearned for, a sense of control.

And, knowing that the sense of control would only last as long as she kept her part of the pact between the Mother and herself, she threw herself fervently into her prayers. When closing her eyes, she had seen flashes of Ice and crystalline trees, of endless mist and frozen lands, but, in the middle of the seeming devastation, there had always been a comforting presence, sheltering those who needed the protection.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Occasionally, she even dreamed of those frozen lands, of sitting next to a pool of crystalline water and speaking to another woman, an old, wise woman who gave her words of comfort and advice. Not quite like her mother would, but from an older, somewhat detached perspective, as if the speaker had seen it all and was now passing on her wisdom. Maybe this was the Mother’s mother, thus, their Grandmother, giving her the lessons in words that the Mother had her learn in deeds and actions.

Later, when she met a few others who were just trying to survive, she told them about the Mother and, after one of them was injured in a fight, she called upon the Mother’s power to knit the wound, a tri-coloured formation appearing between her hand and the wound as she spoke the words of prayer and benediction and the wound was healed. Not instantly, but an injury that would have taken days to heal, maybe gotten infected on the way, disappeared within minutes, leaving everyone in awe.

To Jenn’s surprise, the awe didn’t fade afterwards; an undercurrent of it remained. Suddenly, she wasn’t the only one praying in the morning or at night, though she might be the only one who knew that the small statue in the shrine she had set up wasn’t just the image of a random figure but one she, Jenn, knew quite well, as it was the image of the one who had given her hope in the darkest of times. The one who had taken in a lost child, bathed the child and allowed little Sabrina to call her ‘Mom’, readily accepting the duties and responsibilities that came with the title. Maybe Jade’s methods weren’t quite what society before the change would have accepted as responsible motherhood but in these days, Jenn had realised that it wasn’t about keeping the children from injury or harm, it was about keeping them safe, as contradictory as that might sound at first.

In the twisted, changed world they now lived in, safety was an illusion, unless you, personally, made sure that you were safe and even then, it couldn’t be guaranteed. That might be the harshest lesson Jenn had learned and, even if she hated it, she was passing that lesson on to Sebastian, even now, as her son had gone from crawling to walking and a few words, she was teaching him how to be responsible and, above everything else, how to keep himself safe.

For that, Jenn realised she needed to understand this strange, changed world around them, so she, alongside the rest of their small but growing group, started to document what they encountered as they slowly travelled around, searching for food like some nomadic tribe. It was not the easiest thing to accomplish, but they managed to find their way with a bit of luck, some magic, and the Mother’s guidance. They even found and joined with a few other groups, some of those groups drawn by the promise of greater safety in numbers, others by the idea of pooling resources and exchanging knowledge so everyone had a better chance.

Sure, some tried to exploit the community. Luckily, a few of their companions, especially the few dogs who had joined them on their travels, were excellent at sniffing out deceit and ill intent, quietly warning different guardians so the troubles could be dealt with.

The Mother’s teachings, the lessons Jenn had received in her dreams, were shared with the entire community. The small statue was replicated into a larger form, and as she made it, Jenn noticed that the form had changed a little, even if she hadn’t intended for it to change. And yet, despite the changes, it felt so very right, making her think that, maybe, divine will had guided her hands, allowing her to make a statue to better represent the Mother.

Given the different gifts the Mother had bestowed upon her, and the numerous times those gifts had helped others wihtin their community meant that her originally solitary morning prayers were now joined by many, the congregation growing until it encompassed everyone within their community, all ready to give thanks to the Mother and hope for Her guidance, until, one day, a different window appeared before Jenn.

She was no longer a Novitiate. She had reached the appropriate level and, thanks to her continued devotion and prayers, she was now a genuine Priest, her powers growing to match her new role.

Now, she could spread the word of the Mother, the lessons she had learned from Her even further, hopefully allowing everyone to learn and to thrive, as the Mother would want them to.