N.K.Jemisin

Her heart breaks in this moment. Another small, quiet tragedy, amid so many others. But she speaks, because in the end she is her mother’s daughter, and if Essun has done nothing else, she has trained her little girl to survive.

“Hello, little one,” the man says as Nassun stares. “That’s quite the trick.”

(It is surprising how refreshing this feels. Being judged by what you do, and not what you are.)