Home (Binti, #2)

by Nnedi Okorafor

“When you face your deepest fears, when you are ready,” she’d said. “Don’t turn away. Stand tall, endure, face them. If you get through it, they will never harm you again.”

The three days passed, as time always does when you are alive, whether happy or tortured.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend . . . even if it’s a monster.” “Okwu isn’t a monster, Papa.” “It nearly killed you on that ship and it nearly killed us all at the launch port.” When I opened my mouth to protest, he held up a hand. “It’s the job of the master harmonizer to make peace and friendship, to harmonize. For you to befriend that thing, you’ve done well.”

“I only know what I am taught,” I whispered. “That’s not true,” he said. “I . . . I met one of you once,” I said. “We know,” he said. “And was she a savage?” “No,” I said. “So you knew that back then.”