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Chapter Sixteen — The Long Walk Backward

Penulis: Banas
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-07 14:32:26

Morning arrives without softness. The sky outside my window is a dull, washed-out gray, the kind that makes the world feel heavy before the day even begins. My body matches the sky. My limbs ache with the kind of fatigue that isn’t solved by sleep. It feels carved into bone. Even brushing my hair exhausts my arms halfway through. I try to blame it on a bad night, but I know what sits behind the ache — fear has weight, and I’ve been carrying it for too long.

Eight days left.

I say it once in a whisper while tying my shoes, hoping that giving the number shape might ease the pressure clawing at my chest. It doesn’t. It pulses beneath my ribs like a second heartbeat as I walk out the door.

But the kindergarten… at least that part of my life is still warm.

The moment I step inside the classroom, something inside me loosens. The air smells of strawberries and oranges — Cynthia’s mother sent homemade fruit muffins again — and the sweetness wraps around me like a blanket. Before I can even re
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