LOGINLyra POVHe didn’t look like someone who belonged to danger.That was the first thing I noticed.He looked… normal.Not like the people in the woods.Not like the men in the dungeon.Not like the ones in the market.Just a boy.Standing there.Looking at me like I was the strange one.“Hi,” he said.Just like that.Like this was nothing.Like finding someone in your house wasn’t something to be scared of.I didn’t answer.I just stared.My hands stayed by my sides, stiff, like if I moved too fast something bad would happen.He tilted his head a little.“You don’t talk?” he asked.“I do,” I said quickly.My voice came out small.He smiled a little.Not in a mean way.Just… like he found that funny.“Okay,” he said. “Good.”Silence came again.I didn’t know what to do with it.“What’s your name?” he asked.“Lyra.”He nodded like that meant something.“I’m Kieran.”
Lyra POVI started noticing her habits.Not because I was trying to spy.Just… because I didn’t know what else to do.She didn’t stay in one place for too long.In the morning, she moved around the house quietly, doing small things—arranging, cleaning, checking things I didn’t understand. Then she would leave.Not for a short time.For hours.The first time she left after I came, I sat by the door.I didn’t touch it.I just sat there.Listening.Waiting.Like if I stayed close enough, I would hear her coming back sooner.I didn’t.Time moved slowly in that house.Too slowly.So I started walking around.Carefully.Like I didn’t want to break anything.Or make her regret bringing me.I didn’t go back into that room with the books.Even though I thought about it.A lot.Instead, I stayed in the main space.Sometimes I sat on the chair.Sometimes on the floor.Sometimes I just st
Lyra POVI didn’t sleep again.I just lay there, staring at the ceiling until my eyes started to hurt.At some point, I turned to the side and watched the door.It stayed closed.But not locked.I kept checking that.Over and over.Like it might change if I looked away for too long.It didn’t.Still… I didn’t relax fully.I don’t think I know how to yet.After a while, I sat up.The room felt too quiet again.Not bad.Just… too much space for my thoughts.So I got down from the bed and stepped into the hallway.No one.The house felt empty.I walked slowly, my fingers brushing lightly against the wall as I moved.The table was still there.The chair I sat on earlier hadn’t been moved.Everything looked the same.But something felt different.I couldn’t explain it.I stood in the middle of the room for a moment, just looking around.Then I noticed something I hadn’t paid attention
Lyra POVI woke up before I opened my eyes.That was the first thing I noticed.Usually, I woke up suddenly—heart beating fast, body tight, like something was about to happen. Like I had to be ready to run even before I knew why.But this time…I was just awake.Lying still.Breathing slowly.It felt strange.I kept my eyes closed for a few seconds longer, listening.Nothing.No footsteps outside the door.No voices.No metal sounds.No shouting.Just quiet.Real quiet.My eyes opened slowly.The ceiling came into view.Same as before.Plain.Still.Not moving.I turned my head slightly.The room was exactly how I saw it before I slept.Nothing had changed.No one had entered.No one had touched anything.I sat up slowly.The blanket slid off my shoulder, and I paused for a second, looking down at it.I wasn’t used to this.Sleeping without holding my bag.
Lyra POV I didn’t know how far we had walked before the noise started to fade. At first, the market still followed us—the shouting, the arguing, the sound of people calling out prices like they were fighting for attention. But little by little, it all drifted behind us until it became something distant, like a memory I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep. My hand was still in hers. I noticed it when my fingers shifted slightly against her palm. I hadn’t even thought about letting go. That scared me a little. Not because it felt wrong… but because it didn’t. We passed houses—real houses, not stalls or broken corners or wooden boxes people slept beside. Some had doors open. Some had people sitting outside like they had nowhere else to be. A child ran past us barefoot, laughing at something I couldn’t see. I turned my head and watched him. He didn’t look hungry. He didn’t look scared. He didn’t look like he was trying to survive. He just… existed. I looked away quickly. “Are you t
Lyra POVI didn’t know if it was still morning or already afternoon.Time didn’t make sense anymore.Everything just felt… long.My body felt heavy when I stood up from the alley.My legs shook a little, like they didn’t really want to carry me anymore.But I still moved.Because staying there felt worse.The market was still loud.Still busy.Still full of people who didn’t care.I stepped out slowly, holding onto the wall for a moment before letting go.My stomach hurt in a different way now.Not sharp.Not loud.Just… empty.Like there was nothing left inside it to hurt.My throat felt dry too.When I swallowed, it scratched.I looked around.Food everywhere.Still not for me.I walked slowly this time.Not rushing.Not hopeful.Just moving.I stopped near a stall again.I didn’t even know why.Maybe because I didn’t know where else to go.“Please…” I said quietly.The word felt smaller now.Like it didn’t mean anything anymore.The man didn’t even look at me.“Go away,” he said.N







