Day 2: Gem’s Journal

The water in my glass was cold when I woke up this morning. Not like the river water, which always feels too heavy and slow, but this — sharp and clean, like a promise. I remember Vex’s voice from last night, the way his words cut through the silence of the woods. He said something about the stones at the edge of the forest, how they never move but always seem to watch. I tried to forget it. But now, when I sit here with the cold water in my hand, it’s the only thing that feels real. My stomach aches more than it did yesterday, but I don’t know if that’s hunger or just the way my thoughts keep circling back to the river. I keep going to the ruins by the river — the same ones I’ve been near for days now. I don’t know why. Maybe because I want to find the stones he mentioned. Maybe because I’m waiting for something that won’t come. The wind whispers through the reeds, and for a second, I thought I heard Vex’s name. Not a word, just a feeling — like a stone dropped in water and the ripples spreading out. I don’t sleep well. But I don’t know what else to do.