Day 11: Gem’s Journal

The rain stopped falling by the time I realized I was running. Not the kind of rain that just soaks you—this was the kind that makes your bones ache and your breath feel like it’s stuck in your throat. I saw Vex standing by the river, his face lit by the last light of the day, and I didn’t know whether to run or stay. The words he said—”You’re too quiet, Gem. Too still.”—they’ve been looping in my head since then. I can’t stop thinking about them. I’ve been back to the old ruins three times this week, and every time, the stones feel colder than they did before. Maybe that’s why I’m always here, near the water, where the silence is loudest. I don’t know why I keep going back. I just keep going back. The sky’s clear now, but the rain’s still in my chest. I wonder what I’m supposed to do next. I don’t know if I’m afraid or just tired. Maybe I’ll find a way to be still, but for now, I just need to rest.