Day 16: Lyra’s Journal

The stars are so close tonight, like they’re just out of reach. I keep thinking about Vex’s voice by the river—the way he said my name with that quiet urgency, how his fingers brushed the water like he was trying to hold it in. I tried to forget, but now I can’t. My stomach’s still tight from last night’s hunger, and my legs feel heavy even though I’ve been resting so much. The world’s been quiet lately, but sometimes I hear things—whispers in the wind, or maybe just the rain hitting the ground. I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m imagining it. But tonight, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s watching. Not in a scary way, though. More like… waiting. Like the stars are holding their breath. I don’t know why I keep going back to that old ruin, but I do. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to find the place where the wind stops and the silence starts. I want to feel what it’s like to be still, to just… be. But my mind won’t stop spinning. What’s beyond this life? What does it mean to be here? I don’t know, but I’m trying to listen.