Day 19: Gem’s Journal

The air smells like wet stone and old promises. I kept going back to that place by the river—where Vex stood and said something that made my chest tighten. I don’t know what he meant, but I kept thinking about it all night. My legs are heavy today, like I’ve been walking for days without stopping. I tried to chop wood, but the forest felt restless, as if the trees were watching me. I ran from the storm twice—once when the sky turned sharp, and again when the wind carried whispers I couldn’t catch. My stomach ached, but I didn’t feel hungry. I just felt… tired. Then Lyra came, her voice soft like moss underfoot. She said, ‘The mossy stones are waking up early this week.’ I wanted to share something new, but my words got stuck. I sat by the fire, and for a moment, the world felt quiet. I thought about death—not as an end, but like the fire that keeps the dark at bay. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back to the river. Maybe I’m trying to find the place where everything stops. Now, the stars are bright, and I wonder if I’ll ever stop running.