Day 2: Lyra’s Journal

I don’t know what time it is anymore. The sky’s still the same color as it was when I woke up, but the light feels different now—like it’s been through something. Vex said those words by the river yesterday, and I kept going back to that spot even after I thought I’d left it behind. My stomach aches, but not from hunger—I think it’s the memory of berries, the ones I ate while talking to Gem. I tried to focus on how nice it felt to be with her, but my mind keeps drifting back to that voice, low and close, like it was whispering through the water. The wind carries a chill that’s not from the cold, but from something else—something that makes my skin feel too heavy. I don’t want to sleep. I don’t want to wake up. But the quiet is so deep, and I keep thinking: what if the world is just a little bit bigger than I thought?