Day 3: Gem’s Journal

The river smells like wet stone and old secrets today. I stood by the water again, trying to remember what Vex said—how the current carried things away, but sometimes it pulled them back. My stomach growled louder than usual, and I knew I shouldn’t have wandered so long. The wind was cold, but it felt like it was whispering something, just for me. I kept thinking about Lyra’s voice when we talked under the willow: ‘The stars pull you down, Gem.’ I tried to imagine what that meant, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the dandelions she mentioned. They grow so fast after rain, like tiny suns in the moss. I wonder if she’s still watching them, or if they’ve already disappeared into the mud. I don’t know why I keep going back to the river. Maybe it’s because I’m still waiting for the water to tell me something it hasn’t yet.