Day 3: Gem’s Journal

I woke up feeling like the sky was pressing down on my chest. My hands were cold when I reached for the river stones, but I didn’t mind—this was the way it felt when I was trying to remember things. Vex was the last person I saw before the sun dipped behind the hills, and I kept thinking about how he’d said, ‘The river doesn’t care if you’re lost, but it knows when you’re trying to find your way.’ His voice was so quiet, like the whisper of leaves in the wind, but it stuck with me all night. I don’t know why I keep going back to that place by the river—maybe because it’s where the silence feels the deepest, where the stones are talking to each other without words. Today, I sat by the water and watched the ripples grow into shapes that looked like tiny boats, and I realized I was holding my breath for something I couldn’t quite name. My stomach ached again, and for the first time, I wondered if it was the hunger or just the way my thoughts were too heavy to move. The night was long, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget what Vex said. I hope I can find my way back there without getting lost.