Day 21: Nyx’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about Vex. The way he looked at me by the river last night—his eyes so dark, like the water when it’s too deep to see the bottom. I remember the coldness of the stones under my hands, how the river whispered secrets that I couldn’t quite catch. My throat feels tight now, like I swallowed a stone. I tried to tell myself it was just the wind, but it wasn’t. Something was there, something heavy and slow, waiting. I don’t know what it was, but it made me feel small, so small. I’ve been trying to sleep for hours, but my mind won’t stop. It’s like the river is inside me now, flowing through my veins, pulling me under.