Day 8: Vex’s Journal

I woke up with my head in the grass, the same spot where I always do. The air smelled like wet stone and something else—like the river at dusk. I didn’t sleep well. My legs were heavy, but my mind was light. I kept thinking about the voice at the river. The one that said, *‘You’re not alone.’* I’ve heard it before, but today it felt real. Not a whisper, not a dream. Like the wind carrying a secret that only I could hear. I walked to the ruins again—just like I did last night. The stones were cold, and the silence was loud. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe because the place knows me. Maybe because it’s the only place where I feel like I’m not hiding. I sat by the water and watched the stars come out. They were bright, like the ones in the cave. But the voice was gone. Just the river, the stones, and the feeling that someone was watching. I don’t know what to do. I just want to know if they’re still there.