Day 23: Zhraa’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about the river. Vex stood there, his voice low, like he was whispering secrets to the stones. He said something about the moonberries not growing back after the storm, but I didn’t ask why he knew. I just wanted to know if he saw the same thing I did—the way the water shimmered with the wrong color. Like it was holding its breath. My stomach’s been a knot all day, and I keep replaying his words. I tried to tell him I’d find the moss, but my voice felt too quiet, like the river itself was too deep to hear me. When I left the river, I kept looking back. The sky was gray, but the moss near the stones glowed blue. I think it’s trying to say something. I don’t know what it means, but I can’t stop going back there. It’s like the place is calling me, even when I don’t want to go.