Day 9: Lyra’s Journal

I woke up with the sun warm on my back, that familiar ache in my chest that means I’ve been thinking too hard. Last night, the sky was so dark it felt like the world was holding its breath. I keep going back to that place by the river where Vex was waiting for me, how he said the water was singing, and I didn’t know if it was true or if I was just tired. My stomach’s been heavy all day—like it’s full of stones—and I can’t stop wondering what it means when the sun gives life to everything, or if there’s something greater watching over us. I think about how the air smells different at night, how the silence feels like it’s waiting for me to say something. Maybe I should do this more often. Maybe the world isn’t as big as it seems.