CHAPTER 50 - Relative Talk

Lyra. The scene in the trees disappears, and like a broken reel, my life flickered before me, each frame pulling me deeper into the past. I was five again, staring up at my father's face. His gray eyes shone with warmth and a pride that once seemed eternal. But the warmth dimmed overtime, replaced by a chilling indifference that sliced through me like a winter wind. A voice, soft and soothing, threaded through my memories. 'I'm here with you. I will protect you. Wait for me... a little while longer.' I had turned seven, clutching a drawing of our family - Daddy, Vivian, Viola, and me. "Look, Daddy! It's us!" I said, my heart bursting with hope. He glanced at it briefly, barely acknowledging my effort. Muttering a curse, he turned back to his work. The sting of his dismissal carved a deeper wound in my already broken young heart. The voice returned, wrapping around my pain. 'You are not alone. I see you. I believe in you. Wait for me... a little while longer.' On my tenth birthday