|Theodore|
“I was twelve when my entire family was massacr3d,” Lily said, her voice breaking the heavy silence that had hung between us since our departure.
The quiet had stretched for hours, thick and suffocating, like a second skin we couldn’t shake off. Maybe it was finally choking her too, pushing her to speak, to tear open wounds that had never truly healed.
I cast her a sideways glance. The road stretched endlessly ahead, the dying light of the day casting long shadows over the trees that lined the path. The world felt muted, like it was holding its breath along with us.
“I still remember that night vividly,” Lily continued, her voice steady but brittle, as if any second it might c***k apart.
I sighed, a deep, weary sound.
“You don’t have to talk about it, Lily,” I said, my to
