LYRA
"We're leaving now Lyra. Rose will be here soon" my foster mother said,her fingers gripping my arm harder than necessary. "Don't think about stepping foot outside"
I rolled my eyes the moment I heard the key twist in the lock. As if I had anywhere else to go. The small,cramped room upstairs had been my world for as long as I could remember. Four walls,a dusty window that let in enough light to remind me there was an outside world but not enough to make me feel part of it.
Where else would I go? I thought bitterly, trudging back toward the staircase. My parents - no my jailers always made sure of that. I was never allowed to leave the house. No explanations. No reasons. Just orders barked at me.
I dragged my feet to the desk lying in the corner of my room. I picked up my note and write
“17 years,364 days”
Tomorrow will make it Eighteen years since I've been trapped in this house and all I get for an excuse "it's for your own good?"
What were they so afraid of? What was I supposed to be afraid of?
I closed the note,too tired to write another word. The note is one thing that is keeping my sanity in check. It's the only thing I have that reminds me that I'm still human.
The window called out to me like it always did, the only glimpse I had of the world outside. I walked to the window, pressing my hand against the glass. My breath hitched as I leaned forward staring at the distance horizon.
Trees swayed in the wind, and sunlight danced on the pavement. It looked beautiful. The world is beautiful I think
I wasn't loved in this house either. My foster parents never missed a chance to remind me how much I didn’t belong. I wasn’t like Anya. I wasn’t theirs. She was the golden child, the one who had all the attention, all the love that had been denied to me. Four years old and already more free than I would ever be.
Talking about Anya
"Lyra, can you get me milk?"
She called out, her voice sweet and innocent.I sighed, making my way out of the room down the stairs then toward the kitchen. Even though I wasn’t allowed to leave, I still had duties. There were always chores to be done, errands to run inside the house, meals to prepare. Anything to keep me busy and distracted from the fact that I hadn’t seen the outside world in what felt like forever
A soft knock thudded on the door and I figured Rose was here. She was my aunt- she always came here to keep me company when my parents were out.
Translation: She's here to make sure I don't step out of the house.
“Lyra” She smiled sweetly at me as she closed the door behind her. “How are you doing sweetie” She said, pulling me into a hug.
I managed a small smile and muttered, “I’m good” before pulling away from the hug she offered.
Good
Such a simple lie. Good was all I ever had to say, wasn’t it?
Rose’s gaze softened as she took in my expression. She always did that—searching, as if she could see the cracks in my armor.
“How was your morning? I hope Anya hasn’t been too much trouble?”
“Not at all,” I replied.
Anya wasn’t the problem. She was never the problem. She was just... everything I wasn’t. Free.
Rose pulled out a chair and sat at the table, watching as I moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, cleaning up as if it was the only thing I knew how to do.
Rose tried, I knew she did. She would bring me books or sneak me stories about the outside world, tales that filled my head with images of places and people I’d never met.
But no matter what she did, she never answered the one question that haunted me every day.
Why am I locked away?
“I brought you something today,” Rose said softly, reaching into her bag. “It’s not much, but I thought you’d like it.”
She pulled out a small, leather-bound book. The kind with thick pages and that old smell I loved..My heart gave a little leap
“Thanks,” I mumbled, taking the book from her. She always knew exactly what to bring to keep my mind from completely unraveling.
I looked back toward the window,my fingers brushing the cover of the book.
“You know, Lyra,” Rose said softly. “Things won’t always be like this. One day you’ll—
“ One day” I cut her off, turning to face her.
“What does that even mean, Rose? One day? When? I’m going to be eighteen tomorrow, and still nothing’s changed. I’m still here. Locked up. No answers.”
She looked away, her smile faltering for the briefest of moments. That was always the answer. Silence. Evasion. She knew something, and I was tired of being kept in the dark.
“Just hold on a little longer,” she said, her voice so soft it was barely audible
“Right” I mumbled,my gaze flickered back to the window
“I'll tell you a story then” She said as settled in a chair, leaning forward a bit. I smiled and sat across from her. If stories are the only thing I'll have about the outside world,then I better cling onto it.
"Once upon a time," she began "There was a girl, much like you, who was trapped in a tower for reasons she couldn't understand. The world beyond was a mystery, yet every day she dreamed of seeing it, feeling the sun on her skin, the grass beneath her feet."
I felt my chest tighten as her words stirred something inside me. A girl, trapped, like me. I listened intently,the story mirrored my life.
"But this girl" Rose continued, her eyes meeting mine. “But this girl,she wasn’t just ordinary. There was something about her that was special—something the world beyond needed. She just didn’t know it yet."
“What happened to her?" I blinked, leaning in closer
Rose smiled faintly, her eyes flickering with a sadness I couldn't quite place.
"She escaped. One day, when she couldn’t bear it anymore, she broke free from her tower. But what she found outside... was nothing like she expected. The world was bigger and more dangerous than she imagined, filled with people who were both drawn to her and afraid of what she represented."
"And?" I whispered, unable to stop myself. "What did she do?"
"She learned who she truly was," Rose said softly, her gaze never leaving mine. "But it came at a cost. The freedom she found came with enemies, with betrayal... and with unexpected allies."
A chill ran down my spine as her words hung in the air between us.
“So Lyra. The reason I told you this is to just let you know that the world is not as beautiful as you think. There are dangers looming around and if there's a reason you're locked in here,forbidden to step out then you must respect it”
I was about to ask her more when the sound of the front door creaking open echoed through the house. My foster parents had returned.
Rose stood quickly, her usual calm demeanor snapping back into place as if the conversation had never happened.
"I'll be back tomorrow," she said hurriedly, grabbing her things.
I barely nodded, my mind spinning with her story. As the door clicked shut behind her, I found myself staring at the window once more, the world outside calling to me louder than ever.
Tomorrow. Eighteen. Maybe it was time I wrote my own story.
