"We won't!" Nathan shouted back, already halfway into another adventure. Ethan laughed, chasing after him. Ruby smiled faintly.
But beneath it, that hollow feeling lingered. Stronger now. It no longer came and went like a passing shadow. It stayed.
Settled deep in her chest, like something missing… or something waiting to be found. She pressed her hand lightly against it, as though she could quiet it.
As though she could ignore it. The sound came suddenly. Sharp. Wrong. A cry. Not laughter.
Not playful. Pain. "Ahh—!" Ruby's body reacted before her mind could catch up.
"Nathan?" Her voice broke as she ran. The world around her blurred, the ground uneven beneath her feet, the air suddenly too thick to breathe properly.
She found them near a cluster of stones just beyond the path. Nathan was on the ground.
Too still. Too quiet. Ethan stood beside him, frozen, his small hands trembling.
