It had become a chronic condition. Whenever I had a moment, Elara would come to mind, and I'd miss her. I was afraid to send photos in case the same incident as before happened, so I picked up my phone, thinking I should at least send a text message.
At that moment, the phone rang. The number on the screen was one I'd never seen before. Usually, I wouldn't answer unknown numbers, but my instinct told me to pick it up. I pressed the call button and held it to my ear. Only breathing came through from the other end.
"...Alex."
That was enough to know who it was. My eyes widened. I was about to open my mouth wide to shout and ask where he was, but Alex spoke first.
"Lyra, you need to hide somewhere safe for a while."
"What?"
Caught off guard, I asked back in bewilderment. There was a 'ding' sound of a coin dropping on the other end. It was a public phone.
"Things have gone wrong."
