Lyra's POV
I spun on my heel and walked away from that suffocating room. Brooks matched my pace immediately. Orion appeared at my other side like a shadow given form. Their solid presence felt like armor around me. A wall between me and the world that wanted to crush me.
The tears burned behind my eyelids. Sharp and demanding release. I forced them back down where they belonged. Goddess help me, staying strong was getting harder every day. But I lifted my chin higher and kept moving forward.
We made it to the lounge entrance. The door hung wide open. Everything inside looked untouched from when I had left it earlier.
But I stopped dead at the doorway.
"I can't go in there," I said quietly.
Orion studied my face. His expression stayed carefully blank but something understanding flickered in his dark eyes.
"I need to see my mother."
