Chapter 3 – Letters From Far Away
After school, the halls of HVIS had quieted down. Most students had gone home, but JJ lingered in the locker room. The fluorescent lights flickered faintly above, casting a soft glow across the rows of metal lockers. She sat on a bench, her bag resting beside her, and pulled out two carefully folded letters.
One was from Care. The other, from Lyra.
JJ took a deep breath, feeling the familiar weight of connection from across the seas. Her pen friends had been the only constant in her life for years. She hadn't expected to feel this… homesick, even in the middle of a bustling school in a foreign country.
---
Letter from Care
JJ,
I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind here.
Lyra keeps saying that I argue with Cole too much, but honestly, it's not my fault. That guy—he's infuriating. Yesterday, we were in the lab, and he actually had the audacity to tell me I would never become a good doctor because I panic too easily. Can you believe that? Me, who saved half the class from fainting during last week's lab demonstration.
I told him straight up: Your ego is going to ruin your career before you even graduate.
And, you know what? He just smirked. Like it was funny. Like my panic was entertainment.
But it's not just Cole. It's everything—my grades, the workload, people who underestimate me, people who think they know me without even trying. Some days I just… I don't know. I feel like screaming and then writing you a letter all at once.
So please… tell me everything about your new school. Are the teachers okay? Do the students talk too much? Are you making friends, or… is it as lonely as I imagine?
I miss you so much, JJ. Even though we've never met in person, it feels like I know you better than most people I see every day.
Write back soon, okay?
—Care
JJ's eyes lingered on the last lines. She could almost hear Care's voice—the frustration, the warmth, the humor wrapped tightly together. Care had always been blunt, fiery, and unafraid to show emotion. It made JJ feel… strangely connected, even from thousands of miles away.
---
Letter from Lyra
JJ,
Okay, so first… Care is exaggerating. As usual. Honestly, their arguments don't look like fighting—they look like… something else. Romantic tension, if I'm being honest.
Yes, I said it. I know you'll roll your eyes, but you should see how Care gets around him. She tries to look annoyed, but her cheeks are red half the time, and Cole… well, he's just infuriatingly smug. I swear, if someone didn't tell me, I'd think they were secretly planning some dramatic love story.
Anyway, moving on.
Alex came to our study group again today. And, honestly… I can't even speak properly around him anymore. My words jumble. My hands shake. My brain just… shuts down. I think he noticed. Maybe. I don't even care if he did.
But what I do care about is you, JJ. How are you doing? Are you surviving the new school? Are you hiding in the library, as usual? I hope you're not letting anyone boss you around… not like Care gets bossed around, anyway.
I miss our late-night chats and the silly little jokes we used to send back and forth. Do you remember the time you told me that story about the cat who ran away with your sandwich? I laughed so hard I cried.
Anyway… write back soon. I want to know about everything. About your classes. Your friends. The people who annoy you. Everything.
—Lyra
JJ let out a quiet sigh. Lyra's words hit differently. While Care was fire and frustration, Lyra's were soft and observant, teasing but full of affection. Reading both letters together, JJ felt a lump in her throat. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel… small.
Lonely. Unseen. But cared for.
---
JJ picked up a blank piece of paper and uncapped her pen. She stared at the letters for a long time, trying to find the right words. How could she tell them about the day, the class, the strange new boy, the quiet tension she felt every time she walked past him? How could she explain the longing she felt for something familiar in a school that was both foreign and cold?
Finally, she wrote:
> "Schools are… complicated.
Teachers are strict, classmates are loud, and everyone seems to know exactly where they belong except me.
I miss our conversations. I miss hearing about your daily fights and silly crushes and everything else that makes life… ours.
I hope one day, things settle, and I can talk about all this without feeling like I'm drowning in it.
But for now… I'm surviving. That's enough."
She paused, pressed the pen against the paper, and then added a final line:
> "Write soon. I need to hear from you."
JJ folded the letters carefully, putting her reply in an envelope she imagined sending instantly across the seas. She leaned back against the locker, staring at her reflection in the metal door.
Her own eyes looked different today. Quiet. But a little softer. Vulnerable.
For the first time in weeks, she felt something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time: hope.
Even if the school was overwhelming. Even if the classmates were strange. Even if Keifer Watson, the class president who seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face, made her blood boil in ways she couldn't explain.
There were still people out there who cared.
And for JJ, that was enough to keep her moving forward.