abbycat16
|• reach for those beautiful dreams •|

Lyra's feet were swollen from the restless hike uphill, she and Lincoln didn't know where 'Croy', if that was even his name, was taking them, and neither did they question him. Standing at gunpoint made Lyra think a lot, it made her think of her father, Ekon. Her parents had divorced a few years ago and the memories were quite vague in Lyra's mind. She used to be glad that she couldn't remember, but now she yearned for a glimpse of her memories.

Am I an orphan now? Will I ever know? As far as I could tell, we were going to die.

Croy had confirmed Lyra's suspicions, he was taking them to Prime. All he said to Lyra and Lincoln was that there were others they had to meet. He seemed familiar to Lyra, like Lincoln did at first. Lyra wondered that maybe isolation and being hunted made people think every human was a friend, and everyone was family.

She still remembered it; how it all began. How she was soundlessly sleeping when her mother dragged her awake. Lyra's mother had hugged her tightly and told her that they had to run out before they were attacked. Lyra was clueless but she obeyed. Others there too, but when they found one dead, everyone began to disperse. The survivors were all teenagers and children surprisingly, except for Lyra's mother.

"Where have you wandered off to?" Croy smirked at Lyra, he tried to be menacing but he always failed, the only thing that stopped Lyra from laughing at Croy's words was the gun between them.

"Nowhere, just thinking." Lyra tried to smile but her throat had dried up and she found it hard to walk.

Croy halted, "Well enough of that, we are here."

Lyra found herself tumbling forward but Lincoln had stopped her with his knee. Her heart began to race; it was in ruins, yet beautiful.

The stream that ran through the city, it's waters a silky blue, glistened under the light-orange sun. The pavement was a dull grey colour, a colour that Lyra had missed. She was tired of green, the foliage that blinded her path for the last two years. Now, she could see shades of beautiful colours, each unique, different and special.

It's better than I had imagined.

"I know." Whispered Lincoln. "It's better than I had imagined too."

Had I said that out loud? Lyra thought.

"It's destroyed." Croy rolled his eyes. "I see we have some dramatic characters still alive in this world."

Lyra didn't appreciate his remarks, they were irrational and irritating. She especially hated him for calling her a character. Who did he think he was? But she knew than better to question.

Croy kept walking, this time down a slope. "We will be there within an hour, I only brought you here so you could see the view." He said to them over his back.

An hour seemed short, however when a person's limbs were going through a process of excruciating pain, it wasn't as enjoyable or as quick as one had hoped. Croy wouldn't let them rest, Lyra suspected he was used to long hikes, but she herself preferred breaks in between.

Keeping her eyes on the grey streets, Lyra wondered who it was that they were going to meet. Could it be someone she knew? She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to recognise them even if she had seen them before—and it scared her. She didn't like being left in the dark.

Croy led them through a pair of glass doors then stopped at what Lyra believed was an elevator. She heard a ping sound and to her astonishment, the doors opened revealing a red-carpeted lift with mirrors covering all walls. Croy had noticed the look on Lyra's face, which led him to say, "Juniper knows how to work this electricity stuff inside out."

Juniper? The name rang an unattended bell in Lyra's mind, she had no clue who it was, neither could she connect a face to the name, but deep down she felt like she knew Juniper.

They reached the twentieth floor which was the highest level in the building. This was considerably one of the smallest buildings, but Lyra already knew why it was being used, the energy usage would be lower.

"This," Croy threw his arms out on either side of him, like a man presenting his greatest findings, "is our headquarters."

"Headquarters?" Lincoln asked.

Croy nodded. "You'll see."

The grand rufous doors, with gold borders, opened as Croy approached them.

"Welcome!" Squealed a girl as she crushed Lyra in a hug. "I'm Juniper, what's your name?"

Lyra smiled. "Lyra. It's nice to meet you."

She glanced at Croy. "So you found her?" Juniper said.

Croy displayed his signature grin. "I did."

"You know me?" How did she know me? I must have known her from before. It must be... Lyra's thoughts were overwhelming.

"I'll explain later. You must be starving, let's eat." Juniper gestured for Lyra to come inside.

"Now you've come to the point." Lincoln sighed.

Typical Lincoln. Lyra smiled to herself.

Juniper sat them down on plush red chairs around a glass table. Lyra could see more food than she had seen in a while. It wasn't a lot, just enough to cover a quarter of the table, but for someone who hadn't eaten properly in so long, it didn't matter; Lyra was starving.

Lyra took a bite of what she assumed was bread when she caught sight of something. It was the little boy they had seen in the forest when they were burying the girl Emma recognised as 'Aneesa'. The little boy saw Lyra staring and immediately exited the room.

Juniper had followed Lyra's gaze. "That's Adam. That's all he has ever told us, his name. He never speaks, I think he has something valuable to hide." She smiled at Lyra. "Now, you eat up."

Lyra returned Juniper's smile and went back to devouring all the food on her platter. She had just one question, what did he have to hide?

Once Lyra had finished eating, Juniper introduced her to Justin, who seemed very arrogant to Lyra. He had looked at his sister who said, "Not tonight."

Lyra was confused at the exchange of words between Juniper and Justin but was unable to ponder over it as Juniper maneuvered her towards an adjacent corridor.

"This is your room," She gestured towards the lavish room. It was decorated in a dark shade of purple which reminded Lyra of Emma's eyes. "Sleep well, Lyra."

"But—" Juniper had shut the door before Lyra could argue.

Emma. Fear sprouted in Lyra's chest, she had left Emma all alone; defenseless and vulnerable.

Anything could happen to her. Anything.

Lyra placed her head on the soft, white pillow. Regardless of how soothing it all was, she couldn't sleep and she had a feeling that Lincoln couldn't either.

Hold on tight, Emma.

—

A turn in setting. What do you think will happen next?