POV: Lyra

The sun was rising when I walked out of the cabin for the last time.

The air was cold and clean and the sky was streaked with gold and pink and the forest around us was waking up with the sound of birds and the rustle of small creatures in the underbrush. I stood on the wooden step and looked at the trees and felt something settle in my chest that I had not felt in years.

Peace.

Becca came out behind me with her bag slung over her shoulder and her hair braided back from her face. She looked different than she had when I first met...