Lyra's POV

"Mum, but this is ridiculous!"

The words tore out of my throat before I could stop them, sharp and desperate.

I could feel every nerve in my body firing at once, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

"What's ridiculous?" She turned to face me fully, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched in that way that told me she was not in the mood for my dramatics.

But I did not care, this was insane. Completely and utterly insane.

"Mum..." I started, trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent. "Mum, for real, this is not going to work. I am 22 years old! How would you expect...