Between the lines

Chapter 4

The chatter about the murals was everywhere now, in every corner of Llyndarren. Shops were gossiping, teens were making TikToks of the art, and even the teachers at school mentioned it during assemblies, though always with an ominous "vandalism is a crime" tone.

But for Madison, it wasn't just gossip. Every time she saw one of the murals, it felt like a spark in her chest—a challenge, almost.

She found herself wandering the town more after school, deliberately taking different routes home just in case something new had popped up. Today, she passed the bakery and found a fresh piece: a bright red heart with jagged cracks running through it. The cracks spilled into tiny flowers.

The longer she stared, the more it felt like the heart was alive—hurting but healing.

"Pretty sick, isn't it?"

Madison startled, nearly dropping her bag. She turned to find Ryan standing behind her, his usual dark hoodie pulled up but his face unmistakable.

"You've got to stop sneaking up on me," she said, trying to sound annoyed, though her racing heart betrayed her.

Ryan smirked. "Maybe you're just too easy to sneak up on."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help grinning. "What do you think it means?" she asked, gesturing to the mural.

Ryan studied it for a moment. "Dunno. Maybe it's about... trying to fix something that's broken."

Madison tilted her head. "Yeah, but why flowers? Doesn't that make it hopeful?"

He shrugged. "Maybe it's both."

For a moment, they stood in silence, watching the mural. Madison wasn't sure why, but she felt... comfortable, like the two of them were sharing some kind of secret.

"So," Ryan said, breaking the silence, "how do we keep running into each other?"

"Llyndarren's not that big," Madison replied.

"True, but still. Three times feels like fate, doesn't it?" He gave her a lopsided grin, and her stomach did a weird little flip.

"Or just bad luck," she said, trying to sound casual.

Ryan laughed, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Either way, I reckon we might as well exchange numbers. Just in case the universe throws us together again."

Madison hesitated for a fraction of a second, then pulled out her own phone. "Fine. But if you start sending me weird memes, I'm blocking you."

"No promises," Ryan said as they swapped phones to type in their numbers.

When they handed them back, Madison glanced at her contact list and saw his name saved simply as Ryan. She felt oddly giddy about it.

That evening, instead of going straight home, Madison headed to the park. The fading light cast long shadows across the path, and the town was quiet except for the occasional sound of birds or passing cars.

She reached the playground and sat on one of the swings, pulling out her phone.

A message from Ryan popped up almost immediately:
Ryan: So, what's the verdict? Fate or bad luck?

She smiled, typing back:
Madison: Still deciding.

As the last bit of daylight faded, Madison got up and started walking again. She wasn't in a rush to get home, and honestly, the air felt good after a long day.

Passing under the railway bridge, she spotted another mural. This one was different—smaller, rougher, but still captivating. It showed a spiral of colours twisting into a single black dot.

Madison stopped, staring at it for a long time. She didn't know what it meant, but something about it stuck with her.

She reached into her bag, her fingers brushing against the pack of markers she'd impulsively bought earlier in the week. She hadn't told anyone about them, not even Evie.

Her heart thudded as she pulled one out, her hand trembling slightly as she uncapped it.

She wasn't going to paint a mural, But she wanted to leave something—just a small mark, something no one but her would notice.

With a quick swipe, she drew a single line beneath the spiral.

It wasn't much, but it felt like a start.