The Nightscape

Mother

It had been a week, and Lyra was ignoring every phone call from Guy, or any number she didn't recognise. She didn't want to speak to him, even to get answers. She'd already gotten quite a few, and she hadn't gotten much happiness out of that at all. Lyra still had to flicker, to release the power that was always building inside of her, but she wasn't staying more than five minutes, and she always took her father's handgun. Because Lyra was eighteen, she could go through the long, irritating process to get a gun herself, and she had already put in an application, but it would take a good while to even be processed. 

She had mostly avoided the library, only going in to check out books and never staying lest she run into Ettie, and was keeping an eye out for anyone following or watching her. But she found that she was bored, no matter how much she threw herself into her work and college course, or how many times she met up with her friends, or no matter how many books she read. It was as though her appetite for a greater world, for adventure, had been wetted, as though something integral about her had changed too much for her to go back to the way she was. 

Lyra walked down the street from the hairdressers she had just finished a shift at, earphones in as her music blared. It had been a long day, and she just wanted to go home and take a bath. Tomorrow, she would need to flicker again, because it had been too long, but she had found a new place to do it, where no one knew she went. The last thing she needed was to be caught out by Guy, or one of his minions, or someone else. 

As she was crossing the road near her apartment block, she saw someone lurking in the alley that she would usually use to get back home. With an irritated sigh, she decided to take the long way around, along the crowded roads, instead. Even if it wasn't someone she was trying to avoid, Lyra had no time to deal with a potential mugger today. It wouldn't surprise her if it was Guy; he had left her so many ignored voicemails, sent her so many unread texts, it was clear he was desperate to get her back on side. 

So she spent an extra half an hour taking the long way around, stopping for ten minutes at her favourite take out to pick up some dinner, which she thought she had earned after the day she had had. Plastic bag in hand, she approached her home, keeping an eye out and turning her music down now she was on a much quieter street so she could keep her guard up. Then, there was more movement in the exit of the alley, and Lyra sped up to reach her home while keeping her gaze fixed on the figure. 

And then it separated from the shadows and became visible, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Because the person standing there wasn't Gus, or any of his minions, and it wasn't a stranger, either. 

It was Lyra's mother. 

At first she didn't dare believe her own eyes. Her mother was gone, long since relegated to a few fuzzy memories and a period of heartache for her and her father. But there she was. Long, dark brown hair that hung limp around her shoulders, purple eyes and sharp features that were now lined with age. For a moment, she just stared at her daughter who she hadn't seen since she was a toddler, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Lyra was struggling to breath, her ears ringing as she pulled the earbuds out, stuffing them into her pocket as she started to cross the road. Whether she was going to strike or hug her mother, she didn't know, but she wanted to reach her. But as she began to close in, her mother recoiled and silently shook her head, mouthing the word 'sorry' before turning and fleeing. 

"No!" Lyra yelled, dropping her bags and taking flight after her, pushing herself as hard as she could to try and catch up with her. For her age, she was surprisingly fast, able to keep ahead of her daughter, but not quite quick enough to slip away. The two of them burst out onto one of the main streets, pushing through the crowds with no regard, one intent on getting away and the other intent on not letting that happen. Lyra followed her for what felt like hours until they ended up in the part of the city full of warehouses, all closed down for the night. As soon as they were away from prying eyes, her mother surrounded herself in purple power, a few shades lighter than Lyra's, and she flickered. In a heartbeat, Lyra followed, and the twilight normal world gave away to the scorching hot Dayscape and the bright sun.