The Nightscape

Last Words

Hi dad, 

I don't really know what to say. There's a lot I need you to know, a lot of things I want to tell you, but I'm struggling to know where to start. So, this letter is going to be a bit of a mess. Sorry. 

Firstly, you're going to be fine. The people keeping you hostage are going to let you go, and you'll be just fine, I've made sure of it. The rift will be healed, and then I won't be able to come back to you. I'm so sorry. I wish it didn't have to end like this. I want you to carry on with your life, please don't give up. We might not be able to meet each other again, but we can still carry on for each other. I'm going to be alright as well. Once I heal the rift, people won't be interested in me anymore. I'll be safe, and I promise I'll keep on fighting no matter what. So you don't need to worry about me. 

I wish I had told you about everything sooner. That I'd stopped worrying about what a freak I was and just told you everything, because I know that you've only ever wanted to help me and keep me safe. Maybe if I had, we could have kept moving, and I could have stayed hidden. None of this mess would have happened, and we could have just kept being me and you forever. But I didn't, and I'm sorry, because all of this is my fault. 

This isn't your fault, I need you to know that. You learned about everything too late to help me, but you still tried anyway. It wasn't your fault that it didn't work; we were both outmatched. If you need to blame someone, blame Hayden, or my mother. She was a flickerer too, a purple like me, and she was the one who sold us out. But you won't have to deal with her, she'll be trapped here with me. 

I'm running out of space on the page now, so I'll have to sum it up. I love you, dad, so much. All I want is to hear your voice again, get one last hug, get takeout and watch bad TV shows all night because we didn't have to go to work the next day. But now I can't ever have that again. 

I'm so sorry. I love you. 

Your adoring daughter, 

Lyra

Her tears was splashed across the paper, and she had to keep dabbing them away lest they smudge the ink. When she was done, she laid the pen down and stared blankly at the letter, scanning over the words without properly reading them. This felt so final, and yet not a proper goodbye. She half wanted to go on forever, to put off passing the letter to the guards, put off giving in to this, but she couldn't. Besides, she felt like Hayden's generosity would falter when Guy took Ettie back. 

Stifling sobs, she climbed to the top of the ladder, calling over a guard and offering him the paper. 

"Will you give that to Hayden, please? He knows what to do with it." The guard nodded and moved off, calling to his counterpart that he'd be back soon. Lyra climbed back down, sitting back onto the mattress and curling up on her side. She began to cry in earnest, stifling the sound as much as possible in her sleeve until he tears ran dry. Finally, she drifted into a dark sleep. 

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"Lyra!" Hayden roared down into her prison, stood on the grate above. She bolted upright, bleary eyed and confused. Looking up, she shielded her eyes from the bright sun, blinking up at the furious man. "Climb up. Now!" He sounded angrier than she had ever heard him, his voice deep and shaking with rage, and she didn't dare disobey. The grate was removed as she climbed, and as soon as he could reach her, Hayden reached down and grabbed her upper arms, hauling her out the prison and marching her across the compound to his office. Roughly, he shoved her inside, closing and locking the door before rounding on her. His eyes were blazing, face flushed with veins throbbing in his temple, and his hand shook as he jabbed a finger at her.