A Breath in the Dark

She stepped out of the bathroom, the chill of the cramped apartment biting into her damp skin. Pulling on an oversized hoodie, Lyra curled onto the thin mattress she kept on the floor right outside her brother’s room. She stared up at the water-stained ceiling, letting the oppressive silence settle heavy on her chest. She had systematically stripped away every luxury, every basic comfort, just to