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Lyra has a hard time living in a city all by herself because she is a small town girl who is very shy and quiet. Especially when her lack of experience gets her into trouble.
Austin Knight is the school’s biggest mystery. Nobody knows what makes him the way he is. Everyone knows to stay away from him.
But when the shy girl catches his eye, no one knows what will happen next.
And Lyra had never thought that the mysterious boy from school could save her.
One thing is certain, though…
Austin’s dull life is about to get a lot more colourful.
This is my second time in the city, and everything still feels strange. About a week ago was the first time. The city as a whole will take time to grow on me. The tall buildings, big roads with so many cars, and busy people and noise.
But this time is different from the last; I won’t go back.
Lyra, you’ll be okay. Be strong.
I look out the window and see cars speeding by. My uncle owns the car I’m in. The boxes next to me, which are full of my things, will be my only friend for now. It’s been four hours since I left my uncle’s house, and my legs are already cramping. I wish we had taken a break in the middle. I let out a silent sigh.
When I look outside, I can just barely remember the neighbourhood. We are here.
It’s one of the city’s saddest places. And to be honest, I don’t like the place I’m going to live. The apartments look old and, well, sad.
At that moment, it hits me that I’m going to live alone. Since I found out I could finally live alone, I’ve been so happy, but now I realise what it means.
I’m going to be all by myself.
It might not be that bad; who knows?
My uncle puts the car in the garage. The flat that looked sad last time didn’t look as sad. I open the door and get out. I can finally feel my legs again. I stretch my legs and move my toes.
At last.
My uncle and I each have a box. That’s all I have, and I’m not complaining—I’m thankful for it. We walk in together, and if that wasn’t already weird, the lift ride is.
He doesn’t look as cold and rude as he is because he has a bald head and a potbelly. We hardly talk after living with him for ten years. It’s been ten years, and I’m still not used to how awkward it is. I don’t think I will. Always.
We haven’t talked in the last four hours. Would this be what it’s like to have a dad?
I let out a sigh of relief when the lift door opens to my floor. We take the boxes to the door.
“Lyra,” my uncle says in a rough voice, “stay safe and don’t do anything we wouldn’t approve of.” He gives me a credit card and the keys. My parents.
Uncle leaves after a quick nod. There was no smile and no goodbye. I have to do everything myself, so I thought I’d get some help.
I need to stop expecting things from other people.
The door creaks as it opens.
The blinds don’t hang right and the floorboards have come off in some places, but other than that, the place isn’t too bad. The couch isn’t in great shape either. The place is in terrible shape. My eyes are starting to water. I’ve never been alone in my seventeen years of life, and now I’m living in the worst flat ever.
I blink the tears away. Not the right time to cry. I can do this.
I make a mental list of what I need to do. All the dusting and moving things around. There are two bedrooms. I let the other one go and picked the bigger one. The rooms are big, and if they were in good shape, it would be a nice place to live.
The place looks a lot better now, two hours later.
I put on the only clothes I can wear: a pink top tucked into black high-waisted jeans. I put on my old trainers, grab my keys and the last thing my parents gave me: the credit card.
A week ago, my uncle took me on a tour. The mall is an hour’s walk from my flat, but the grocery store and my school are close by.
I choose to take a cab. I have a lot of things to buy. I look at my list. Towels, toiletries, some school clothes, shoes, accessories, and other things you need every day. I’m going to feel bad about spending so much money. The idea of having to look for work makes my stomach turn.
What have I gotten myself into?
When we get there, I get out of the cab. I take a deep breath and try to get rid of all the bad thoughts before I start shopping.
I can do this.
It’s already dark outside when I’m done.
Because I have so many shopping bags in my hands, my arms hurt. I am very angry, to say the least. There are drops of sweat on my forehead. I mumble to myself, “At least this is done,” as I make myself walk.
I tell myself that I’m almost home. Almost.
My arms are so numb right now that I know they are going to hurt a lot tomorrow.
I hum a song to myself as I walk home to take my mind off of how I feel.
But I run into someone, and all the bags, including mine, fly away. I fall on my back.
As I stand up, I groan in pain and brush the dust off my jeans. Oh no, did I run into a walking stick or something?
I stop.
A man. If I may add, it’s a very scary one. He is a lot bigger than I am. And the fact that he’s there is really scary, like he was the one who fell. Even though it’s dark outside, I can feel his intense gaze on me. I just stand there looking stupid because that’s who I am.
What a wonderful day.
I finally came to my senses and started picking up the bags. He just watches me pick up all my things. He should have just left if he wasn’t going to help. I quickly picked everything up because I didn’t like how he was looking at me.
I don’t know what to say, so I’m about to walk past him when I hear him speak. “Sorry,” he says, still staring at me with a deep, rich voice. I take a deep breath.