"I… I'm alright," Lyra replied, but even she could hear the unconvincing waver in her voice. Her hand instinctively went to her forehead as if to brush away a stray lock of hair, but really, it was a gesture meant to mask the discomfort rising within her. She knew Selene could see right through her, and the thought made her feel exposed, vulnerable.
She wished she could just keep walking, away from the questions, away from the concern she wasn't ready to face.Selene wasn't convinced. She stepped closer, studying Lyra's face intently.
There was no obvious sign of illness—no fever, no pallor, no weakness in her stance—yet there was something undeniably wrong. Lyra's eyes were glazed over, as though she were seeing something far away, something only she could perceive.
