Penelope
It's been five days since Matthias and Yuna left on their journey, five days of maintaining the facade that everything is fine, that I'm simply adjusting to no longer carrying the weight of Alpha.
Five days of feeling Melody slip further and further away.
I stand in front of my mirror, studying the reflection staring back at me. The changes are not easy to spot but undeniable. Shadows have deepened beneath my eyes despite sleeping more than usual. My skin has lost some of its warmth, taking on a colour that no amount of sunshine seems to fix.
My eyes look dimmer somehow, like someone has turned down a light that used to burn bright.
I touch the pendant at my throat and think about him.
“Melody?” I call only to be greeted by silence.
It's not the comfortable silence of a wo
