Prelude - The Night Everything Changed
633 Words
The night the Seekers came, Lyra Maxwell's life shattered like a pane of glass beneath a hammer's blow.
She was twelve, her powers still new and raw, her control tenuous at best. Her mother had been training her, teaching her to navigate the strange, exhilarating world of her Gifts. But they both knew the risks, the danger that lurked in the shadows of a society that feared what it didn't understand.
"You must be careful, Lyra," her mother had warned, her hazel eyes fierce with a mixture of love and terror. "The Seekers, they'll stop at nothing to erase our kind from existence. Promise me you'll protect your sister, no matter what."
Lyra had promised, never dreaming that she would be called upon to fulfill that vow so soon.
It was past midnight when the pounding on the door began, harsh and insistent. Lyra jolted awake, her heart racing as she stumbled out of bed. She could hear her mother's voice, raised in anger and defiance, and then the sound of splintering wood as the door gave way.
"Run, Lyra!" her mother screamed. "Take Amara and run!"
But it was too late. The Seekers were already storming up the stairs, their heavy boots echoing like gunshots in the narrow hallway. Lyra grabbed Amara from her bed, the six-year-old's face streaked with tears and confusion.
"Lyra, what's happening?" Amara whimpered, her small hands clutching at Lyra's nightgown.
"Shh, it's okay," Lyra whispered, her mind racing as she tried to project a sense of calm into her sister's thoughts. "We're going to play a game, okay? A hiding game. We have to be very, very quiet."
She pulled Amara into the closet, pressing them both back against the wall as the footsteps grew louder. Through the crack in the door, she could see the Seekers burst into the room, their dark uniforms blending with the shadows.
"Search everywhere," one of them barked. "The readings indicate at least one Gifted presence, possibly two."
Lyra held her breath, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She could feel Amara trembling against her, the little girl's fear palpable in the cramped darkness.
And then, in a moment of panic, Amara's control slipped. A stuffed animal on the shelf above them twitched, then rose into the air, hovering for a single, damning instant before dropping back down.
The Seekers froze, their eyes locking onto the closet door. "There," one of them said, his voice cold with triumph. "We've got them."
What happened next was a blur of screams and struggles, of rough hands yanking Lyra and Amara from their hiding place. Lyra fought like a wildcat, kicking and clawing at her captors, but it was no use. They were too strong, too many.
"Let her go!" Lyra screamed as they dragged Amara away, the little girl's cries cutting through her like a knife. "She's just a child, she hasn't done anything wrong!"
But the Seekers were unmoved by her pleas. They hauled Amara out of the room, her terrified sobs echoing down the stairs and into the night.
It was the last time Lyra ever saw her sister.
In the months and years that followed, as Lyra learned the true extent of her mother's secrets - the generations of Gifted women in their family, the underground network that had sheltered them - she made a vow.
She would find Amara, no matter how long it took or what dangers she had to face. And she would build a sanctuary for others like them, a place where the Gifted could live and thrive without fear.
It was a promise born of love, grief, and an unquenchable anger at the injustice of a world that sought to destroy them.
And it was a promise she intended to keep, no matter the cost.
- Writer
