The fifteenth voice came just before dawn, when the darkness was at its thickest and the fire had burned down to a faint orange glow. Most of us were asleep. I was awake, keeping watch with Riven and Kaelan, the three of us sitting in a loose triangle near the embers.I heard footsteps first. Slow. Deliberate. Not the shuffling of someone lost or uncertain. These were the steps of someone who knew exactly where they were going and had chosen to come anyway.Then the voice. Low. Rough. Like it hadn't been used in a long time."I'm here. I don't know why I'm here. But I'm here."I stood and walked to the gate. The figure was tall and broad-shouldered, with a shaved head and a face that looked like it had been through wars. Not physical wars, necessarily. Something deeper. Something that had left marks that weren't visible but were unmistakable."Welcome," I said. "What's your name?""Marcus. My name is Marcus. I've been walking for three days. I didn't plan to stop. I didn't plan to fin

The morning after Elara's arrival, Marcus was still exhausted. He slept through breakfast, which Seri said was expected. His body was finally catching up on years of lost rest, and she warned us not to wake him unless absolutely necessary.Elara was quieter than usual, still processing everything that had happened. She stayed close to the fire, watching the others move around her, not quite ready to join them. She'd stopped flinching when someone came near her, but she still had that guarded look like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop."She's doing better than I expected," Seri said softly, sitting beside me. "Children are resilient. But she's got a long road ahead.""I know," I said. "But she's here. That's what matters."The morning passed slowly. Elara helped Leo gather firewood, though she kept glancing back at the fire like she was afraid it would disappear. Jesse sat with her for a while, showing her how to weave grass into small figures. She didn't say much, but she wa

Two days passed after Rina and Michael arrived. Two days of quiet healing and slow integration. The newcomers were finding their places in the rhythm of the clearing, learning the unspoken rules of our strange community.Marcus was spending more time with Elara. They carved together most afternoons, their rough wooden birds slowly taking shape. Elara had finished her sparrow and was now working on something she said was a hawk, though it looked more like a lumpy chicken. Marcus didn't correct her. He just guided her hands and told her stories about his brother.Rina was still struggling. She talked to Michael in low voices, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing. She was trying to let him in, but it was hard. Years of walls don't come down in a few days. Michael understood that. He was patient. He waited."I think she's getting better," Michael said to me one morning. We were standing near the fire, watching Rina help Leo gather wood. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't crying either. Th

The days after Sam's arrival were quiet. They didn't speak much. They didn't eat much. They just existed, watching the fire, watching the rest of us. We let them be. We didn't push. We didn't try to fix them. We just let them know we were there.Marcus sat with them every day. He didn't talk much. He just carved his wooden bird and let Sam watch. Sometimes Elara joined them, her small hands working on her own project. The three of them formed a quiet triangle near the fire, finding comfort in each other's presence without needing words.Sam never picked up the knife. They never touched the wood. But they watched. They watched Marcus's hands move, watched the bird slowly take shape. They watched Elara's clumsy attempts and the way she laughed at herself when something went wrong.On the fourth day, I caught Sam's eye. There was something different there. Not hope exactly. But something that looked like the beginning of curiosity.Rina was doing better. She was talking more, smiling mor

"Sam's gone."The words hit me like a slap. I was still half asleep, the fire reduced to embers, the sky just beginning to lighten. Kaelan stood over me, his face tight with worry."What do you mean gone?" I sat up, my heart already racing."I mean they're not here. I checked everywhere. The clearing, the treeline, the path to the gate. Nothing."I was on my feet in seconds. "When did you notice?""Just now. I woke up and they were gone. Their blanket was folded. Neat. Like they planned it."I looked around the clearing. Everyone was still asleep except for Kaelan and me. Even Elena and Lily were curled up together, peaceful and unaware."They wouldn't just leave," I said. "They were starting to open up. They were talking. They were staying."Kaelan shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you. They're not here."I walked to where Sam had been sleeping. The blanket was folded, just as Kaelan had said. Neat. Precise. Like someone who wanted to leave without leaving a mess behind.I c