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The Tenth Voice at the Gate
Author: 268759748
last update2026-08-07 13:57:56

The tenth voice came just before dawn, when the sky was still thick with darkness but the first gray light had begun to bleed along the horizon. The grass was wet with dew. The fire had burned down to embers. Some of us had dozed. Some of us had stayed awake, watching the road, listening to the quiet.

I was one of the ones still awake. Theo's head rested on my thigh. Lira had her back against the bench, Quinn's hand still loosely held in hers. Seri sat cross-legged near the gate, her eyes fixed
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  • What I Didn't Say

    "I can't do this again."Marcus's voice was barely a whisper. He was standing at the hospital window, staring out at the parking lot below. His reflection was ghostly in the glass."Do what?" I asked."Lose someone. Watch someone slip away." He turned to face me. "I thought Michael was going to die. I thought I was going to have to watch Rina lose her brother the way I lost mine.""But he didn't die. He's going to be okay.""I know. But it brought everything back. All the fear. All the helplessness. All the things I thought I'd buried."I moved closer. "You never buried them. You just pushed them down."He laughed bitterly. "That's the same thing, isn't it?""No. Pushing them down means they're still there. Burying them means they're gone.""And I'm never going to bury them, am I?""Probably not. But you can learn to live with them."Marcus was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "I thought I was getting better. I thought I was healing. But one thing happens and I fall apart all ov

  • The Empty Chair

    "I don't know how to tell her."Marcus's voice cracked. He was standing at the edge of the clearing, staring at the fire. Rina was asleep nearby, her face still streaked with tears. The morning sun was rising, casting long shadows across the ground."Tell her what?" I asked.He turned to me. His eyes were red. "I got a call. From Michael's phone. It wasn't him. It was the hospital."My heart stopped. "What happened?""He got into an accident. Last night. After he left." Marcus's voice broke. "He was driving too fast. Lost control. He's in critical condition.""Oh my God. Marcus...""I have to tell her. She's his sister. She has the right to know." He looked at Rina's sleeping form. "But I don't know how. I don't know how to break her heart like that.""You have to tell her. She deserves to know.""I know. I just..." He ran his hands through his hair. "What if he doesn't make it? What if I have to tell her that her brother is dead?""Then you tell her. And you hold her. And you don't l

  • The Day Everything Changed

    "He's not coming back."Marcus's voice was flat, hollow. He was standing at the gate, staring down the empty road. The morning sun was bright, but his face was shadowed."What do you mean?" I asked, my heart already pounding."Michael. He left. Last night. He's gone."I felt the blood drain from my face. "Gone where?""I don't know. He didn't say anything. He just left."I looked toward the clearing. Rina was sitting by the fire, her face pale, her eyes red. She wasn't crying. She looked like she'd run out of tears."Rina," I said, moving toward her. "What happened?"She didn't look at me. "He left. That's what happened.""Did he say why?""He said he needed to figure things out. He said he couldn't stay here forever." Her voice cracked. "He said he loved me. And then he left."I sat down beside her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.""He promised me," Rina said. "He promised he wouldn't leave. He promised he'd stay.""People break promises.""That's not an excuse.""No," I said. "It's not. B

  • The Hardest Goodbye

    "I don't know if I can do this."Maya's voice was barely a whisper. She was standing at the gate, her bag slung over her shoulder. The morning sun was rising behind her, casting long shadows across the clearing.Sam stood a few feet away, their arms crossed, their face unreadable."Then don't," Sam said. "Stay."Maya shook her head. "You know I can't.""I don't know anything anymore."Maya moved closer. "Sam, please. Don't make this harder than it already is.""Harder?" Sam laughed bitterly. "You're leaving. How much harder can it get?""I'm coming back. I told you that.""You also told me you'd never leave. And here you are. Leaving."Maya's face crumpled. "That's not fair.""Nothing about this is fair."Maya reached for Sam's hand. Sam pulled away."Don't," they said. "Just go. Get it over with.""Sam...""Go." Their voice cracked. "Just go."Maya stood there, her hand still extended. She looked like she wanted to say something. But she didn't. She just nodded and turned toward the

  • What We Leave Behind

    "I'm leaving tomorrow."Maya's voice was quiet, but it carried across the fire like thunder. Everyone froze. Sam's face went pale."What do you mean leaving?" they asked. "You just got here."Maya looked at her hands. "I know. But I can't stay forever. I have a life back home. A job. Responsibilities.""So?" Sam's voice was sharp. "You can get another job. You can find new responsibilities.""That's not how it works," Maya said gently. "I can't just abandon everything.""You abandoned everything to find me.""That was different. That was an emergency. But I can't live in emergency mode forever."Sam stood up. "You're leaving me. Just like everyone else.""Sam, no." Maya stood too. "I'm not leaving you. I'm going home. There's a difference.""There's no difference. You're walking away.""I'm not walking away. I'm going to figure things out. And then I'm coming back."Sam shook their head. "You don't mean that. You're just saying that to make me feel better.""I mean it," Maya said. "I'

  • When Silence Speaks

    The morning came slow and gray. Clouds had rolled in overnight, thick and heavy, blocking out the sun. The fire struggled to stay alive, sputtering against the damp air.Sam was sitting alone at the edge of the clearing. Their carving was finished. The bird sat in their open palm, wings spread wide, ready to fly."Can I see it?"They looked up. Maya was standing behind them, her eyes still heavy with sleep.Sam nodded and held out the bird. Maya took it carefully, turning it over in her hands."It's beautiful," she said. "You really made this?""I did." Sam's voice was quiet. "I wanted to give it to you. To say thank you. For everything."Maya's eyes filled with tears. "Sam...""I know it's not much. But I wanted you to have something. Something I made. Something that meant something."Maya pulled them into a hug. "It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect."Sam held her tight. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. For leaving. For not saying goodbye. For making you worry.""Stop apologiz

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