2025-04-16 02:38:39Lyra Voss had, for most of her life, believed that she was pretty strong, pretty capable—at least enough to handle what the world might throw at her.
But life in the last few years had shown her that just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it became twice as bad.
Sick relatives
Family issues
An underpaying job
Debts... loads of debt
And now this.Clutching her mom's hand with her plastic-covered ones, she couldn't help but break down in tears.
"I-I... I ca-n't, I can't—Mom... I'm so tired... I can't do this anymore," she stuttered out, her words a slobbering mess.
Gently placing her shielded face against her mom's hands, she sobbed heavily, her voice echoing against the walls of the single room in time with the beeps from the cardiac monitor and the whirring of the ventilator.
She couldn't help it. She was just about to drown in her problems.
Turns out she wasn't as strong as she thought she was after all.
---"Hey... sorry to disturb you, but I heard there was an opening, and I was wondering if I could apply," Lyra inquired, a charming smile that could light up anyone's day spreading across her lips.
Despite the mountains of troubles she was facing, they didn't wear down her enchanting beauty.
"Sure, it's open to all qualified personnel. Just walk through that door right there and turn to your left. You'll find a lounge where other interested persons are waiting," a lady behind a counter responded, gesturing with her hands, the light of an LED with the acronym MNM falling on her.
"Thank you so much," Lyra smiled even brighter.
In light of her current job-searching heist, she had encountered many receptionists, and most of them were not half as nice as the one in front of her.
"You're welcome, and good luck," the lady replied, a standard business smile still on her lips before turning to another person.
Such a nice lady. Hope we get to work together, Lyra sighed.
Walking through the specified door, she immediately spotted the lounge and took a seat with others who were there for the same reason. Soon after, a staff member walked towards her to issue her a number.
An hour later, she was called in, and she strolled into the interview room.
Twenty minutes later, she came out completely crestfallen and disappointed.
"Damn, how could I have had the chance to take up a training course on AI when I was barely struggling to survive?"
Disgruntled, she kicked at a recycle bin by the side, making a loud rattling sound.
Stunned, she stiffened, feeling the stares directed at her.
Lowering her head, she muttered a few words of apology under her breath as she quickly scurried out of the lounge.
Returning to the lobby, she soon slowed to a halt as her gaze fell on a gaming console in a showcase by the side. She couldn't help but remember her younger brother, a scene from her past playing in her head.
--- "Happy birthday, Kiel!!"A young boy with curly brown hair, his focus on a book in his arms, jumped in fright at the shout, almost bumping into the door behind him.
"Hope you grow taller this year, scaredy cat."
Sneaking behind him, a beautiful girl poked the frightened boy, a grin on her face as he scowled at her.
An older woman walked towards them, a small cake with eight lighted candles in her hands.
"Happy birthday, little rogue," she whispered, planting a kiss on the boy's forehead.
A blush crawled up the boy's face, but his eyes brightened at the sight of the cake.
The woman laughed at his reaction, the sound soothing and melodious.
"Come, come, cut your cake," she smiled, leading them to the small table in the middle of the barely furnished room.
Swatting away the little boy's hands that reached for the knife, the young girl poked his head, an amused smile on her lips.
"You haven't made a wish yet."
"Oh yeah."
Quickly closing his eyes and clasping his hands, the little boy silently made his wish.
"What did you wish for?" the girl asked curiously.
"I can't say."
"Whatever, cut your cake," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
Having finally cut the cake and satisfied his cake craving, the little boy looked around, his eyes searching. Seeing his look, the older woman smiled sadly. Slightly hesitating, she opened her mouth.
"Little rogue...I'm sorr—"
"The cake was so good, Mom. Kiel, let's go tell Uncle Jared it's your birthday!"
The young girl interrupted, dragging the boy away, her ponytail swinging in the air along with her movements.
The little boy let her pull him along, his expression downcast, failing to even see that they were going the wrong way until they came to a stop.
"Wait... what are we doing in your room?"
"Happy birthday, Kiel."
Ignoring his question, the girl smiled, pulling out a box wrapped in old brown paper.
Skeptical, the boy grabbed it, then tore off the wrapping, his eyes widening in shock at the Nintendo console, his first ever.
"Sis... you—"
"Mom got it, but she wanted me to surprise you. Happy birthday, little rogue," she whispered affectionately, her hands lightly raking through his hair.
Just as she finished talking, she felt a tight hold around her. Her smile grew even bigger as she wrapped her arms around him. Then, she heard him whisper,
"Thank you, I... I love you, sis."
And somehow, she felt like it was her birthday too, and she had received the best present in the whole world.
She knew her mom was struggling to keep their family afloat, so she had saved and scrimped, even working extra hours during their summer break, just to get Kiel a gift so he wouldn't be disappointed.
But even the scars and tiredness from those days couldn't overshadow the joy she felt right now.
---"Hey, miss, do you need something?"
Jerking back to focus, Lyra shook her head at the woman who had walked up to her in concern.
Taking one last look at the console, she turned around to leave, wiping at the stray tears that fell down her eyes.
Right now, she couldn't help but long for the past—when she and Kiel would bicker but still wait to tell each other about their day through their makeshift wall. Now, they would go months without talking.
When their mom, worn out from the toil of work, would still make time to chat with them. Now, she couldn't even spend a night out of the hospital ward.
They barely had anything then, but they had each other, and that was enough to keep them warm and happy even on the long, hungry nights.
But the past was the past, and no matter how much she wished for it, it would never become the present.
Taking a deep breath to push away the tears at the back of her eyes, she decided to walk a bit. But ten minutes into her little exercise, she felt a cold touch drop on her head, and in less than a minute, the sky grew dark with pregnant clouds.
Then, just as unexpectedly as its arrival, the rain started—heavy and cold.
Unable to get a ride in the face of the incoming storm, Lyra scrambled for shelter and somehow found herself in a store. There were a few other people seeking shelter there too.
Feeling a bit hungry, she grabbed a snack and approached the counter, but her card refused to read no matter how much she tried.
Just when she was about to give up, someone handed over a $100 bill with a pack of cigarettes under it to the salesman.
"Cover her cost too and keep the change."
Lyra turned to her savior, words of gratitude already building in her mouth, but it turned out to be someone she knew, one of the interviewers from that gaming company.
Watching him walk away, she felt a sudden urge and couldn't hold herself back from calling out,
"Mr. Rhett!"
Of course, she knew his name—it was written on a tag in front of them when she was interviewed.
The Man stopped in his tracks then turned around, a confused look on his face.Walking up to him, she smiled " Mr Rhett I was one of the individuals you interviewed today"
"Ah I remember you....miss Vox right""Eh...it's Voss sir"
"Yeah...the lady with a degree in computer science but no affiliate training course in artificial Intelligence"
"Yeah sir... about that" Lyra stuttered abashedly."If you are trying to change the results of the interview, am sorry but it's impossible." Mr Rhett interrupted waving his hands and turning to leave.
"Wait a minute sir am just........" Clutching at straws Lyra ran after him trying to get his attention unsuccessfully."Mr Rhett..a- am just a young graduate, smart, ready and eager to learn, I'll do anything, I can learn anything...I just really need this job, M-my... Family...needs this job." Feeling extremely stressed and choked up, she broke down, the weight of her problems crushing down on her. A lone tear slid down her cheeks but she hastily wiped it way.
Empathetic, the man stopped then turned to face her, a hint of helplessness in his posture.
" Look I really can't change the results of the interview but I can give you another job.. the thing is that, it's far riskier, but certainly more lucrative."Hearing his words, the initially excited Lyra cooled down instantly.
'Risky? Is it something illegal or shady...like selling my-body' her blood ran cold at her thoughts.
Unaware of her thoughts but clearly seeing her hesitation, Mr Rhett sighed then walked up to her stuffing something in her hands"Think about it first, here's my card, give me a call when you're ready." And with that he walked away.
Clutching unto the card Lyra sighed and looked through the window. the dark clouds mirroring her heart.*********
After thinking and tossing for days with no yield from her job search.
On the fifth day since their meeting, Lyra called the number on the card her heart beating nervously.
"Hello is this Mr Rhett? it's Lyra Voss.... Am ready"
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A fight to survive
"Gotcha."The voice was a whisper behind her ear.Lyra twisted on instinct, kicking backwards.Too late."Tch. slow," Quinn said lazily, stepping aside as she caught Lyra’s leg mid-air and then with a fling, sent her sprawling across the training square.Lyra hit the ground hard, face-first. Gritting her teeth, she rolled and sprang up quickly, ignoring the outstretched hand offered to her.Dusting herself off, she glanced at the blonde woman leaning against the shadows of a stone archway. "How'd I do this time?"Ava stepped forward, arms crossed, her golden dreads catching the light. "You're faster, definitely. But your mental defenses are still weak."She gestured toward Quinn. "She sensed you were close to detecting her, so she used your fear. Made you think she'd already caught you—and it threw off your rhythm. You reacted, instead of acting."Lyra’s lips tightened. Ava was right. The moment she hea
Allies in a strange land
Clutching her torn pants, Lyra squeezed through the crowd, navigating the bustle of a modest marketplace.A trader shouted over the noise, advertising her goods as a few buyers gathered around her stall. Laughter erupted nearby—children raced past Lyra, their giggles and carefree shouts a stark contrast to a silent city she remembered.She sighed and ignored the stares.Her appearance was.... different. And not in a good way.Her torn, slipping khakis exposed too much skin, and the scabs across her body made the townspeople look at her with discomfort—maybe even fear.Players healed quickly. Tonics, buffs—there were always ways to restore your health.NPCs regenerated on their own, unless they died of old age, thanks to Æther’s latest update... yes, even that was a thing now.So no one—no one—walked around with visible injuries.She turned a corner and spotted a large wooden board. A few worn-out words were painted across it:"Glades Field."She repeated the name under her breath, ta
A broken china, lost childhood
Removing her soaked raincoat and swiping her wet feet against the equally drenched welcome mat, a little girl stepped into the modest house she shared with her mom and dad.The door shut behind her with a soft thud, sealing off the rhythmic patter of the rain. She skipped toward the kitchen, purposefully ignoring her mother’s disapproving gaze—a gaze that had warned her earlier not to play in the rain outside.“There’s a cup of tea on the small table beside the fridge. Drink it so you don’t catch a cold,” her mom instructed, her voice gentle but firm.“Okay, Momma,” the girl chirped, heading toward the fridge.Behind her, her mother’s lips curved into a smile as she watched the little girl’s carefree movements. But the smile didn’t last, as it soon dissolved into a frown.Too young to notice the tension hanging thick in the air, the girl continued toward her tea.She spotted the cup exactly where her mother said it would be. It was her favorite white china with little blue roses that
Giving up?
In a desert, in the throes of Chaos, the space in a particular area warped, showing signs of instability. Soon, a tear appeared, spitting out a group of people.Lyra rolled on the ground, her head throbbing, but she gritted her teeth and struggled to stand despite the pain, same as the rest."Are we lost?..again?" someone asked.The sound was like prickly pins stabbing at Lyra's ear. Her face contorted in pain."No," Mr. Rhett said, a frown on his face. Despite his cool demeanor, Lyra knew he was going through pains too; she could see his tightly clenched fist even though he tried to hide it."The portal couldn't bring us all the way into the city because of our numbers. But... it brought us close enough," Mr. Rhett continued, his hand pointing toward a string of light, connecting the sky and the ground.The team immediately understood. That was their way out of here.So they staggered off, some holding onto one another as they advanced.Just as they were steps away from reaching the
A Step Behind
Having already broken the city rules, Lyra knew that they had very little time left for their mission.Moving her gaze from the eye-catching commotion, she steadied herself, holding her side in pain. Turning to her partner, she smiled wryly."I never really got your name. How about we have a reintroduction... I'm Lyra Voss," she said, stretching out her hand.The young man raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in demeanour, his confusion evident. "Should we be doing this now? I mean, Mr. Rhett and the rest might be in trouble."Lyra's eyes locked onto Victor's, her gaze unwavering. She cracked a small, determined smile, and Victor's expression softened. He shook her hand, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Well, I'm Victor. Victor Payton."Noticing his doubts, Lyra smiled, but it looked a little sad. "I don't know what might happen after this... but I at least want to know the name of someone who saved me.""I've also had some stereotypes towards you before, and I'd like to apologize
City of Lost Souls
Lyra's eyes lingered on Mr. Rhett's back as he led the team downhill. His words still echoed in her mind, sending shivers down her spine.Exchanging glances with the rest of the group, they followed behind.As they descended, the landscape shifted from grassy hills to dense forest.The group were awed at the scenery, the soft rustle of the wind, the birds chirping in the trees, the soothing smell of nature, and the sight of such a familiar yet unfamiliar world.They trudged on, their footsteps muffled by the soft earth, but Lyra's heart was a panicked mess. The team were nearly at the bottom of the hill, yet everywhere remained quiet.Sure enough, one of her teammates spoke up, though not loud enough for Mr. Rhett to hear."We are already so close to the bottom of the hill, yet there's no sound to show that there's a town around here."Lyra heard it. Gripping her baton by her side, she twisted it, hoping it would calm the wandering thoughts in her head.Would they blame her?After all
