Chapter Seven — Embers in Daylight

  Nyra woke to sunlight spilling across her bedroom wall. Dust motes danced lazily, catching the golden morning light. The house was alive with quiet chaos — Iris’s voice echoed from the living room, Theo’s calm hum floated from the kitchen, and somewhere down the hall, Kael grumbled over something minor.

  She swung her legs off the bed and pressed her hands to her arms. Nothing burned. Nothing shimmered. No heat under her skin, no flicker of something impossible. Just… normal.

  Good.

  She told herself that repeatedly, standing in the middle of her room, listening to the steady rhythm of her family.

  “Nyra! Breakfast!” Iris’s shrill cheer cut through the hall, followed by a crash — the couch, probably.

  “Mom, Theo! Help!” Iris called, laughter in her voice.

  Nyra smiled faintly. Normal. Safe. Ordinary.

  ?

  The kitchen smelled like reheated pasta and coffee. Elara stirred a pot on the stove, a phone tucked between shoulder and ear, keeping pace with the household chaos.

  “You’re up early,” her mother said, slipping the phone down. Her eyes scanned Nyra’s face, checking the night’s battles as if she could read them.

  “I’m fine,” Nyra said, too quickly, too loudly.

  Elara simply nodded. “School called. I told them you’d be out today. Your body deserves a day to catch up.”

  Nyra froze. Out today? “You didn’t have to—”

  “Yes, I did,” Elara said gently. “You fainted. One guilt-free day is non-negotiable.”

  Kael leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “Doctor’s orders, even if the doctor didn’t actually say it.”

  “Traitors,” Nyra muttered.

  Iris bounded past, spinning. “Does this mean I get your snacks?”

  “No,” Nyra said.

  Theo, quietly seated with pencil in hand, glanced up. “You look… tired,” he said. His voice was calm but carried weight.

  Nyra shrugged. “Didn’t sleep well.”

  Theo nodded, sensing more than she admitted.

  ?

  Her phone buzzed.

  Kevin first.

  Kevin: You alive?

  Nyra stared at the screen.

  Nyra: Yeah. Home today.

  Kevin: That bad?

  Nyra: Just stress. I’m okay.

  Three dots appeared. Disappeared.

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  Kevin: …You scared me.

  Nyra paused.

  Nyra: I’m sorry.

  ?

  Then Lina.

  Lina: I’m still thinking about you collapsing. Are you actually okay?

  Nyra exhaled slowly.

  Nyra: Yeah. Just tired. Doctor said stress.

  Lina: You scared everyone. Kevin looked like he was about to faint on you.

  Nyra huffed a weak laugh.

  Nyra: He would’ve made it worse.

  Lina: 100%.

  Text me if you feel weird again. I mean it.

  Nyra smiled, fingers hovering.

  Nyra: I will. Thanks.

  ?

  Then Seris.

  Seris: Eat. Hydrate. Sleep. No exceptions.

  Nyra smiled faintly.

  Nyra: Yes, boss.

  ?

  . The morning stretched on, slow and quiet. Elara kissed her on the forehead before heading to work, whispering, “If anything happens, call me immediately.” Kael slung his backpack over one shoulder, muttering about being late for school. Iris bounced past with a quick “See you later!” and Theo gave her a calm nod before leaving the house in his usual measured pace.

  And then she was alone.

  The silence pressed in, unfamiliar now that the usual hum of her family was gone. The floorboards creaked under her feet as she wandered from the kitchen to the living room, half-expecting the chaos of socks, laughter, and teasing to resume—but there was only the quiet.

  Her thoughts began to creep in, subtle at first. Questions she usually shoved aside gnawed at her: Why do I feel this way? Why can’t I shake the restlessness? The warmth in her hands, the faint tug in her chest from before… it all lingered just beneath the surface. She pressed her palms together, willing herself to feel nothing, but the quiet made the pull sharper, insistent.

  Hours seemed to stretch. The sunlight shifted slowly across the walls, and

  By the time afternoon rolled in, the house had fully abandoned the idea of peace.

  Backpacks hit the floor. Shoes were kicked off with zero accuracy. Iris burst through the door first.

  “I survived,” she announced dramatically. “School tried to take me out emotionally, but I fought back.”

  Theo followed, calm as ever, stepping over the chaos like it was a familiar obstacle course. His eyes flicked to Nyra on the couch.

  “You still dizzy?”

  “Nope,” Nyra said. “Just existing.”

  “That’s good,” Theo replied, already sitting down.

  The front door opened again—harder this time.

  Kael came in next, slightly out of breath, muttering under his breath. “Homework, snacks, schedules—why does everything require effort?”

  He paused, glancing toward the door as footsteps followed.

  “That’ll be Rowan and Elin,” he said casually.

  Nyra frowned. “Why?”

  “They wanted to check in,” Kael replied. “I think.”

  The doorbell rang immediately, proving him right.

  Rowan stepped in first.

  His eyes found Nyra instantly—relief flashing across his face before he could mask it.

  “Oh—hey,” he said. “You, uh… you feeling okay?”

  Nyra blinked. “Yeah. I just fainted.”

  Rowan winced. “Still hate hearing that.”

  Behind him, Elin entered like she owned the place.

  Her gaze went straight to Nyra first—sharp, assessing, unmistakably worried.

  “You look pale,” Elin said. “Did you eat?”

  Nyra hesitated. “I… think?”

  Elin frowned. “That’s not reassuring.”

  Rowan shifted. “Kevin said when it happened, he—”

  “Can we not talk about Kevin?” Elin snapped.

  The room went quiet.

  Rowan blinked. “I was just saying he panicked. Like, almost fainted too.”

  Elin exhaled sharply, then looked back at Nyra. “Because watching someone collapse is scary. Especially when it’s unexpected.”

  Nyra swallowed. “Sorry.”

  “I’m not mad at you,” Elin said quickly, then caught herself and crossed her arms. “Just—take care of yourself.”

  Rowan nodded. “Yeah. You scared people.”

  They both looked at Nyra.

  Nyra shifted. “…Sorry again?”

  Elin turned suddenly toward Kael. “You didn’t text me back.”

  Kael blinked. “I had algebra.”

  Elin stared at him for a beat—then sighed and stepped closer, reaching out to tug lightly at the strap of his backpack.

  “You’re gonna throw your shoulder out carrying it like that,” she said. “Here.”

  She adjusted it for him.

  Kael froze. “…Thanks?”

  “You’re welcome,” Elin said, smiling. “You should let me help you more. You’re always so busy.”

  Rowan watched this happen with visible discomfort.

  Iris leaned toward Theo and whispered, “She’s flirting.”

  Theo nodded, lips twitching. “Yes.”

  Nyra squinted. “She is?”

  “Very much,” Iris said.

  Kael, meanwhile, completely missed it. “I’m fine. I’ve been carrying this all year.”

  Elin laughed lightly. “Of course you have.”

  She didn’t move away.

  Rowan cleared his throat. “Anyway—Nyra. Just… don’t faint again, okay?”

  “I’ll schedule it better next time,” Nyra said.

  Elin shot her a look. “That’s not funny.”

  “It kind of is,” Iris muttered.

  Elin softened again, sighing. “Just—sleep. Eat. Call someone if you feel off.”

  Nyra nodded. “Okay.”

  The room buzzed with overlapping energy.

  Rowan hovering without realizing it.

  Elin pretending she wasn’t worried—about Nyra or Kael.

  Kael entirely unaware of the attention orbiting him.

  Iris absolutely aware of everything.

  Theo quietly understanding all of it.

  Iris shook her head. “Geez. My two older siblings are so oblivious.”

  Nyra frowned. “Oblivious to what?”

  Iris waved her hand. “I don’t have the emotional energy to explain.”

  Theo smiled.

  Nyra leaned back into the couch cushions, still confused—still missing the undercurrents everyone else could see clear as day.

  Nyra leaned back into the couch cushions, still confused—still missing the undercurrents everyone else seemed to grasp as easily as breathing.

  And somehow, that made it worse.

  ?

  By late afternoon, the house had quieted again. Rowan and Elin had gone, and her siblings were scattered through the house—playing, studying, existing in their own small worlds. The day had slipped past unnoticed, sunlight thinning as it stretched across the walls. Nyra’s thoughts had wandered where they always did—toward creeping shadows, unanswered questions, old fears that never quite faded.

  But now, as the light softened into gold and the air grew still, a fragile calm settled over her, tentative but real.

  Her phone buzzed again. A new number.

  Ilyra: Hey… Kevin gave me your number. Just wanted to check how you’re doing.

  Nyra’s fingers brushed the screen, and for a brief instant, a subtle heat passed through her hands — faint, almost like static electricity, warm and alive. She froze, the sensation threading through her like a whisper.

  She stared at the message, uncertain. But she typed back carefully:

  Nyra: Thanks. I’m okay.

  Ilyra: Good. Don’t overdo it. Everyone’s worried.

  Nyra felt the weight of the words, soft and steady, and somehow, it made the ache in her chest ease. She set the phone down, staring out the window at the late afternoon sun spilling over the rooftops.

  For the first time that day, Nyra allowed herself a quiet breath — the kind that wasn’t forced, that didn’t come with guilt.

  Somewhere in the calm, almost imperceptibly, something stirred. Not awake, not ready, just patient.

  And Nyra didn’t know that when it fully remembered her, it would change everything.