What Summer Deserves

Ashleigh closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I can’t change the past,” she continued. “I can’t bring back all that is gone. I’m not the Warrior chosen by the Goddess. I’m just me…just Ashleigh.”

She swallowed, her heart aching as she spoke.

“The Goddess, the first Lunas… the ley lines…” she said, halting briefly as her voice shook. “They’re gone. It’s all gone, and there is no reason to keep hoping… no reason to keep holding on so tight to the past.”

She took another breath, pausing to stop the tears before they could fall.

“But still… I do it every day,” she said softly. “I wake up each morning, hoping that time has moved backward. The war hasn’t happened, and there is still time to change it all…”

A mixture of gentle and heavy sobs from the crowd tickled her ears. Ashleigh swallowed. She never had any intention of sharing these thoughts. Not with anyone, especially not an entire pack of people.