บท 71: A Heart of Stone

The room fell into solemn silence after I finished my story on the seventh night of my stay on the Island. The only sounds were the distant roar of the nearby waterfall and the sweet melody of birdsong. Neither my grandmother nor Jenna said a word. Even though Jenna and I had been friends since we were kids, I had never shared my story with her.

I gazed at my grandmother, who sat on the wooden floor, her sniffling and tear-stained face mirroring her heartache. I knew that her tears were for her own daughter, my mother.

"Mother, it's okay," I replied, my voice quivering but determined. My old self had started resurfacing, and I realized that no one would ever penetrate the iron walls that would be built around my heart, and made me shed tears again.

"I'm sure that those who harmed your mom are hiding something, Thalia. You must find out what it is," Jenna whispered, her eyes fixated on the glimmering starlight between us.