Not My Lyra

Chapter 14

"Today's the day...... today we start this project all over again. We've been here a week and you've done very well Marisa. Let's hope it stays this way"

Something catches Marisa's attention. A young girl walks in, at first she takes no notice of the child till she saw the dæmon and realised it was her child.

"Lyra?"

"Mother, what are you doing? You said you wouldn't do this anymore. You saved me but you like to do it to other children. You are a horrible person, I don't want anything to do with you"

"I told you Marisa, you can't mould Lyra, she's too wild for you and you should just give up"

"No, I can fix this. Don't leave me Lyra. Asriel you are so wrong, I can mould her"

Marisa wakes up panting and all sweaty. The golden monkey comes running to his human and puts his hand on her leg.

"It was only a nightmare, get off me"

Marisa flicks her dæmon off her. He flinches in pain and jumps off the bed. All he wanted to do was comfort his human.

"We need to get back to London quick. I have a bad feeling about something"

———————

"Pan, Ma Costa said Asriel is coming back. I hope he brings mother with him. Oh how I miss them both"

Lyra walks over to her window and just stares out of it. She doesn't dream or wish to runaway now, now that she's been given some sort of freedom to walk around the flat and outside on the streets. It's Olivia day off again but she's visiting family so Lyra and Pan are left alone in the flat.

It's now past the time Olivia said she's be back by and there's still no sign of her and Lyra was feeling alone. Yes she had Pan but they have a love hate relationship right now.

"DING"

The elevator door opens and Olivia walks out.

"This came for you Lyra"

"Oh. It's a letter from mother. Thank you"

Dearest Lyra.
In a week I'll be coming home for a few days then I'll be off again. I hope your father is treating you well.

Mother

"Treating me well? I thought my parents were working together. Asriel said they were. I don't know what to believe anymore"

Lyra got so mad as one of her parents is lying to her and she's not sure which one it is. She scrunches up her letter and throws it into the fire.

"When she returns, she better not lie to me and answer my questions"

A few days pass and Olivia ducks out to the shops to grab some things for when Marisa returns home. The other servants were busy doing what they needed to do and Lyra was trying to figure out what to do.

"The key is in the lift we should go for a walk. We can be back before anyone notices"

Lyra runs up to the lift doors and presses the button to summon the lift..... nothing happens.

"Maybe you need to key in the code for it to work"

"But I don't know the code Pan. Maybe it's in mother's office. But that door is locked too"

"Go through the crawl space like you did last time"

Lyra runs to the grate and climbs through to the crawl space. Nothing scared Lyra but tiny spaces did. Once she reached the grate to her mothers office, she quickly climbed out. When she hit the floor she heard footsteps and her name being called out. Lyra quickly looks at Pan and is ready to climb back up to the crawl space to hide. The footsteps and voice disappear.