Chapter 3:
By the time Ava got home, the sun was already going down.
Her steps were slower now.
Not because she was tired…
But because she had nothing to bring back.
She stood outside the door for a moment.
Just staring at it.
Taking a breath.
Preparing herself.
Then she walked in.
The air inside felt even heavier than before.
Her mother looked up immediately.
"Did you—"
She stopped.
She didn't even finish the question.
Ava shook her head.
Silence.
Her younger brother looked down at the floor.
"Oh…" he said quietly.
That one word…
It hurt.
Ava forced herself to speak.
"I tried everywhere," she said. "They all said the same thing."
Her father shifted slightly in his seat but said nothing.
Her grandmother coughed again.
The sound filled the room.
That night…
No one ate.
Ava lay on her bed, staring into the darkness.
Her stomach ached.
But worse than that…
Was the feeling in her chest.
Failure.
"I'm trying…" she whispered. "I really am…"
Her voice was so soft, it almost disappeared.
She turned onto her side and reached into her pocket.
The pencil.
She had forgotten about it.
She pulled it out slowly.
Looked at it again.
Still the same.
Still just a pencil.
She sighed and placed it beside her.
"It won't help me," she muttered.
Across the room, her brother shifted in his sleep.
"Mama… I'm hungry…" he whispered.
Ava froze.
Her heart tightened painfully.
She sat up.
Her eyes filled with tears.
But this time…
She didn't stop them.
"I can't do this," she whispered. "I can't watch them suffer like this…"
Her voice broke.
She stood up quietly and walked outside.
The night air was cold.
The city was quieter now.
But not silent.
Never silent.
Ava walked slowly down the street.
No direction.
No plan.
Just… walking.
"What am I supposed to do?" she asked softly, looking up at the dark sky.
No answer.
For a moment…
She thought about giving up.
Just stopping.
Just… letting everything fall apart.
But then she saw her brother's face in her mind.
Her mother's tired eyes.
Her father's silence.
She shook her head quickly.
"No," she said firmly. "I can't give up."
She wiped her tears.
Took a deep breath.
And turned back toward home.
Inside her pocket…
The pencil rested quietly.
Unnoticed.
Unimportant.
For now.
But not for long.
END OF CHAPTER 3