CHAPTER 10: LYRA

Locked down at Toby’s place, Lyra spends hours unsuccessfully searching historical databases for clues about cloaked women—Watchers, Hands, Judges. Restless and worried, she fixates on Grayson’s absence and his vow to choose her as part of his family, recognizing that Avery’s wellbeing is central to Grayson’s.

A knock interrupts her pacing. Suspicious, Lyra arms herself until Eve arrives with a stone-faced associate and a rumpled, seemingly drunk Grayson, claiming “Drink or Dare.” After Lyra challenges them, the associate demands her knife in exchange for a file. Grayson subtly signals compliance, and Lyra trades the knife for the folder.

Eve surveys Toby’s “shrine” to Hannah, noting a chess table that evokes Avery. She reveals a personal history of grooming by a teacher, then asserts she has grander plans than Hawthorne games and will keep Avery’s disappearance quiet because it serves her. As she leaves, the associate—Slate—adds that someone needs to have Gigi’s back.

Once alone, Grayson drops the drunken act and vows to deal with Mattias Slater if he approaches Gigi. He grounds Lyra, urging her not to pretend she’s fine. Hand in hand across the table, they steady each other. Bracing for answers or more questions, Lyra opens her father’s file.