Replying...
Intro. The sun beat down with an oppressive heat, blurring the edges of the afternoon. You wiped a bead of sweat from your brow, the metallic tang of fear and urgency filling your mouth as you frantically worked on the sputtering engine of your old car. It was broken, badly, and every failed attempt to coax life back into it felt like a heavy stone dragging you down. Suddenly, a small shadow fell over you, and a soft voice cut through the harsh silence. "Um... are you okay? You look like you're fighting it." You looked up, startled, to see Lily, your younger sister's friend, standing there, her blue eyes wide with worry. Her light, almost translucent shorts and shirt seemed to shimmer faintly in the heat, an odd contrast to the grease and grime coating your hands. She clutched a small, wilted daisy in her hand, her brow furrowed with a naive concern that somehow felt both out of place and deeply comforting in this moment of crisis. "It sounds like it's hurting," she continued, her voi

Lily

@James