Chronicle 9
By sunset, Daral Lake had transformed.
Lanterns hung from wooden posts around the village.
Long tables stretched across the central square.
Children darted between adults, laughing.
Musicians tuned unfamiliar instruments before beginning
melodies that seemed to drift effortlessly into the surrounding mountains.
Joanna stopped walking.
"...wow."
Zas smiled quietly.
"I told you we celebrate well."
"I wasn't expecting..."
She slowly turned in place.
"...all of this."
Food covered the tables.
Fresh bread.
Roasted meats.
Mountain fish.
Preserved fruits brought out from winter stores.
Honey.
Cheeses.
Stews that had clearly been simmering all afternoon.
People greeted Zas warmly.
Many paused to thank Joanna personally.
Not because she was famous.
Because she had brought their internet back.
To them...
That was enough.
A young boy cautiously approached.
He looked no older than fourteen.
His eyes immediately settled on Joanna.
"You must be Joanna."
"I am."
"I'm Arel-Sin."
Joanna's smile softened.
"So you're..."
He nodded.
"Zasaramel's son."
She immediately understood why Zas spoke about him with such
affection.
He had his father's quiet dignity.
Only...
Without the years of burden.
"It is nice to finally meet you."
"You too."
Arel-Sin looked toward his father.
"I've never seen him smile this much."
Zas looked almost embarrassed.
"I smile."
"Not like this."
The three of them laughed together.
Later, Joanna noticed something resting against Zas's chair.
A magnificent scythe.
Its blade gleamed in the firelight.
Near the center of its shaft...
...was a brilliant blue jewel.
"That's beautiful."
Zas picked it up carefully.
"It is my Blue Orb."
She frowned.
"Blue Orb?"
Before he could answer-
A drum echoed across the village.
Then another.
The music stopped.
Every conversation slowly faded.
The Elder stepped into the center of the gathering.
"My friends."
His voice carried effortlessly.
"Tonight we celebrate."
"We celebrate knowledge."
"We celebrate generosity."
"...and we celebrate one who reminded us that wisdom
may come from beyond our mountains."
Joanna looked around.
She hadn't expected any of this.
The Elder raised one hand.
"Joanna Goldsmith."
The entire village turned toward her.
She froze.
"...me?"
The Elder nodded.
"Please."
Zas quietly squeezed her hand.
"Go."
Almost mechanically, she walked forward.
A beautifully carved wooden chair had been placed before the
congregation.
Not quite a throne...
...but clearly a seat of honor.
"The Elder wants you to sit."
She did.
Still completely bewildered.
The Elder disappeared briefly.
When he returned, he carried a small wooden box.
He opened it.
Inside rested a necklace.
At its center...
A luminous blue stone caught the firelight.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Even Zas stood a little straighter.
The Elder carefully placed the necklace around Joanna's
neck.
For a long moment...
He said nothing.
Then-
"From this day forward..."
"...Joanna Goldsmith..."
"...is recognized as the newest member..."
"...of the Blue Orb."
Silence.
Not awkward silence.
Reverent silence.
The Elder continued.
"The Blue Orb is not awarded for strength."
"Nor for wealth."
"Nor for birth."
"It is entrusted to those whose wisdom strengthens
others."
He looked toward the assembled villagers.
"Today..."
"...Joanna reminded us that knowledge is greatest when
it is shared."
He smiled.
"May we prove worthy of the gift she has given
us."
The silence lasted only another heartbeat.
Then the village erupted.
Applause.
Cheers.
Laughter.
Music returned.
People embraced one another.
Joanna simply sat there.
Unable to process what had happened.
Much later, after the celebration had resumed, she found Zas
standing near the edge of the lake.
She joined him.
"I don't deserve this."
She gently touched the blue stone resting against her chest.
"I restarted a router."
"You did much more."
"I don't think I did."
He quietly turned her toward the celebration.
Children laughed around the tables.
Older villagers who had spent days without communication
were already showing one another things they'd looked up online.
Families smiled.
Friends gathered.
The entire village seemed lighter.
Zas spoke softly.
"Look."
She did.
"I don't understand."
He smiled.
"That..."
He gestured toward the celebration.
"...is why you deserve it."
"You restored more than the internet."
"You restored something that connects our people."
He looked at the necklace.
"The Blue Orb has never truly been about a jewel."
"It is about leaving the world better than you found
it."
He looked back at Joanna.
"You did."
Joanna felt tears gathering in her eyes.
She hadn't come to Daral Lake expecting recognition.
She'd come to help a man she was falling in love with.
Instead...
She had somehow become part of something far older than
either of them.
Without thinking, she slipped her hand into Zas's.
This time...
He squeezed first.
The celebration continued long into the evening.
Eventually, Zas gently touched Joanna's hand.
"We should go."
She looked toward him.
"Already?"
"It has been a long day."
She smiled.
"I guess it has."
Hand in hand, they slipped away from the music and laughter.
The village grew quieter as they walked.
Finally, Zas stopped before a modest log cabin.
Nothing about it proclaimed status.
No elaborate carvings.
No extravagant decorations.
Just solid timber, carefully fitted together.
Built to last.
"This is home."
Joanna smiled.
"I like it already."
Zas opened the door.
The cabin smelled faintly of pine, smoke and old books.
The interior was simple.
Comfortably so.
A main room held a sturdy wooden table surrounded by
handmade chairs.
The kitchen occupied one corner.
Shelves carried jars of dried beans, flour, herbs and
preserved vegetables.
A broad wooden preparation table stood beside a cast-iron
stove.
"The stove burns wood."
He pointed toward the back door.
"There are gas canisters outside."
"We use them if we must."
Joanna nodded.
"So...backup."
"Yes."
Another doorway revealed a cool cellar beneath the cabin.
Shelves held cured meats.
Cheeses.
Several bottles of homemade wine.
Preserved fruit.
Root vegetables stored for winter.
"You made all this?"
"We all did."
He smiled.
"No one here survives alone."
Joanna followed him farther inside.
Three small sleeping rooms branched from a narrow hallway.
"This is mine."
He pointed to the first.
"The next belongs to Arel-Sin."
Then his expression softened.
"...and..."
He rested his hand on the final door.
"...Phoebe and Armintie shared this one."
Joanna quietly squeezed his arm.
He returned the gesture with a faint smile.
"I'm all right."
He opened the back door.
A covered training yard stretched behind the cabin.
A broad wooden platform sat beneath a heavy canopy.
Practice weapons lined one wall.
Training dummies stood at the far end.
"This is where I teach."
He rested a hand on one of the wooden posts.
"I trained Arel-Sin here."
"I trained Phoebe."
"I trained Armintie."
"...and many others."
Nearby stood a large fire pit surrounded by rough-hewn
benches.
"When the weather is pleasant..."
"...this is where we gather."
Joanna slowly turned in a circle.
"It feels..."
She searched for the words.
"...alive."
"It is."
She looked back toward the village.
"I thought everyone lived in cabins like this."
"They do not."
He pointed toward several larger buildings.
"Most members live communally."
"The houses are comfortable."
"They simply share more."
She smiled.
"So..."
"...kind of like Scout camp?"
Zas nodded.
"That is a reasonable comparison."
Joanna blinked.
"You know what Scouts are?"
"A great many Scout groups visit the Blade."
She laughed.
"They do?"
"They enjoy mountains."
He sighed.
"They also enjoy becoming lost."
"You've rescued Scouts?"
"Several."
"Some from Anglia."
"Some from Rome."
"One group from America."
Joanna burst into laughter.
"Seriously?"
"They were very polite."
"They were also extremely lost."
She wiped away a tear.
"I never pictured the Scouts as one of your recurring
problems."
"Neither did I."
They walked slowly back toward the front of the cabin.
"How many people live here?"
"In Daral Lake?"
"Approximately."
He shrugged.
"I do not know."
"A thousand."
"Perhaps two."
"Perhaps three."
"We have never counted everyone."
She looked surprised.
"You've never done a census?"
He smiled.
"We generally know who belongs."
"That has always been enough."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"So how do you all live?"
"We hunt."
"We fish."
"We gather."
"We trade."
"When winter comes..."
"We live here in the valley."
"...and in summer?"
"We move."
He pointed toward the distant darkness beyond the trees.
"To the lake."
"The entire Order?"
"The entire Order."
She looked puzzled.
"So..."
"...you have two villages?"
"We actually have several."
"Daral Lake is simply where the Council meets."
"The lake settlement is smaller."
"People share more space."
"...but we are all together."
"The lake is where the Blue Shield feels most like one
family."
Joanna looked toward the mountains.
She tried to imagine thousands of people packing up their
lives every spring and autumn.
Moving together.
Living together.
Returning together.
It felt strange.
Ancient.
Beautiful.
She looked back at Zas.
"You know..."
She smiled.
"I thought I understood your world."
"I didn't."
"No?"
"I thought it would be all rules."
"All discipline."
"All warriors."
She looked around the quiet cabin.
"...but..."
"...it's really just a village."
"A family."
Zas was silent for a long moment.
Finally, he nodded.
"That is what we have always tried to be."
He looked toward Phoebe's empty room.
His smile faded ever so slightly.
"Sometimes..."
"...we forget."
They lingered beneath the canopy behind the cabin.
The sounds of the feast drifted through the evening air.
Joanna looked out across the village.
Children still chased one another between the lanterns.
Older villagers laughed around the fire.
"It doesn't feel isolated."
Zas looked at her.
"It isn't."
"I thought the Blue Shield avoided outsiders."
"We are selective."
"There is a difference."
He leaned against one of the wooden posts.
"The Blade has many tribes."
"Some are rivals."
"Many are friends."
"We trade."
"We share information."
"We share food when harvests fail."
"If one tribe is attacked..."
"...others often answer."
Joanna nodded.
"So there are alliances."
"Many."
"We celebrate together."
"We mourn together."
"We sometimes fight together."
He smiled faintly.
"...and we argue with one another."
"As families often do."
She laughed.
"So people can leave?"
"They do."
"They marry."
"Sometimes someone from another tribe joins us."
"Sometimes one of ours joins them."
"It is not common."
"...but neither is it forbidden."
"It is simply..."
He searched for the words.
"...a sad day."
"Why?"
"Because someone you love is no longer part of your
daily life."
Joanna quietly nodded.
"I understand that."
For a while they simply listened to the music.
Finally Zas spoke again.
"You expected something different."
She looked at him.
"Did I?"
"I believe so."
He smiled to himself.
"I have seen enough films."
"They often show mountain tribes as..."
He hesitated.
"...primitive."
"As though we paint ourselves with blood."
"Or boil travelers in large pots."
Joanna burst into laughter.
"What?"
"I never thought that."
"You didn't?"
"No."
"I figured you'd have different customs."
"I figured life would be simpler."
"...but..."
She looked around once more.
"...not less intelligent."
She pointed toward the communal building.
"You have internet."
"You maintain a communications network."
"You organize seasonal migrations."
"You have political institutions."
"You educate your children."
"You have ceremonies."
"You've built a society."
She smiled warmly.
"That's not primitive."
"It's just different."
Zas looked at her for a long moment.
"We are not Rome."
"No."
"We are not Kanem-Bornu."
"No."
"We are certainly not America."
She laughed.
"I don't think anybody's America."
He chuckled.
"We are less sophisticated."
"Our tools are simpler."
"Our lives are slower."
"...but..."
He looked back toward the feast.
"...we are not backwards."
"No."
Joanna slipped her hand into his.
"I don't think you ever were."
For the first time since she'd arrived...
Zas felt that someone from beyond the mountains truly
understood what the Blue Shield was trying to be.
Not perfect.
Not modern.
Not ancient.
Simply...
Home.
Later that evening, Joanna and Zas sat beneath the training
canopy.
The sounds of the feast still drifted across the village.
Joanna noticed Zas watching her phone.
"You've been curious about it all day."
"I have."
"What?"
"You mentioned..."
He searched for the word.
"...social media."
She nodded.
"What about it?"
He frowned thoughtfully.
"I do not understand why people use it."
"The Order has never wished to encourage vanity."
"Vanity?"
"So much of what I have seen..."
He gestured vaguely.
"...is people wishing to be admired."
"Looking at themselves."
"Telling others to look at them."
"I struggle to see the purpose."
Joanna smiled.
"Some people definitely use it that way."
"I won't argue with you."
"...but..."
"...that's not all it is."
She unlocked her phone.
"It can be about knowledge."
"Information."
"Teaching."
"History."
"Activism."
"Awareness."
She looked toward the village.
"Community."
Zas remained unconvinced.
She continued.
"You told me earlier that people think mountain tribes
are backwards."
"They do."
"Social media is one way to change that."
He looked at her.
"How?"
"You show people who you really are."
She opened one of her apps.
"I follow quite a few communities."
She scrolled.
A mountain village demonstrating traditional weaving.
A forest community explaining sustainable harvesting.
A coastal tribe documenting a fishing festival.
An indigenous language lesson.
A fundraiser after severe flooding.
A video of children learning traditional dances.
"They're proud of who they are."
"They're sharing it."
"They aren't pretending to be cities."
"They're showing people why their culture
matters."
Zas leaned closer.
As Joanna continued scrolling...
His expression changed.
"...wait."
He pointed.
"I know them."
She stopped.
"You do?"
"That is the Red Cedar Clan."
"They're nearly two weeks east of us."
Another swipe.
"...and them."
"The River Falcons."
"They helped us after the avalanche eight years
ago."
Joanna smiled.
"So some Blade tribes are online."
He stared at the screen.
"They are."
"They simply never told us."
For a long moment, he watched in silence.
"So..."
He finally asked.
"...how does one put something there?"
She laughed.
"That's the easy part."
She opened the camera.
"Come here."
He stepped beside her.
She lifted the phone.
Click.
"There."
She quickly typed a caption.
Met someone pretty incredible today. ❤️
She tapped one button.
"There."
He looked puzzled.
"That is all?"
"That's all."
She waited a few seconds.
Then tapped again.
The post disappeared.
"It is gone."
"It is."
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"I was just showing you how it works."
"I wasn't sure you'd actually want your picture
online."
"I should've asked first."
Zas looked at the now-empty screen.
His disappointment surprised even himself.
"I wanted it to stay."
She blinked.
"You did?"
He nodded.
"I wanted people to know."
"Know what?"
He answered without thinking.
"...that I was standing beside the woman I love."
Silence.
The words hung in the mountain air.
Zas frowned.
He hadn't planned to say them.
He wasn't even sure when they'd become true.
He only knew...
They were.
Joanna's eyes began to glisten.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"I think..."
She whispered.
"...we need a better picture."
She stood.
Straightened the Blue Orb necklace resting against her
chest.
"Wait here."
She carefully positioned Zas beside his scythe.
"The Blue Orb."
"The mountains."
"The firelight."
She stepped back.
"Perfect."
Then she hurried into the frame beside him.
She slipped one arm around his waist.
The other rested lightly against the Blue Orb.
She held the phone high.
Click.
This time she looked at the picture for several seconds.
It wasn't glamorous.
It wasn't staged.
It was simply...
Them.
She smiled.
"This one's staying."
She typed quietly.
Some journeys change your destination. Others change your
heart.
She looked at Zas.
"Ready?"
"I am."
She pressed Post.
A moment later she slipped the phone back into her pocket.
Walked toward him.
Placed both hands gently on his face.
...and kissed him.
When they finally separated, she rested her forehead against
his.
"I love you too."
For perhaps the first time in his life...
Zasaramel found himself speechless.
The next morning, Zas headed into the forest with an axe
over his shoulder.
"I shall not be long."
Joanna smiled.
"I'll be here."
Once he disappeared among the trees, she looked down at her
phone.
One bar of signal.
Barely enough.
"...Please work."
After several attempts, the call connected.
A familiar voice answered.
"Triple X."
"Hey, boss."
"Joanna."
He sounded relieved.
"There you are."
"I figured you'd eventually remember you had a
job."
She laughed.
"I was making sure everyone knew I hadn't
vanished."
"We knew."
"You invited me to Mingora."
"I just...kind of kept going."
"So I've heard."
"You with the mountain man?"
"I am."
"Good."
She smiled.
"So..."
"...am I fired?"
X laughed.
"No."
"You're probably not needed."
She blinked.
"What?"
"We've got plenty of people."
"Besides..."
He sighed.
"You know Vince."
She knew exactly where this was going.
"Your contract's coming up."
"It is."
"I'm not making promises."
"It isn't my decision."
"...but..."
"If Vince thinks someone might leave..."
"...he usually doesn't like putting them on
television."
"He doesn't like helping someone become more valuable
somewhere else."
Joanna smiled.
"For once..."
"...I'm actually grateful."
"I figured you might be."
They both laughed.
"So..."
X continued.
"...how's mountain life?"
She looked around the cabin.
"It's..."
She smiled to herself.
"...amazing."
"You joining the tribe?"
He asked it as a joke.
She answered with complete sincerity.
"I just might."
There was a pause.
"...Wait."
"You serious?"
"They actually tried to recruit me."
Silence.
"No."
"Yes."
"They gave me one of their highest honors
yesterday."
"They what?"
"A Blue Orb."
"I don't completely understand it yet."
"...but apparently..."
"...I'm the first outsider they've ever given one
to."
Another silence.
Longer this time.
"Jo..."
"...that's a big deal."
"I know."
"They're good people."
"They really are."
X leaned back in his chair.
"I've gotta admit..."
"I wasn't expecting the story to become..."
"...'professional wrestler joins mountain tribe.'"
She laughed.
"Neither was I."
"So..."
He said thoughtfully.
"...maybe you should stay."
She blinked.
"What?"
"If that's where you're happy..."
"...stay."
She hadn't expected that answer.
"I mean it."
"We're always talking about chasing the next
contract."
"The next promotion."
"The next television match."
"If you've actually found somewhere that feels like
home..."
"...don't throw it away just because Vince McGeady
signs your paycheck."
Joanna felt unexpectedly emotional.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet."
He laughed.
"I've still got one request."
"What?"
"See if I can convince your warrior monk to
coach."
She burst into laughter.
"You're impossible."
"I've seen him work."
"So have Daniel and I."
"He'd make our wrestlers better."
"He already did."
She shook her head.
"I'll mention it."
"That's all I'm asking."
The laughter slowly faded.
X's voice became gentler.
"Take your time."
"There'll be a place for you when you're ready."
"No pressure."
"No deadlines."
"When you want to come back..."
"...call me."
Joanna smiled.
"I will."
They said their goodbyes.
The call ended.
She lowered the phone and looked toward the trees where Zas
had disappeared.
For the first time in years...
She realized that returning to wrestling no longer felt like
returning home.
It felt like leaving it.
Thousands of miles away...
Chairman Vince McGeady sat alone in his office.
The room was absurd.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Gotham.
Championship belts lined one wall.
Movie posters from WFE Productions covered another.
An enormous Triceratops skull dominated the room from atop a
marble pedestal.
Nobody knew where Vince had acquired it.
Rumors ranged from a museum auction...
...to outright poaching.
Vince had heard every rumor.
He never corrected any of them.
His attention remained fixed on the enormous monitor on his
desk.
One photograph filled the screen.
Trinity Dark.
Or...
Joanna Goldsmith.
He leaned back in his leather chair.
"...Come on."
Several windows were open.
Concept art.
Wardrobe mockups.
Entrance music.
Logo designs.
Artificial intelligence image generators.
He clicked.
Another variation.
Longer hair.
"No."
Different gear.
"No."
Different colors.
"No."
Another hairstyle.
Another nickname.
Another entrance.
Another pose.
"No."
"No."
"No."
He sighed.
"This is why you people don't run wrestling
companies."
He wasn't speaking to anyone.
Only to the computer.
He clicked again.
Another image appeared.
He stared.
Still...
No.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I've got the look."
"I've got the athleticism."
"I've got the personality."
"So why..."
"...don't I have the star?"
He enlarged another image.
Then another.
His fingers drummed impatiently against the desk.
He wasn't trying to make Joanna prettier.
She already was.
He wasn't trying to make her younger.
She already was.
He wasn't even trying to make her a better wrestler.
Triple X could handle that.
He was searching for something much harder.
The version of Trinity Dark that audiences would refuse to
forget.
Because Vince understood something better than almost
anyone.
Talent mattered.
...but presentation...
Presentation sold tickets.
His contract file sat open beside the keyboard.
Trinity Dark
Contract expires soon.
Vince frowned.
He didn't like uncertainty.
If he let her leave...
Paul Carney would almost certainly make something of her.
...and Vince hated almost nothing more than watching another
promoter succeed with someone he'd failed to understand.
Click.
Another image.
"No."
Click.
"No."
Click.
"No."
His expression grew increasingly irritated.
Until-
He stopped moving.
His eyes narrowed.
The mouse became perfectly still.
For nearly a full minute...
He simply stared at the screen.
Then...
The corner of his mouth curled into the faintest smile.
"There you are."
The forest was quiet.
Only the steady rhythm of an axe striking wood echoed
through the trees.
Thunk.
Thunk.
Thunk.
Normally, Arel-Sin disliked collecting firewood.
Today...
He had volunteered.
Not because he enjoyed the work.
Because he wanted to spend time with his father.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It simply...
Was.
Eventually, Arel-Sin rested another split log onto the
growing pile.
"...Father?"
Zas looked over.
"Yes?"
Arel-Sin hesitated.
"I..."
He looked down at the ground.
"I miss Phoebe."
The words surprised even him.
"I never thought I would say that."
Zas quietly waited.
"We fought all the time."
"I called her annoying."
"I told everyone she made my life miserable."
A sad laugh escaped him.
"I even said I hated her."
He shook his head.
"I didn't."
"I was just..."
"...her brother."
He swallowed.
"I thought she'd always be in the next room."
His voice cracked.
"...and now it is empty."
Zas rested a hand on his son's shoulder.
"I know."
"No."
Arel-Sin looked at him.
"I don't think you do."
"I keep expecting to hear her."
"To argue with her."
"To tell her she's impossible."
He laughed through wet eyes.
"I'd give anything for her to annoy me again."
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
Finally Arel-Sin said quietly,
"Do you think..."
"...Joanna's..."
He frowned.
"...societal media..."
He stopped.
"...social media."
"Do you think it could help us find her?"
Zas looked toward the mountains.
Then slowly nodded.
"...Perhaps."
"I do not know."
"...but..."
He picked up another log.
"...it is worth asking."
Back at the cabin, Joanna looked up as they entered.
"Everything okay?"
Zas glanced toward Arel-Sin.
"My son has a question."
Arel-Sin shuffled awkwardly.
"You said..."
"...social media connects people."
"It can."
"My sister..."
He looked down.
"I don't know where she is."
"Could..."
"...could it bring her home?"
Joanna's smile faded.
She chose her words carefully.
"I wish I could promise that."
"...but I can't."
She sat beside him.
"I don't know Phoebe's account."
"I don't even know if she has one."
"...and..."
She sighed softly.
"Even if I did..."
"...I can't guarantee she'd answer."
Arel-Sin's shoulders slumped.
"So..."
"...she hates us."
"No."
Joanna answered immediately.
"I don't believe that."
He looked at her.
"You don't?"
She shook her head.
"I've never met Phoebe."
"...but I've met you."
"I've met your father."
"...and I've heard enough about her."
She smiled gently.
"I think she loves both of you."
"I think she always will."
Arel-Sin frowned.
"Then why did she leave?"
Joanna was quiet for several seconds.
"Sometimes..."
"...the people we love most..."
"...are the people we fight hardest with."
She looked toward Zas.
"This wasn't a small argument."
"It was enormous."
"I don't know how to fix it."
"I wish I did."
"...but..."
She reached over and gently squeezed Arel-Sin's hand.
"I don't think hope is gone."
"So don't give it away."
Silence settled over the room.
Finally Zas spoke.
"You mentioned..."
He smiled faintly.
"...social media."
She smiled back at the correct pronunciation.
"I did."
"Is there anything..."
"...anything at all..."
"...that you could do?"
She thought carefully.
"There is one thing."
"What?"
"I could make a public post."
She looked between father and son.
"If enough people shared it..."
"...Phoebe might eventually see it."
Arel-Sin frowned.
"Shared?"
"It spreads from person to person."
"Sometimes incredibly quickly."
"We call that..."
"...going viral."
Both Zas and Arel-Sin looked puzzled.
"Viral?"
She laughed.
"It sounds like catching a disease."
"In this case..."
"...it just means lots and lots of people see it."
She looked back at them.
"...but I need you to understand..."
"This would be a shot in the dark."
"It might not reach her."
"It might."
"I honestly don't know."
Zas lowered his eyes.
When he finally spoke...
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"A shot..."
He looked toward Phoebe's empty room.
"...is all I have."
Joanna didn't answer.
Instead...
She quietly unlocked her phone.
...and began writing.
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