Days passed.
Arc made no effort to mark the hours. She stared at the ceiling to avoid thinking about her dragon. She let time blur into moments spent crying. Moments spent staring. Sleeping. Pretending to sleep when her family members came to sit next to her.
Sometimes she watched the threads that seemed to appear and disappear at random, wondering what they meant when they didn't seem attached to anyone. She ignored her food, not feeling hungry at all, even when her moms started sending her sweets.
On the third day, though she did not know it, Arc was visited by the only parent she didn't want to see. He entered the room, looming in his three-meter form. The one he used for state visits. Quietly, he sat as Arc lay on her side, staring at the curtained window.
