Chapter Three — The List We Weren't Supposed to Find
Lyra's POV
Classes dragged on the way they always did during the first week — too many introductions, too little air-conditioning, and a growing sense that summer wasn't quite done with us yet. By the final bell, I was half melted over my desk, doodling stars in the corner of my notebook.
Cassian stretched behind me, the back of his chair creaking. "Clover's after school?"
Aveline perked up. "Obviously. We can't start senior year without our ritual iced mochas."
Evan looked over at me, his eyes soft. "You in, Sol?"
"I live for caffeine and bad decisions," I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
Soraya snorted. "Then this year's gonna be your masterpiece."
We spilled out of Saint Valley High like every other group of overconfident seniors — the six of us walking down the cracked pavement, the afternoon sunlight spilling gold over everything. The air smelled faintly of rain, and somewhere a lawn mower buzzed like lazy background music.
It was the kind of day that almost felt too good to last.
Clover's Café sat on the corner of Main and Solace, tucked between a record store and a florist whose windows always fogged up from the humidity. The same bell above the door jingled as we walked in. The place was half-empty — just a couple of juniors with laptops and an old man reading a newspaper that looked like it might turn to dust.
Our table — the one near the window with initials carved into the wood — was somehow still free. Aveline and Cassian slid in first, Evan beside me. Soraya and Saphira dropped their bags on the seats.
"Be right back," Soraya said, exchanging a glance with Saphira. "Bathroom."
"Together?" Cassian teased. "Classic."
Soraya flipped him off and dragged Saphira away, their laughter echoing down the hall.
Aveline leaned her chin on her hand. "So. College plans?"
I groaned. "We're seriously doing this already?"
"It's senior year, Lyra. It's practically a sport."
Evan nudged my knee under the table. "You'll get in anywhere you want. You've got that scary GPA and the charm of a golden retriever."
I blinked. "That's… weirdly flattering."
Cassian smirked. "He's not wrong, though. You're the most put-together out of all of us."
"Yeah right," I said, stirring my drink. "You guys just didn't see me almost cry over a pop quiz last week."
We laughed — real laughter, not the awkward, tired kind. And for a moment, it felt like nothing could touch us.
That's when Soraya and Saphira came back.
Soraya's eyes gleamed like she'd found treasure. "You will not believe what we just found."
Saphira dropped a crumpled, yellowing piece of paper onto the table. "This was taped behind the mirror in the bathroom."
Aveline frowned. "What is that?"
Soraya smoothed it out carefully. The edges were frayed, the ink slightly smudged, but across the top, in looping handwriting, it read:
"The Saint Valley Senior Year Bucket List — Class of '09."
Cassian raised an eyebrow. "That's, like, fifteen years old."
"Yeah," Soraya said. "And it's insane."
Evan leaned forward, scanning the page. "'Go skinny-dipping in Lake Liora'? 'Sneak onto the roof during winter formal'? Who wrote this, delinquents?"
Saphira grinned. "Legends, apparently."
Aveline reached for the paper. "Holy crap, 'Visit a town you've never been to.' 'Sneak out your window and go to a party.' 'Confess something you've been hiding.'" She looked up. "Okay, this is kind of iconic."
"Iconic," Cassian repeated, unimpressed. "Or stupid. Half of this sounds like a bad teen movie."
"That's the point!" Soraya said, eyes sparkling. "We're the seniors of Saint Valley High — we should go out with a bang."
My stomach twisted a little. "You want to… actually do it?"
"Why not?" Saphira said. "We'll make our own version. Update it. Complete it. Like a final-year pact."
Aveline's lips quirked. "It would make great yearbook content."
Cassian groaned. "I can already see us in the hospital after number seven: 'Climb the old clock tower.'"
Evan chuckled. "We could skip the illegal parts."
Soraya crossed her arms. "Boring. Come on, you guys. Don't you want senior year to mean something?"
Her words hung in the air.
And maybe it was the way the light hit the dust motes floating above the table, or how the soft hum of music made the world outside feel far away — but for a second, I saw it.
All of us laughing, running, maybe breaking a few rules.
A memory we could keep when everything else ended.
"I don't know…" I started.
Saphira leaned closer. "You've been the safe one for too long, Lyra. Live a little."
Evan's hand brushed mine under the table. "We can take it slow," he said gently. "One thing at a time. What's the worst that could happen?"
Aveline smiled. "Famous last words."
Cassian sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm blaming all of you."
Soraya let out a triumphant whoop. "It's settled then. The Class of '25 revival."
She tore a napkin from the dispenser and scribbled something on it. "Let's start with something easy. 'Visit a town we've never been to.' There's that coastal spot, Crescent Bay — it's only an hour from here."
Saphira's grin widened. "Road trip this weekend?"
Evan squeezed my hand, eyes shining. "You in, Sol?"
I hesitated, my gaze falling to the star pendant around my neck. It glimmered faintly, catching the café's soft light — a quiet reminder of who I used to be and how far I'd come.
Maybe it was time to stop being afraid of the past. Maybe it was time to start living.
"Yeah," I said finally, smiling. "I'm in."
Soraya clapped her hands. "Then it's official."
Aveline lifted her cup. "To the jewel of senior year."
The others echoed her, laughter spilling into the air, the kind that made everything feel endless.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought about how lists have a way of changing people.
How one line written years ago could rewrite everything we thought we knew.
I just didn't know yet —
that this one would.