Matthew leaned against the cabin's porch railing, watching Elyra and Dain as they worked in the garden. The late afternoon sun bathed the clearing in golden light, but their usual energy was absent. Elyra moved listlessly, her silver hair catching the sunlight in soft waves, while Dain seemed unusually quiet, his brow furrowed as he dug into the soil.

Something was weighing on them. Matthew had seen it in the subtle changes-Elyra's distracted stares out the window, Dain's tendency to disappear into the woods for hours. At dinner, they spoke in half-sentences, deflecting his questions with vague reassurances. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were hiding something.

That evening, as the three sat around the fireplace, Matthew decided to address the tension head-on.

"School's been rough lately, hasn't it?" he said, his voice gentle.

Elyra didn't look up from her book, but her fingers tightened on the edges of the pages. Dain, sitting cross-legged on the floor, shrugged. "It's fine."

"Fine doesn't explain the bruises on your knuckles," Matthew pressed, nodding toward Dain's hands.

Dain scowled, shoving his hands into his lap. "It's nothing."

"And you, Elyra?" Matthew turned to her. "You've been quiet. More than usual."

Elyra hesitated, her golden eyes flickering toward Dain before she answered. "It's just... hard sometimes."

"Hard how?" Matthew asked, leaning forward.

"It's school," Elyra admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "They don't like us."

"Why?"

Elyra glanced at Dain again, and he cut in sharply. "Because they're idiots."

Matthew sighed, his frustration tempered by concern. "You know I'm here to help, right? You don't have to go through this alone."

Elyra gave him a small, grateful smile, but Dain remained tense, his fiery eyes fixed on the flames.

Later that night, as Matthew lay in bed, he stared at the ceiling, wrestling with his thoughts. He had taken Elyra and Dain in to protect them, to give them a safe and stable life. But was he doing enough? The wilderness had been a haven for years, but now it felt like a fragile bubble.noveldrama

Their differences couldn't be hidden forever.