LYRA.

I sat on my seat, my hand clasped on my laps as my heart raced fast, pounding loudly against my chest in anticipation. I made a silent prayer, hoping that my work and effort had not gone in vain.

“And the award for the most innovative research on AI technology goes to,” the moderator said, pausing to go over the notepad in her hands again. She looked up briefly, her eyes scanning the crowd with a wide smile on her face. “Lyra Morgan!!”

The crowd went wild with excitement as all the students stood up on their feet, clapping and cheering loudly as I made my way to the podium to receive my award. I grinned widely, pure happiness written all over my face as my heart fluttered with joy from the love I received from the students.

It had been over a year since I relocated to Switzerland with my grandmother, which was my father's country home. My speech impediment had improved rapidly and my grandmother had wasted no time in enrolling me in one of the best schools around, giving me everything and anything a young girl could ever ask for in a bid to take my mind away from the tragic memories I had. My academic brilliance had once again put me in the spotlight of my new school in the eyes of my teachers and my fellow students, and at some point, I began to fidget, purposely staying away from answering questions in class or participating in any quizzes or trivia competitions, for fear of being antagonized by someone who might want to be another Cassian in my life. But my assumptions were proved wrong as the teachers hailed me for my academic prowess, and I felt fulfilled each time my classmates congratulated me heartily whenever I performed well in a quiz or an exam. In the last one year, I'd represented the school in different quiz competitions down to the national level and we'd come back tops. I was the shining star of the school, and it was only natural that I was cherished to the core, something I never got to experience in my former school back in the States.

I walked back to my seat, beaming radiantly with smiles as I waved at the students who called out to me. A national level tech fair was organized and the proprietress of my school had made sure to have me registered, as she believed I had the potential of winning and making them proud and I fortunately didn't disappoint. I walked back to my seat, pulling my phone out of my pocket to text my grandmother and inform her of the good news but I changed my mind, choosing to inform her in person on second thought.

At the end of the fair, I walked out of the venue towards the car lot. The driver stood by the car with the door held open, waiting for me as I exchanged pleasantries with other students and well-wishers as they congratulated me on my huge feat. 

“Congratulations, ma'am,” the driver said as I climbed into the SUV, bowing curtly. 

“Thank you very much,” I said, beaming with smiles. This win felt so good, so different from every other huge win I'd ever had and I felt so ecstatic and couldn't wait to get home to break the news to my grandmother. I sat quietly at the back of the SUV throughout the one hour drive home, giggling as I scrolled through my social media news feeds. News of the newly discovered brightest student in this part of the country was already making waves, and I smiled to myself as I watched different clips of the award presentation. It felt good — so, so good.

As the driver drove through the gates and pulled over at the entrance, I jumped down from the car in excitement, running up the flight of stairs and I pushed the door open, stepping into the patio. I saw her speaking to a stranger — a young lady I'd never met before through the glass door that separated the patio from the living room. She sat opposite my grandmother and they spoke spiritedly but in hushed tones. I moved a bit closer, straining my ears to hear the rest of their conversation.

“You have to do everything to make sure that they have no knowledge of this. The Rowes cannot and must not know that Lyra is alive, for anything in the world,” my grandmother said, warning the young lady in hushed tones.

“I will do my best, ma'am,” the young lady said, nodding. “There were already speculations, but we made sure to suppress it as much as we could, so they have no way of confirming her existence.”

“Good. Let it remain that way,” my grandmother said, nodding in affirmation. “They single handedly destroyed my family by creating a stupid doctored sex tape, and that led to the death of my daughter inlaw and subsequently, my son. I don't know what manner of hate they have towards my family, but I'd not want my granddaughter to be caught up in their web of hatred. She needs to be kept out of it as much as possible.”

I froze in shock as I heard my grandmother's words, the revelation hitting me like a punch in the gut. I stepped into the living room, unable to restrain myself any longer.

“The Rowes are responsible for all that happened, grandmother?” I asked, my face filled with shock. 

My grandmother looked up at me, startled by my sudden appearance. She quickly tried to hide her expression, adjusting herself on her seat. “Oh, hello, darling. You're back already. How did your event go?”

“Grandmother, stop it,” I said, stopping her as she tried to change the topic. “I don't need you to patronize me right now. What you said about the Rowes, is it true? Did the Rowes really release a fake video for the world to see?”

My grandmother said nothing as she exchanged glances with the young lady seated opposite her, heaving a heavy sigh.

"Grandma?"