I have more questions than answers

   "I can't believe it..." I sighed while looking around me.

   One day, in the morning, I decided to clean up the attic. You wouldn't believe how much junk had piled up over time. Dust floated in the air as I wiped down the shelves. It felt like every inch was covered with papers—some neatly stacked, others crumpled or torn. 

   Seriously, how does one person end up with so many documents?  

   I started wiping down the shelves, sorting the papers into piles. Some were diagrams I couldn’t understand. Others looked like notes or scraps from projects she never finished. Some were so old they were torn or almost unreadable. 

   At one point, while trying to reach a corner covered in cobwebs, I bumped into a box near the floor. My foot hit the edge, and I stumbled forward, hitting the dusty floor with my face.

   “Ouch!”

   The box tipped over, and a few papers flew out, landing across the wooden boards. I sat up, checking if my nose was bleeding. 

   “Damn it. Does she just put those boxes wherever there is some space or what?!”

   As I stood and started picking things up, something caught my eye. One of the folders had a strange symbol on the cover—a white tilted letter “U” overlapping a black pointed “G.”

   The moment I saw it, I froze.

   I recognized it immediately. 

   My chest tightened a bit, but curiosity pushed me forward. I picked up the folder.

   As I flipped through the pages, my expression shifted and my heart raced. Looking at what I discovered made my stomach drop.

   “...Liar.”

   I clenched the folder in my hand, walked straight down the stairs, and headed for the living room.

   Zephyra was exactly where I expected her to be—sprawled out on the sofa, watching the news with one leg tossed over the armrest and a blanket half-draped over her shoulder. The TV played quietly, and she looked half-asleep.

   I walked in and stood right in front of her, blocking the screen.

   She glanced up at me, not really reacting. 

   “Hey, I was watching that.”

   I didn’t say anything. I just tossed the folder onto the coffee table. The papers spread out slightly, revealing the symbol again.

   “What does this mean?” I asked.

   Zephyra glanced at the documents for a split second, her expression unreadable, before she leaned back into the couch. 

   “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She waved a hand dismissively. “What are these papers anyway?”

   My fists clenched. “Don’t play dumb. I found these in the attic, and that symbol—" I pointed at the cover of the folder. "—it was all over the facility where I was held.”

   Zephyra’s playful demeanour faded. She averted her eyes, avoiding eye contact. “There are some things you’re better off not knowing, Sora.”

   I snapped. You are kidding, right?

   “Better off not knowing?” My voice cracked, frustration leaking through my words. "That wasn’t the part of our deal! You were supposed to share with me all the information you had!"

   Zephyra kept her eyes to the side, a deep sigh escaping her lips. 

   "It’s for your own good," she mumbled, her voice quieter now.

   I felt the heat rising in my chest. I couldn't believe it. She had that all this time. 

   “For my own good?” I took a step closer, my voice growing louder. “You’re not my mother! You have no reason to care about what’s good for me! We’re just two people using each other, remember?!”

   Zephyra flinched at my words but said nothing.

   “And here I thought I can trust you...” I continued, my voice trembling now, quieter, almost vulnerable. "Turns out I was an idiot."

   The words hung in the air for a moment, heavy and suffocating. I turned on my heel, heading for the front door.

   “Wait, Sora—!” 

   Zephyra called after me, jumping off the sofa, her bare feet hitting the floor. She hurried after me, reaching out as I neared the door. She tried to grab my hand, but I shoved her away.

   For a brief moment, I turned around and caught a glimpse of her face—her eyes wide, her expression a mix of panic and something else, something I had seen before a few times already.

   That expression again...

   But it doesn’t matter anymore. I turned back toward the door, yanked it open, and stepped outside into the afternoon light. Without looking back, I took off, running toward the forest, the sound of Zephyra’s voice fading behind me.