Lyra could not sleep as thunder rang out into the night-waking her up with a gasp from her dreams, it illuminated the tower for a second. Lyra wasn't going to get back to sleep now, Pan groaned and shook, all fluffy and sleepy let out a little yawn.
Lyra looked around the dark tower as everyone else slept knowing they were leaving tomorrow morning, they had all packed before going to sleep. Lyra slowly sat up in bed as she rubbed her face, closed her eyes and sighed as she thought back to her dream she had woken from.
Lyra stood up and softly without making a sound walked over to the grand clock face window to look out into the night watching the rain pour down heavily. She chose to sit on the wooden floor and watch the rain, Pan running up to snuggle into her neck for comfort.
Lyra sat there, half asleep looking out and as lightning flashed in the night once more. Something caught Lyra's eye. Her eyes now wide awake watched as she noticed multiple magisterium police forces in groups approaching their headquarters. Lyra and Pan jumped up in surprise and fear, Lyra ran over to Annie's bed shaking her awake.
"Annie, everybody wake up! There are magisterium police coming towards the headquarters!" Lyra cried out as Pan jumped on Bridget's bed first before leaping onto everyone's waking them up urgently.
Everyone sprang up in alarm out of their sleep, they ran to retrieve their things. Lyra ran over to her bed getting dressed quickly as everyone did the same. Scrabbling to put on her coat, she almost forgot her red knitted hat thinking of Asriel as everyone was soon ready with no time to waste.
They all got together to the exit with all of their belongings wearing rucksacks, Lyra still having Asriel's with all of his the things inside along with Lyra's own items. They had run down the wooden stairs in a group hoping to not be seen as they left, Simon cautiously opened the hatch door on the rooftops checking for magisterium forces.
He gestured for them to follow slowly as they made their way closing the hatch behind them in the pouring heavy rain. They had made it across the roof of the tower before the rain which was thick made the roof very slippery causing Martha to slip.
Bella in reaction "Martha" as Martha screamed in surprise, she reached her hand before Martha fell off the roof catching her. She had been right next to her, Lyra and the others looked over in alarm sighing as they saw Bella caught her.
As Martha stood up back on the roof again after being lifted, they heard a growl from a dog daemon before torches were shined upon them like headlights. They all blinked through the light before their eyes adjusted, they all took off running along the rooftops with a large amount of more police than what was chasing Lyra before in the day.
There were shouts of 'halt' and loud barks through the rain and thunder as they all ran, terrified as they were chased. They all ran towards the direction of the water where they had planned to go in the morning, thinking they might reach the gyptians and they would protect them.
Annie called to them to follow as she found a fire escape to climb down onto to get to ground level to avoid falling off the roofs in the rain. Lyra made sure all of them went down first as she then followed, the forces were everywhere even in the dark wet empty streets. They were being hunted, Bridget jumped down before Lyra following right behind.
Everyone had started running down the street as Lyra jumped down herself running to catch up to them, the rain having soaked them all making it hard to see.
Pan ran next to Lyra as a snow fox running with a vigor keeping up the crew in the torrential downpour her feet slid as she tried to run falling behind.
Lyra watched as they kept on running ahead, she quickly looked to Pan worriedly then towards her friends as Lyra tried to catch up "Wait for me!" Lyra shouted as she ran down the long street only to run to see her friends again only to a magisterium officer jump out at her in the dark from an alley trying to catch her. Lyra quickly avoided his reach avoiding him as she screamed out in surprise having not seen him.
Lyra ran passed the man towards her friends who had been running ahead, a second later they too were confronted a group of magisterium police who appeared from an alleyway running towards them from the side. One of them quickly snatched and lifted Martha into his arms "Got'cha" he exclaimed as Martha struggled, Annie and everyone stopped fighting and running out of the forces reach as they tried to catch them. They all fought hard, Lyra's eyes widened as she saw Martha being lifted by a man into his arms.
"Oi" Lyra shouted as she kicked the man in the leg, he shouted in pain releasing his grip on Martha just enough for her to struggle out of his arms. The man confronted Lyra who then held out her hands in surrender shouting "wait" getting the man's attention in confusion before she kicked him where the sun did not shine.
Lyra turned to get away with the crew, the man bent down in pain. The man glanced up at Lyra as she threw the two-fingered backward peace sign gesture telling the man where to stick it before running away.
Now all together the children ran like the wind into the hard cold rain, they turned down various roads reaching now one of the main roads near the water.
"We're nearly there!' Annie shouted out to everyone as they reached a fork in the main road, as they ran they were still being pursued with a vengeance. The magisterium wasn't letting little children foil them and give them a run for their money for a second time. They were determined even more so after the threat they and the commander had received no, this ended tonight.
The commander of the magisterium had planned to cut off the children as they chased them communicating to block them off ahead unsuspectedly. What they hadn't known was that the gyptians knew all about the magisterium forces attack and chase on the little group, has been trying to find Lyra since they got word of Lord Asriel's capture.
Close on their feet right behind glancing back were the magisterium forces, wielding flashlights daemon's barking. Boots hitting the pavement, Simon saw an idea to knock waste bins down and create obstacles behind them to slow down the magisterium.
The children were frightened their hearts pumping, beating wildly as their eyes widely looked around them to see where they would go. Their only plan was to reach the water, not much else now with the magisterium on their tails they had to think quickly or it would be all over.
They had made it to the water, the main street with the canal next to it. Suddenly they spotted the gyptian boats in the distance, the children starting screaming for help which got the gyptian's attention. The gyptians suddenly emerged topside on the boats to see what the noise was about, seeing children running from the magisterium they sprung into action firing up their boats.
Father Coram squinted in the dark heavy rain spotting Lyra Belaqua, he shouted out to her as the children all ran towards the boats the magisterium seeing this went faster. John Faa had fired up their boats and turned around to race towards the children to help after seeing Lyra as well. The children had been shouting and waving at them frantically.
Father Coram shouted out to the children as they made their way alongside them ahead moving, telling the children to jump on to the boat. Simon jumped first then Bella and Martha, then Charlie and Annie jumped making it leaving Lyra who was last.
Ma Costa appeared top side helping the children, she fearfully watched as Lyra tried to make it onto the boat the commander of the magisterium now right behind her directly, Ma Costa made eye contact with Lyra "Lyra jump girl!" She shouted frantically to help Lyra to safety.
"STOP!" the commander screamed out at Lyra the fastest of them all, his men right behind him.
Annie reached out her hand for Lyra quickly "Lyra take my hand!" Lyra then attempted to jump reaching Annie's hand only to be caught on the ankle by the commander sending her crashing down on the wet cobblestone pavement of the road. Her hand slipped out of Annie's with the force, the fright in her eyes looking at Annie. Lyra then fell her head hitting the pavement.
Lyra saw a blur, her sense dulled a ringing in her ears.
The cold rain continued to hit her face, her eyes closed a gash now on the side of her head beginning to bleed onto the cobblestone.
A boat engine sounding as it had to drive off quickly into the night, a scream ringing out into the thundering rain-filled night.
"LYRA!" the crew cried out in anguish as their friend did not make it. As the boat pulled away all of them were somber in shock and sadness, Charlie had started to cry.
Her name was the last thing Lyra heard before she blacked out.
An emergency services automobile had been dispatched out onto the scene, they took Lyra away loading her up wrapped up in warm blankets as they rushed her in the night to the hospital.
Marisa Coulter was woken up to a constant ringing from the ground floor late in the night, as soon as she heard it and it registered she knew it had to do with Lyra. Her heart leaped that her little girl had been finally found, Asriel was taken away while Lyra was still out there all alone.
Only when Marisa Coulter listened to the ground floor receptionist, her face went pale and her body became numb as she felt faint clutching the button of the telecom near the lift. Ozymandias gripped the wall as they listened.
She doesn't recall changing into a random outfit quickly put together, not even caring if she looked presentable having gotten into an automobile with her driver driving her to the hospital. As soon as they pulled up she ripped the door open herself not even waiting for her chauffeur to do it for her, Ozymandias following in quick movements as Marisa Coulter stormed through the door of the hospital to the receptionist.
Breathing heavily with tears in her eyes, clinging to Ozmandias's hand tightly she quickly spoke "My daughter was just brought in. Lyra" she quickly said frantic, worried beyond reason, her heart hurt.
One of the nurses had glanced up at Marisa Coulter in shock, as she then turned her head to the list of new arrivals. "Lyra...Lyra what?" the nurse asked looking to find who the woman was referring to.
Marisa Coulter froze as her mouth hung open as she struggled to speak "Lyra Belacqua" she muttered as she glanced in pain at the laminated desk in the haze of emotions.
The nurse scanned the list-making quick work seeing the name, she located the room number. "She in room 399 ma'am" she did not wait for another second after hearing she darted off towards the room holding her daughter as she shoved everything in her mind to the side only thinking of Lyra.
The baby she refused to hold when born, the child she tried desperately not to think of over the years. The baby that she regretfully dreamed of the year on end, seeing Asriel at events and parties only to be reminded of the fact they shared a child. A child she denied, lied about herself to the Magisterium denying her sin.
Ever since Lyra settled in her heart, she had been neglecting her work in the north. No progress had been made causing the magisterium to be hell-bent on finding Lyra as much as she was so that it could resume. Lyra had become her top priority, Asriel was no longer studying dust making the Cardinal satisfied. For now. For some reason the magisterium has been very assistive in finding Lyra, Marisa had suspicions however nothing was clear. The only thing that mattered was that it brought Lyra back to her, or so she assumed.
Reaching the room, Ozymandias quickly pulled on the door handle making quick work of opening the door. Marisa Coulter darted inside once seeing the figure on the bed, she ran over to the unconscious Lyra. As soon as she laid her eyes on her, tears were free-flowing to the point she was sobbing. In her mind, she had failed, broken her promise and now Lyra laid here.
Lyra lay with her eyes closed and white bandages over her head and forehead, her hair peeking out; Pan lay on his back on her chest.
Marisa Coulter sat down in the visitor's chair next to the bed pulling it as close as possible, she stared at Lyra with tears in her eyes her chin wobbling as she held the back of her hand to her mouth to suppress her sobs as she shook.
Ozymandias whimpered next to her, as he looked to Marisa with wet eyes he reached arms out to her. She allowed him to enter her arms in a hug, something they haven't done in so many years. He had his arms wrapped around her for a while before sitting on the chair's arm.
Marisa reached a shaky hand to her daughter's pale cold face, holding it in her hand her thumb on Lyra's check brushing lightly like had done in the past.
It had been two months. Two months since she had last seen Lyra.
Lyra who had been comfortable with her, adjusting to her home snatched away by Asriel. Marisa held anger in her heart towards Asriel, however, it had dissipated as she had been given photograms by spies and officers seeing Lyra with Asriel.
He had clothed her, took care of her, protected her, and spent time with her taking her to parks, a carnival and out with him while hiding. With their daughter, the most painful part of it all looking at those photograms was that she herself was not there with them. She did not wish to admit that was what she wanted, the magisterium would never allow it.
Looking at Lyra, lying here in the hospital bed two months later. This was not how she wanted things to turn out, she wanted her daughter safe and found. Not like this. Marisa softly moved her hand caressing Lyra's face moving up her hair getting a look at the injury to her head. She gently brushed in sympathy wishing to take it away.
Tears fell upon her face, she then grabbed Lyra's hand tightly bringing it to her face holding it there kissing it. Tears continuing to fall, she had done this. This was her fault, she angrily thought to herself.
As Marisa had an internal battle with herself, she heard a shift in Lyra's breathing she glanced over with intense eyes. Lyra had moved her head slightly, she almost missed it. Speaking softly "Lyra, it's alright. Mama's here darling. Your safe" she softly whispered to Lyra, who at the sound of the soft voice her eyelids fluttered.
Seeing Lyra had begun to come to she then quickly ran to the hall to reach a nurse to fetch the doctor, they came quickly in the room asking Mrs. Coulter to step back from the bed. She moved back an inch not anymore as she watched on as the doctor then called out for Lyra who began to start opening her eyes before she quickly cringed and moaned in pain turning her head to the side.
Marisa quickly flocked over to her side ignoring the looks from the doctor and the nurse as she brushed Lyra's forehead with her fingers gently. Eventually, Lyra opened her hazy eyes not seeing much besides a blur at first, the doctor then shined a torch into her eyes causing her to moan and cry a bit at the pain in her head. Marisa glared at him after she did so, causing the doctor to stop after the quick check.
"Lyra?" the doctor called out to Lyra to get her to come to more. Lyra after a couple of minutes kept her eyes open, she glanced up seeing the doctor she looked at him confused before glancing at the woman who was right next to him who had been brushing the hair back from her forehead.
"Wh….wh.." Lyra tried to speak, the words not forming correctly, as she closed her eyes leaning back on the pillow.
Marisa spoke softly to her "Hush darling, it's alright. Your safe, try not to speak" she smiled softly at Lyra now stroking the girl's face looking with sad endearing eyes.
Lyra was sleepy, frustrated and confused. Marisa's voice was soothing, Lyra was stubborn.
Lyra opened her eyes glancing at the doctor, the nurse then into her mother's eyes
"Who are you?"
Marisa Coulter's eyes widened and her body froze.
