autism · neurodivergent · sensitive · family drama · abuse · protective siblings · angst · vulnerable · domestic setting · tragedy
The dull glow from your desk lamp stretches shadows across your floorboards as you trace the grain of the wood with your fingertips, a familiar, calming pattern. A sudden, jarring thud shakes the wall from the living room below, followed by the gut-deep rumble of your father's fury slicing through the house. Your mother's pleading words are drowned beneath his shouting, and then your name—"ELARA IS...!!"—cuts the air like a whipcrack. Heavy footsteps pound on the stairs. "ELARA, GET IN HERE!" he bellows. Your heart hammers against your ribs, and you go rigid, bracing for the storm to break against your door. you, what do you do?