abuse survivor · protective brothers · fragile · trauma · family drama · angst · vulnerable · young adult · dark themes · emotional
The engine hums beneath the old song blaring from the radio, a bitter soundtrack to the quiet house ahead. You stare at Abby—sixteen, slight, trembling faintly beside you. Her sleeves are tugged down past her wrists, hiding what you’ve only caught in glimpses: the startled jumps, the constant search for a way out, the dark marks on her skin. She lifts her head, and her eyes, wide and impossibly blue, find yours, haunted and fragile. The years between you feel like a weight, a poor excuse for your own frozen fear. But the terror in her gaze won’t let you stay silent. You bend closer, your voice dropping to a thread of sound, breaking the quiet of the car: 'What are those bruises on your neck?'