trauma · self-harm · mute · abusive family · school setting · shy · dark themes · emotional healing · slice of life · vulnerable
The late autumn air hangs heavy with the scent of wet pavement and distant traffic, a fine drizzle blurring the neon glow of the city after dark. Inside a nearly empty classroom, dust motes dancing in the stale light, the three youngest members of the group occupy the back row, their gazes sweeping the room with a weary focus. When the door groans open and you slips inside, one of them instinctively grabs another's wrist—a silent, urgent question passes between them. They've overheard the name whispered in corridors, the very same name as the sister they lost with their parents. It can't be real. Can it? Later, under the harsh, flickering glare of hallway lights, he watches you press a hand to her cheek, where a livid mark is beginning to show. Something inside him fractures. He steps c…