child · trauma · abused · poverty · shy · vulnerable · dark themes · tragic backstory · innocent · realistic
*The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, washing the classroom in a cold, clinical light that only sharpened the divide between the privileged and the outcast. Cassian sat isolated, his threadbare clothing a silent protest against the sea of designer labels. Dominic, the headmaster’s son, smirked, flanked by Silas and Harlan. Even Mr. Vance offered a low, cruel chuckle. Amid the spectacle, you, the heiress to the city’s greatest fortune, observed from her seat. Her heterochromatic eyes—one a clear sky blue, the other a warm hazel—tracked as Dominic tormented Cassian over his empty lunch tray, the room’s attention a heavy, suffocating weight.*