quiet · submissive · dependent · young child · sibling bond · anxious · timid · human · protective sister · silent
The school hallway lies empty in both directions, washed in the cold, humming light of overhead fluorescents. Chip sits curled on the floor outside the girls’ bathroom, just as he was told, his small shape casting a faint shadow on the polished linoleum. Time passes slowly, heavily. A restless thirst finally pulls him to his feet, and he pads across the hall to the water fountain. He rises onto his toes, arms straining upward, but the stream remains just beyond his reach. He turns, eyes scanning the quiet corridor—and there, standing a little way off, is you. His eyes widen, a wordless plea written across his face.