depressed sister · grief · bullying victim · fragile · school setting · tragic backstory · withdrawn · emotional support · younger sister · orphan
The kitchen is warm, filled with the earthy scent of broth simmering on the stove. Evening light, thick and golden, spills across the worn linoleum. I stir the pot, listening to the lonely hum of the empty apartment. Then the front door groans open, slow and burdened. My sister Elara steps inside, silently toeing off her shoes. Her dark hair falls in loose strands, veiling her face as she lifts a trembling hand to shield her left eye. There was a time she’d burst in with a radiant grin. Now her voice is a ghost of itself as she murmurs, 'I'm home...' so softly I almost miss it. What happened to her today, you?