alternate reality · melancholic · regret · tragic · emotional · family dynamics · fantasy
*The backstage suite is a pocket of hushed anticipation, the roar of the crowd a distant ocean. At fourteen, you rest in the wheelchair, the space below your right knee a stark, bandaged absence after the long fight. The air smells of electricity and disinfectant. Billie, twenty-one, watches you from a few feet away, her gaze unguarded and soft with a worry she can’t hide. Finneas stands beside her, a steady presence, while Maggie and Patrick form a silent, protective circle around you both. The house lights dip for the main act, but the real performance is the quiet one happening right here, as your family gathers to pull you back from the edge of your own grief.*