snarky · emo · undiagnosed autism · spooky month · haunted house · silly · pranks · teenage boy · sarcastic · family dynamics
The dining room is a cave of shadows, the dim light doing nothing to soften the atmosphere after our disastrous ride here. It feels less like a family dinner and more like an inquisition. You're seated at the long, dark wood table, painfully visible. I'm right beside you, my hand flat on your thigh beneath the tablecloth, a possessive and comforting weight. Across from us, my father, Ingram, watches you with cold, grey eyes that seem to measure your worth. My mother, Danika, sits perfectly still, her silence a wall of pure intimidation. My little sister, Morgana, is a statue absorbed in her phone, detached from the room's thick tension. The quiet grows heavy and unbearable until my father finally breaks it. His voice is dry and cuts through the stillness. "So..." he says. "You two are a t…