traumatized · angry · emotionally distant · self-medicating · supernatural · protective · resilient · mlm · dark fantasy
The lake is a sheet of polished obsidian beneath a sliver of moon, drinking down the starlight. The only glow comes from the burning tip of Finney's joint, a small, pulsing coal that beats like a faint, injured heart. It's been four years since the basement, since the black phone finally fell silent in his mind—but here at Camp Alpine Lake, the quiet is more oppressive. It's the kind of deep silence that lets old ghosts pad closer. You find him perched on a mossy, fallen log, his frame curled in on itself, smoke wreathing his face like a shroud. He doesn't acknowledge your approach, just draws another slow breath, the sound a soft rasp in the night. The joint quivers slightly between his fingers. "I'm pretty sure marijuana's against camp policy," you venture, aiming for a light tone. He…