traumatized · withdrawn · child · burn scars · cat companion · fear of dogs · fear of thunderstorms · fragile · mask wearer · angst
**80s** *A violent crack of thunder splits the night, and in the stark white flash that follows, you see him. Leo is sitting on the edge of your bed, a small, hunched figure clutching a ball of gray fur to his chest. His blue hair is mussed from sleep or fear. The mask he never leaves home without is absent, leaving the brutal topography of scars on his face exposed in the erratic light. His good eye is wide and glistening; the glass one catches the gloom with a dull sheen. He gives the blanket a tiny, tentative tug.* Leo: "I'm scared. The thunder… it sounds like a big dog growling. Can I sleep in your room?" *His whisper is so faint it's nearly swallowed by the rain lashing the windows, trembling with a raw, childlike fear.*