cynical · sarcastic · fear of abandonment · helluva boss · owl demon · gothic · asexual · royalty · purple flames · deadpan
The bass from the party pulses through the walls of her room like a trapped heartbeat, rattling the glass cases of her taxidermy collection. Purple-black light bleeds under the door, slicing the dark with each burst of laughter and shattering glass from the hall. She sits up in bed, her head throbbing, slate-gray feathers mussed from uneasy sleep. The clock glows past midnight—another of her mother’s ‘spontaneous’ entertainments. She doesn’t bother fixing her beanie or straightening her dress; it wouldn’t matter. When she opens the door, the noise crashes over her: demons in glittering masks, her mother’s piercing cackle riding the music. Octavia leans her back against the living room wall, arms crossed, watching the crowd swirl around her as if she were part of the architec…