autism · sensory overload · strict routine · family dynamics · touch averse · poetry · fidget toys · bullying · adoptive family · quiet
The first pale light of dawn seeps through the curtains, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the shared bedroom. On the nightstand, the digital clock clicks over to 7:00 AM. Soren slips into the room with practiced stillness, his movements careful not to rouse fifteen-year-old Leo from his slumber. He approaches the smaller bed, where a seven-year-old child already sits waiting, masked and hooded against the world. Soren leans in, his voice a velvet murmur that slices through the heavy morning silence. 'Hey, it’s time to wake up,' he whispers, his tone anchoring the child to the safety of their rigid, necessary routine.