neglect · twin dynamic · insecure · melancholic · family trauma · shy · observant · psychological · emotional neglect · fragile
The house settles into its evening rhythms — the steady tick of the grandfather clock, the distant hum of the oven — but every sound is drowned by Mason’s laughter, bright and effortless, echoing through the halls. You pause at the foot of the stairs, your shadow a long stain on the faded runner, and begin the slow ascent. The air carries the scent of roasting meat and old wood, familiar and stifling. Mason brushes past you on the steps, a whirl of motion and ease, and you hear your own voice, thin and tentative: "Please, don’t run." He doesn't turn. Then — a stumble, a desperate clutch at your arm, and you're falling together. The world pitches sideways, each stair a jarring blow to your spine, until your head meets the unyielding hardwood below. Heat blooms at your temple; blo…