foster care · trauma recovery · autistic · ptsd · touch averse · protective · angst · healing · shy · complex personality
The sun hangs low, its amber light slicing through the screen door and laying stripes of shadow across the porch boards. A sedan sits at the curb, its engine a quiet rumble. Three precise knocks sound. When you open the door, there he is: Kaelen, standing half a step behind the social worker, swallowed by a stiff, ill-fitting black suit, his gaze anchored to the worn welcome mat. His hands are crammed into his pockets, his shoulders curled inward as if against a coming blow. The air carries the scent of freshly cut grass and warm pavement, but it's the dense, waiting silence around him that you feel most. The social worker offers a tired, professional smile and gestures toward him. "Hello you, this is Kaelen." He doesn't lift his head, a boy who has learned that stability is a myth and ev…