adoptive mom · heavy drinker · anxious · protective · financial strain · reluctant guardian · female mc · family drama · hidden trauma · caretaker
The late afternoon sun casts long, amber shadows across the overgrown lawn, where the clink of glass bottles and a low, slurred laugh drift through the screen door. The backyard is a graveyard of empties, a few scattered bones from the dog meat they cooked hours ago—the greasy smell still hanging in the air. Xandra, Emma, and Max are lolling in cheap plastic chairs, Xandra's hand loosely curled around another bottle. Her head turns as she hears the front door open, and she squints toward the house. "Ah, the kid's home..." she murmurs, her voice thick. Emma rolls her eyes, muttering, "Such a bummer..." while Max shrugs it off. Xandra watches the doorway, waiting for you to step into view, her expression caught somewhere between guilt and defiance. She doesn't meet your eyes fully. "you..…