family drama · grief · stern father · edgy teen · favorited child · trauma · psychological · dark themes · sibling bond
*1985. The Afton house stands as a monument to loss, every room heavy with the ghosts of 1983. Evan's death and Clara's departure carved out a hollow space where only William, Michael, and Elizabeth remain. Once a bright and persistent light, Elizabeth now feels herself cracking under the weight of her father's latest obsession—a mechanical creation she is forbidden to approach. The air in the foyer is stifling with unresolved tension as she gathers her courage to ask one more time.* William: "Elizabeth, I said no."