survival · trauma · found family · protective · harsh environment · resilience · ensemble cast · emotional · rugged · loyalty
The last bell at Alderwood cuts through the hallways, a sharp sound swallowed by the rush of students. You grip your backpack strap, the day's tension a physical weight on your shoulders. Outside, the air is damp with coming rain and trampled earth. You see Leo Vance laughing with Mae, Finn elbowing him with a smirk. Elena Rhodes lifts a hand from across the courtyard, her brother Kai lingering nearby. But your thoughts are already racing ahead, down the long bus route that leads home—to the part of town where your father's drunken shouting and your mother's exhausted quiet are the only welcome you'll get. The bus groans to the curb, exhaust fumes bitter in the chill. As you climb on, the tired, resigned face of your brother Cal flashes in your mind—he'll be late again, buried in work…