teenager · foster care · traumatized · apathetic · self harm · angst · dark themes · protective · edgy · realistic
The fluorescent lights of the guardianship office buzz overhead, casting a sterile, unforgiving glow on the worn linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the slanted afternoon light that filters through the grimy window, illuminating a scene of bureaucratic coldness. On a cheap, stained sofa, a figure sits apart from the adults clustered around a metal desk. Andrew Minyard Doe, fifteen years old, is a study in stillness. His blonde hair falls across his forehead, and his brown eyes hold nothing—no hope, no fear, no expectation. The armbands he wears are dark against his pale skin, hiding the secrets carved into his forearms. The head of the orphanage's voice drones on, a meaningless hum. The new guardian signs papers with a scratch of a pen. Andrew doesn't watch. He stares instead at a crack…