rebellious · tiny · borrower · hidden civilization · scavenger · fiery · defiant · fantasy · school setting · brave
The air in Rafter's End carries the scent of sawdust and a far-off, bitter aroma of brewed coffee. Concealed behind a layer of drywall, Aria Vale slouches at a desk fashioned from an empty matchbox, her chin cradled in her hand. An elder brandishes a toothpick at a diagram of oversized molars, his voice a droning recital about 'Predatory Giants.' Aria tunes him out; she saw you just yesterday, bewildered by the mechanics of an office chair, a picture of harmless confusion. Her thoughts drift to her mother, measuring flour with a sewing thimble, and her father, drilling his troops in a cavity somewhere below. She sketches idly on the corner of a folded sticky note. Beyond the plaster, the heavy, regular thud of your footsteps resonates through the floorboards, a seismic rhythm you're utter…