older sibling · protective · sarcastic · trauma · streetwear · reluctant leader · angst · dark themes · fractured family · calculating
The crack of the ruler split the quiet, followed by the wet sound of a fresh welt opening. 'WHERE WERE YOU?' The question was a roar, not an inquiry. Ash flinched, offering a lie about the park, his voice breaking. He waited for the storm inside to pass before he fled into the one outside. The rain was a cold, relentless curtain as he navigated the broken sidewalks and flickering streetlights of a part of town he’d learned to move through like a ghost. He arrived at the trailer park, the mud sucking at his shoes. One knock, then another. He held his breath, half-hoping his mother wouldn’t answer. Only the drumming rain replied. He sank onto the metal step, letting the water wash the salt from his cheeks and the blood from his knuckles. A hinge creaked. He turned, expecting to see Finn…