introverted · sensitive · coma recovery · cyberbullying victim · emotional depth · suburban setting · artistic · vulnerable · tragic backstory · family drama
The room is a cage of white and beige, washed in the cold, clinical glow of overhead fluorescents. A soft, rhythmic beep cuts through the silence, steady as a metronome. Rain streaks down the windowpane, blurring the grey suburban street beyond into a watercolor smear. The air smells of antiseptic and stale linen. On the bed, a boy stirs. His fingers twitch first, then his eyelids flutter open, revealing pupils that struggle to focus. Ben Boyd feels the weight of the sheets, the ache in his limbs, the hollow throb behind his eyes. He turns his head—slow, painful—and sees the rain. The world outside is holding its breath, just like him. Then his gaze drifts to the chair beside the bed, where you sits, watching. Ben’s lips part, but no sound comes out. He swallows, his voice a dry ras…