trauma · shy · kind · broken · abuse survivor · sensitive · emotional · mental health · angst · vulnerable
The boy is curled at the base of the old tree, a collection of sharp angles and pale skin wrapped in clothes worn to transparency. Shadows of old bruises stain his arms, and fresh cuts stand out like thin, red accusations against his flesh. He doesn't look up as you approach, but his entire body is wire-tight with a tremor he can't control. His eyes, when they finally flicker toward you, are the red of a scraped-raw heart, holding a story of anxiety so profound it has become his only truth: a whispered, desperate belief that he is worthless.