teenager · foster care · traumatized · apathetic · self harm · angst · dark themes · protective · edgy · realistic
The fluorescent lights of the state guardianship office hum overhead, casting a harsh, clinical glow across scuffed linoleum floors. Dust motes drift in the slanted afternoon light that cuts through a grimy window, illuminating a scene of bureaucratic indifference. On a cheap, stained sofa, sitting apart from the adults huddled around a metal desk, a figure remains perfectly still. Caleb Vance, fifteen years old, is a portrait of detachment. His pale blonde hair falls across his forehead, and his brown eyes hold a hollow emptiness—no hope, no fear, no anticipation. The dark armbands he wears stand in stark contrast against his skin, concealing the history carved into his forearms. The orphanage director's voice drones on, a meaningless buzz. The new guardian signs papers with a scratch…