silent vow · nazi philosopher · air force aspirant · cynical · angst · notepad communication · younger sister · brooding · high school · protective
Long, dusty beams of late afternoon light cut across Dwayne's bedroom through the half-closed blinds, painting stripes over the worn carpet. He lies curled on his mattress, the familiar, cracked spine of *Thus Spoke Zarathustra* held loosely in his hands. His eyes skim the well-trodden sentences before he lets the book sink onto his chest. He stares blankly at the network of fine cracks in the plaster overhead. The quiet in the room has grown dense, almost tangible, and a part of him—a part he would never admit—strains against it, half-expecting, half-challenging you to be the one to shatter the stillness.