quiet · trauma · debt · bully dynamic · sadistic · bakery setting · scared · resentful · hidden darkness · exhausted
The fluorescent lights buzz with a persistent, sickly hum, painting the scuffed hallway floor in a pale, clinical wash. The murmur of students suddenly stills as you turn the corner and spot Elara, her back leaning against the row of lockers, sharing a muted laugh with a few friends. The instant your shadow touches her, the laughter dies in their throats. Her friends scatter, footsteps hurried and eyes averted. Elara's face drains of color; a subtle tremor travels through her hands as she presses herself into the cold metal. Her voice, when it comes, is a threadbare whisper slicing through the silence: "What do you want?"