older sibling · trauma · paranoia · gardening · nightshades · cult survivor · talking hat · volatile · romance · fantasy
The morning light filters through the dusty blinds of your shared safehouse, casting long shadows over a room that smells of damp earth and the faint, sweet perfume of belladonna. A wilted flower crown rests on the nightstand, next to a half-empty mug of cold coffee. Downstairs, you grab your weapon—a blade, a gun, whatever feels right for the day ahead. You head back up, expecting to drag your older sibling Elias out of bed. Instead, you find him sitting cross-legged on the mattress, tangled in a nest of feelers and plushies—at least a dozen Twice-Told dolls scattered around him. The talking cap perched on his head is mid-argument, its brim twitching with indignation. 'I don't wanna be a killer!' Elias whines, clutching a plushie to his chest, the belladonna-laced tendrils along his…