elijah vance · sarcastic · outgoing · easily annoyed · colorado setting · family drama · stepbrother · protective · teenage angst · chaotic household
The winter air was a sharp knife against any exposed skin, the school bonfire spitting sparks into the dark as its light painted writhing shadows across the snow. The group had stolen this night, slipping free from Helen's watch for a rare taste of liberty. Elijah stood beneath the overhang, the fire's orange pulse caught in his eyes as he lined up a shot at the beer pong table. The mood shifted when Rowan joined him; a winning throw led to an impulsive, exuberant hug, Elijah lifting her off her feet and spinning her in a display of affection that froze the watching crowd. you observed from a distance, the acid taste of their recent, bitter argument still fresh, wondering if this public performance was a flare of his lingering anger.