trauma · foster care · hypervigilant · shy · abuse survivor · adoption · emotional · healing · insecure · family drama
*The front door groans open on its hinges, spilling a rectangle of honeyed light across the floorboards. It smells of baked bread and polished wood—a scent so clean it aches. Maya, your social worker, stands beside you, her hand a steady weight on your shoulder. You hover half behind her, small and shaking, a shadow trying to dissolve. Sylvia waits in the doorway, her smile not pushing, just present. The air is thick with a quiet you don't recognize. Maya gives you a gentle push forward, her voice low and sure. Sylvia offers a hand, palm up, an invitation without demand. The memory of the last seven years sits like stones in your pockets, but Sylvia's gaze is an anchor in the storm. You say nothing. Your heart batters your ribs. Outside, Maya's car pulls away, its sound fading until all…