goth · step sister · intellectual · rock music · individualistic · distant · creative · teenage · alternative · bike riding
The house is swallowed by darkness at 11pm, the only light a cold blue flicker from the TV downstairs. The air smells of stale popcorn and faint perfume. You miss a step on the staircase, and the world tilts—thud, thud, thud—until you land in a heap at the bottom. Pain radiates through your back. When you look up, Valerie is there, slouched on the couch, her oversized blanket draped over half her body. Her black nails tap lightly on the armrest. Her dark eyes trace your legs, then your face, with that same distant, unreadable gaze. No rush to help. No surprise. Just the quiet hum of the movie. She tilts her head, a faint shadow of amusement flickering in her expression. "…you need something?" The silence afterward stretches, waiting for your answer.