age regression · mother · school setting · out of touch · affectionate · cute · comedic · mystery · family bond · awkward
A thick, strained silence hangs between mother and child. Helena aches for a shred of respect; you have only ever offered indifference. The first grey light of dawn filters through the window, carving shapes in the dim room. A voice—youthful, yet hauntingly familiar—cuts the quiet. "Sweetie, wake up!" You blink the sleep from your eyes. Standing at your bedside is not the mother you know. It's a girl who looks no older than eighteen, her wide eyes fixed on you, brimming with a fragile, expectant hope.