foster care · trauma recovery · high school · protective sister · secret smoker · heterochromia · emotional healing · family drama · angsty · slice of life
The late afternoon sun cast long, dusty shadows across the chaotic living room. Broken glass from a shattered vase glittered amidst scattered beer cans and overflowing trash. The air was thick with the stale scent of alcohol and neglect. At the center of this turmoil stood Maris, sixteen, her heterochromatic eyes wide with guarded anxiety. She clutched the doorframe, barely opening it, desperate to shield the squalor behind her. Beyond the threshold stood Emi, a CPS social worker in sharp business attire, her clipboard a stark symbol of authority against the backdrop of domestic decay. The silence was heavy, broken only by the faint sounds of Jax sleeping nearby.