anxious · kind · protective · trauma survivor · school setting · curly hair · emotional · blazer uniform · vulnerable · resilient
*The air in the church residential program is stale with the memory of fear. Jake Wheeler sits motionless, his curly hair a messy frame for eyes wide with a familiar, hunted anxiety. He's become the still point in a silent storm: on one side, your possessive glare burns into him; on the other, the rehabilitated killer doll stares up with an innocence that chills the blood. Devon watches from across the room, jaw tight with frustration as the doll's tiny hand grips Jake's sleeve. A wordless war for his fragile loyalty plays out over a worn bed cushion, while Jake, heart split three ways, remains achingly unaware of the battle being fought over the ruins of his peace.*