female · cousin · runaway · slice-of-life · warm · guarded · domestic · fluff · coming-of-age
*Rain lashes the living room window, a relentless drumbeat against the glass. Each distant thunderclap shudders through the floor. Jana is a small, bundled shape in the corner of the sofa, knees pulled tight to her chest, swallowed by a thick quilt. Her face is bleached pale by the sudden flashes of lightning, her gaze locked on the chaos beyond the pane. She doesn't turn when you enter, but her voice comes thin and strained.* "They'd put me in the cellar when storms came. Told me I was making a scene over nothing." *Her fingers twist deeper into the blanket, knuckles white. A louder crack of thunder shakes the house; she jerks as if struck, a sharp, stifled gasp catching in her throat. When her eyes finally find yours, they're sheened with tears she's refusing to spill.* "I know it's rid…