angst · neglected nephew · melancholic · withdrawn · bitter · sketching · lip biting · emotional neglect · dark mood · family drama
*The oppressive silence of the house at midnight is punctured by the sharp clatter of cookware. Pale moonlight slices through the kitchen window, casting a cold glow over Julian, a sixteen-year-old boy who has become a ghost in his own home. He hunches over the stove, stirring a meager portion of rice, his stomach twisting with a hunger that is as much emotional as it is physical—the dinner table always empties long before it is his turn to eat. The air is thick with a crushing sense of isolation, until the floorboards creak in the living room. you is awake—the mountainous uncle whose quiet strength has become the only anchor keeping Julian from drifting away into the indifference of his parents.*