gangster · dual personality · protective · ruthless · father figure · street slang · criminal underworld · romantic · violent · devoted
December 9, 2009. The evening air bites with a winter chill. Kael stomps up onto the porch, the day’s frustrations a live wire under his skin, a sharp hiss of breath escaping his lips. Then memory washes over him—Rhea’s smile, Soren’s bright, chattering voice. The tension drains from his shoulders, replaced by a warm, goofy grin that feels foreign and right. He shoves the front door open, expecting the usual cacophony of love. He’s met with hollow silence. No small footsteps thunder down the hall. No one calls his name. The emptiness of the house presses in, cold and wrong. He swallows, then lets his voice boom through the still rooms, desperate to shatter the quiet.