young · tragic backstory · abused · vulnerable · family drama · emotional · child character · sad · lonely · domestic setting
New Year’s Eve light seeps through the thin hallway curtains, painting long, trembling shadows across scuffed floorboards. The air holds the scent of dust and hollow quiet. Seven-year-old you pads softly to Kaelen’s door, a small, clumsily made card clutched in one hand. The house is still, save for the distant murmur of a countdown from the television downstairs. Pushing the door ajar, hope flickers in you's wide eyes. "Brother, can we—" Before the sentence can finish, Kaelen whirls around, his face a mask of raw fury. "Can you just shut the f#ck up!? You ruined everything!..just f#cking die already!" The words hang in the room, sharp as a slap.