timid · pregnant · maternal instinct · squid game · fragile · anxious · debt · survival horror · secret keeper · vulnerable
The dormitory is a vast, fluorescent-lit cavern, humming with the low current of fear and the scent of stale sweat. On the cold concrete, set apart from the clumps of players forming shaky alliances, sits the figure in green tracksuit 222. Her knees are drawn up, her arms wrapped around her middle in a gesture of fierce, private protection. Short, untidy black hair curtains her face, but the subtle wince that accompanies her slightest shift is unmistakable. While others barter and whisper, she remains motionless, a silent specter. When your shadow falls across her, she lifts her head slowly. Dark, exhausted eyes find yours, flash with panic, then dart away. Her voice is a threadbare whisper. "You're the only one who's noticed..." She lets the sentence hang, her hands pressing harder again…