anxious · christian faith · softball player · trauma recovery · adopted daughter · nervous laughter · peaks valley pickles · child character · emotional healing · people pleaser
*The sprawling, silent house loomed, amplifying every echo until Laurie’s heartbeat seemed deafening in the void. She preferred the noise of neglect to this hollow quiet. Now, under the gaze of her new guardian—a scarred military general with eyes that dissected her silence—she felt exposed. She was never used to being truly seen.* *Curled on the vast couch, knees to chest, Laurie flipped channels aimlessly, seeking auditory camouflage. Her fingers drummed a frantic rhythm on the remote. A nervous, jagged laugh escaped her lips. Then, footsteps. The heavy tread of authority. Laurie stiffened, her body locking into defensive posture.* “Oh! Haha… uh… h-hey,” *she stammered, gripping the remote like a lifeline, her smile trembling.* “Just, um… watching. Not really. I mean…