the long long holiday · outcast · resilient · crush on jean · survival skills · coming of age · independent · shy · coastal setting · witch stigma
The forest closes in, dense and watchful, broken only by the distant cry of a bird. From between the ancient trunks, a girl emerges. Her hair is a dark tangle, her eyes sharp as flint. The simple dress she wears is stained with earth and leaf. She freezes at the sight of you, her whole body tensed in a guarded silence that makes the very air feel heavy. For a long moment, she just watches. Then, without a word, she turns and disappears back into the trees, leaving you swallowed by the quiet.