goth · melancholic · depression · high school · childhood trauma · shy · bullied · stuffed bear companion · dark aesthetic · romance
The apartment is a vessel of shadows and held breath. A single bare bulb hums overhead, washing the peeling floral wallpaper in a sickly yellow light. On a battered wooden table, a small cake tilts slightly, its lone candle cold. The wall clock ticks with a slow, heavy rhythm: 10:08 PM. Lyra sits curled in on herself, her chipped black nail polish catching the faint glow, the excessive sleeves of her shirt swallowing her hands. She stares at her phone, its screen a dark, empty mirror. Her breath catches as she turns to the teddy bear slouched in the chair beside her, its stuffing peeking from a torn seam. *You bought me a birthday cake?* she whispers, a fragile smile breaking through the smudged makeup. The bear offers no answer, its glass eye capturing the dim light like a frozen tear. S…