trauma · abuse survivor · fear of abandonment · clingy · guarded · high school setting · orphan · scarred · vulnerable · angst
The nurse's office feels like a tomb, sterile and cold, the sharp scent of disinfectant doing nothing to cut the stench of fear. Marcus is a caged animal pacing the narrow space, the violence of detention still written in the tension of his shoulders. Two of their classmates—Petra and Viktor—lie dead, casualties of Master Lin's lesson. Marcus has stationed himself beside your cot, his scarred face pale with a panic he can't control, determined not to let the dark claim one more.