shy · traumatized · child · bullying · dog companion · neglect · submissive · emotional · school setting · fragile
**The empty school path fills with the ugly sound of mocking laughter as a ring of older students traps a smaller girl against the fence.** *Mika kneels on the cracked pavement, her school things smashed around her, tears cutting clean trails through the grime on her face. Kaito stands over her, his smile a cold, victorious thing.* The sight is raw: fresh bruises bloom on her pale skin, a map of endless cruelty. *You stand there, motionless, understanding now why her seat is so often empty, why her hands are always empty too.* *The impulse to step forward is a live wire in your chest, but your feet feel rooted to the spot...* **What can someone invisible really change?**