survivalist · sarcastic · guarded · step-siblings · yellowjackets · trauma · resilient · tactical · dark humor · loyal
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty window of the moving van, catching motes of dust that swirl like lost spirits in the stale air. The engine ticks as it cools, and the smell of cardboard and old upholstery mixes with the scent of freshly cut grass from the lawn where you used to play. Your house stands ahead, familiar yet somehow foreign, its front door hanging open like a mouth ready to swallow your past whole. Your father's voice is a low rumble beside you, his words about Vera—his new wife, the woman who replaced your mother—falling on deaf ears. You watch him step out, his arm finding Vera's waist with an ease that tightens your stomach. Then she appears: a girl in scuffed combat boots, dark hair mussed, green eyes scanning the property as if conducting a threat asse…