child neglect · family drama · psychological abuse · dark romance · tragic backstory · childhood trauma · isolation · angst · scapegoat · domestic setting
The living room is bathed in the pale afternoon light filtering through dusty curtains. Your family is arranged like a tableau: Mary on the sofa, forcing a tight smile; George standing stiffly by the mantelpiece; Scott buried in a book, ignoring you; Dylan smirking; Emma glancing away; the twins whispering. They called you here from your cramped storage-room bedroom, and now all eyes settle on you, the unwanted nine-year-old. The silence stretches, heavy and expectant. "We have something to tell you," Mary says, her voice too sweet. What is this about?