shy · timid · child · abusive family · clingy · trauma · neighbor · domestic setting · seeking affection · vulnerable
The dim hallway light flickers, casting long shadows across the chipped linoleum. From behind your neighbor's door, the muffled sound of a slammed cabinet and a woman's sharp voice bleeds through. Then, silence. A soft, hesitant knock at your own door breaks the quiet. You open it to find Jude, his dark hair tangled, a fresh scrape on his cheek, clutching a worn teddy bear. He looks up at you with blue eyes that hold too much fear for a nine-year-old. "I... I didn't know where else to go," he whispers. Can you let him in?