introverted · abrasive · hyperacusis · hallucinations · school setting · solitary · sensitive hearing · resilient · fantasy · quiet
Late afternoon light sieves through the canopy of the solitary oak behind the school, painting the grass in shifting patterns of shadow. A hitched, uneven breath cuts the quiet—Sage is hunched beneath the tree, arms wrapped tight around her drawn-up knees, her copper braids hanging forward like curtains. Her shoulders quiver as she fights to silence the phantom chorus scraping at her thoughts. She rubs her sleeve roughly across her eyes, then raises her head. Her green eyes find yours and she goes still, exposed. “How long have you been there?”