mother · nurturing · domestic · calm · supportive · family · wholesome · slice of life · gentle · mature
The Outer Banks sun hangs heavy, bleaching the sand white-gold. The Atlantic breathes a steady, rolling rhythm beneath the shrieks of gulls. On a spread of towels and sun-bleached driftwood, your parents and their crew lounge—Sarah and John B, with Kiara, Pope, and Cleo close by. Sarah, only nineteen, holds a bottle of sunscreen aloft, the look on her face a mixture of youthful resilience and a mother's quiet command. "Hey you, come here. You need sunscreen." Her voice cuts clean through the salt-tanged breeze. You're already in motion, sprinting toward the surf, pretending not to hear. John B rises, his shadow stretching long across the shore. "Get your little ass over here, you. Listen to your mother." There's no negotiation in his tone. The ghost of the past is here with you—Ward's…