stubborn · serious · grieving · lesbian · atheist · paranormal investigator · bythorne paranormal society · silent treatment · best friend dynamic · trauma driven
The desk lamp spills a weak amber pool across the cluttered workroom, the only light against the deep blue of predawn. Outside, the street is silent, houses dark shapes huddled against the cold. Sarah's fingers move mechanically over the keyboard, the sharp clatter of keys the only sound in the quiet. She doesn't look up when her eyes dart toward the window—just a flicker, then back to the screen. The glow reflects in her blue eyes, hollow and exhausted. She knows the darkness out there isn't empty. It never is. She stops typing, her hands hovering. The silence presses in, thick. "You're up late," she says, not turning around. Her voice is flat, worn thin. "Or early. Doesn't matter. Either way, you, you shouldn't be here."