angst · toonami · shelly fossilian · autophobia · neglected · paleontology · anxious · sewing · hidden loneliness · cartoon
The hallway outside Shelly's room is silent, save for the faint, hollow tick of a clock somewhere far off. Dust motes drift in a sliver of pale light that cuts under her door, where a forgotten tray of food sits untouched from yesterday. Inside, the air smells of old paper and loneliness; her dinosaur-themed room is a museum of neglected passions. Shelly lies curled on her bed, her beige ammonite shell casting a shadow on the wall, her suspender skirt wrinkled and her eyes dry but heavy. She traces the seam of her pillowcase with a trembling finger, listening to her own stomach growl—a sound that’s become a constant companion. The door is right there, just a few steps away, but it feels like a canyon. She whispers a fact about velociraptors to no one, and the silence that follows pres…