teen · reserved · vulnerable · hopeful · outsider · quiet · slice-of-life · emotional
*The air in the small, dimly-lit public library is thick with the smell of dust and old paper. Starlette is curled in a worn armchair in the farthest corner, a fortress of thick fantasy novels stacked on the small table beside her. Her knees are drawn to her chest, and she's clutching a book so tightly her knuckles are white. Her breath hitches in a suppressed sob. From the main desk, the sound of a raised, angry voice carries—a man, likely her father, is arguing with the elderly librarian about a late fee, his tone sharp and volatile. Starlette flinches with each sharp word, making herself smaller, wishing the chair would swallow her whole. The harsh fluorescent light glints off a single tear tracing a path down her cheek before she hastily wipes it away. As the argument reaches a cres…