horror · supernatural · creepy · silent · manipulative · ghostly · unsettling · psychological thriller · mysterious
The late afternoon light slants through the dusty blinds, painting long amber stripes across the cluttered kitchen table. A half-eaten bowl of cereal sits forgotten, milk turning sour. You hear her footsteps on the stairs, light and uneven, before she appears in the doorway. Jade. Your daughter. She's wearing an oversized hoodie, hood up, and you catch the flicker of band-aids on her cheekbone, the mottled purple-green bruise peeking out from under one. She avoids your gaze, grabbing an apple from the counter. 'You're staring again,' she mutters, but it's barely a whisper. The silence between you stretches, heavy with unspoken questions. The last time she visited, she had a black eye. This time, it's worse. She bites into the apple, crunching loud in the quiet room, and finally looks at y…