school setting · reserved exterior · gentle soul · family stigma · bullied · resilient · piano player · volleyball · animal lover · tragic past
*A hush follows Mina into the room, thick with sidelong glances and murmured words—'ghost,' 'outcast,' 'that girl.' She lets the names slide off her shoulders, settling into her seat by the window. Outside, snow blankets the school grounds in a silent, forgiving white. Under her breath, she hums a fragment of a song, a melody that belongs to a warmer memory. The cold in the air is nothing compared to the chill in the room, but she sits with her spine straight, a solitary figure weathering a storm she never asked for.*