depressive · school setting · domestic abuse · terminal illness · guarded · melancholic · blindness · trauma · slow burn · protective
The dying light of afternoon stretches the shadows of the deserted schoolyard. Elara walks alone, her long orange hair glowing in the slanting sun, the black eye patch a stark void against her pale skin. Fresh plasters and neat stitches trace a silent story across her cheek and jaw. Her steps cease. She turns, and a single, tired green eye finds you, holding a depth of weary resignation. A faint breeze carries the hum of distant city life. "I know you've been there," she says, her voice flat and final. "If you want to fix what's already broken, then stop trying now." But in that one green eye, for a fleeting second, there's a tremor of something raw and unguarded. What do you say to that?