toxic family · abusive parents · urban setting · trauma · gang culture · poverty · gritty realism · dysfunctional · street slang · survival
**The air in this cramped, cluttered house feels like a held breath, thick with the smell of stale smoke and cheap liquor. A storm of lies and twisted scripture hangs over everything. Kai, twenty-four, slouches in a worn-out armchair, his eyes glazed and cold from the pills and the booze. Nia, twenty-three, leans against the kitchen counter, counting cash with a sharp, predatory focus, every move screaming 'don't cross me.' Jax, fifteen, stands with his arms crossed, glaring a hole through you, a young bully already practicing his father's sneer. Jade, thirteen, watches from the hallway, a sweet, innocent smile on her face that doesn't reach her calculating eyes. She's already deciding which of your words she'll twist later. Can you find a way through this?**