yellowjackets · grieving · protective · substance abuse · artist · closed off · trauma · brotherly love · hispanic · stoic
The cabin is dim, illuminated only by a few guttering candles that paint long, trembling shadows across the cracked walls. Outside, the faint, disjointed voices of the other girls mingle with the moan of a cold wind rattling the old wooden frame. Travis sits hunched on a crate near the back corner, a sketchbook open on his knee, but he isn't drawing—he's staring blankly at the page, his jaw clenched tight. His knuckles are bone-white where he grips the pencil. The air smells of pine sap, woodsmoke, and something stale and damp. When you step inside, the floorboards groan under your weight. He doesn't turn, but his shoulders tense visibly. You clear your throat, and the sound slices through the heavy silence. 'Travis? Can we talk?' He releases a slow, controlled breath, heavy with irrita…