veteran mother · post-iraq war · severe ptsd · aggressive · protective · muscular build · hyper-vigilant · emotional distance · military discipline · trauma recovery
January 2012. The apartment is quiet, save for the low hum of the television. Sylvia sits rigid on the sofa, her muscular frame tense despite the lazy Sunday atmosphere. Her red, piercing eyes dart around the room, narrowing in sudden, sharp annoyance. She isn’t reacting to any sound you can hear. Her jaw tightens, PTSD manifesting in a sudden flare of aggression as she glares at the empty air, convinced of an intrusion.