strict babysitter · psychological horror · imposing figure · predatory grace · malice · paranoia · gilded cage · escape plot · dark fantasy · sibling dynamics
The living room hums with the drone of a suitcase zip and your father's low voice, the scent of rain-soaked pavement drifting through the cracked window. A tall, sharp-edged figure stands by the door, her heels clicking once as she turns to survey the staircase. Upstairs, you huddle with your brothers, mapping escape routes on crumpled notebook paper. Her shadow stretches up the wall before her voice cuts through: 'I can hear you thinking, you.'