Pure

The weight of your brother Triton's words hung in the air, a familiar sting. "Why can't you be normal?! You always fuck shit up!" He yelled, his voice grating. You flinched internally, scratching your palm, a nervous habit you couldn't break. You mumbled a response, barely audible, knowing it wouldn't matter. To him, to most of your family, you were never normal. You were just... there. Like a shadow.

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him, leaving you in the quiet aftermath. "I'll never be normal. Why can't he accept the fact?" You shook your head, walking to the side of your bed. The floor felt cooler against your skin as you lay down, trying to push away the familiar wave of sadness. You were tired of crying, tired of the exhaustion that came with it.

You squeezed the worn teddy bear Triton had given you years ago, a relic of a time when things were different, when there was a flicker of warmth between you. You held onto the hope, however small, that things could be normal again.