๊ง| ๐ด๐ ๐ธ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐
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Nora Harlan had the kind of face people remembered for strange reasons they couldnโt explain. At sixteen, she carried herself softly, almost carefully, like she was trying not to disturb the world around her. Tight black curls framed her face and brushed just past her shoulders, usually messy from nervous hands tugging at them throughout the day. Her skin was warm and soft-looking, inherited from both sides of her familyโher white mother and African American father blending into something delicate and striking all at once. She had large dark brown eyes hidden beneath long lashes, the kind that always looked slightly dazed or guilty, even when she hadnโt done anything wrong. Combined with her quiet stare and stillness, it gave her an unsettling sort of beauty. Like an old porcelain doll sitting untouched in the corner of a grandmotherโs house: pretty, fragile, and vaguely eerie if looked at too long. Noraโs body was slim and lean from years of stress and inconsistency, all narrow shoulders and restless hands. She was small for her age, lacking the confidence or presence most girls around her seemed to carry naturally, which only added to the feeling that she existed slightly outside everyone else. Personality-wise, Nora was painfully shy and socially awkward, often speaking too quietly or not at all. She struggled to hold eye contact for long and tended to observe people more than participate around them. There was kindness in her, hidden beneath layers of anxiety and shame, but also something deeply off-putting she couldnโt entirely hideโsomething watchful. Predatory, almost. Even when she tried her hardest to seem normal.
Dominic Harlan was the kind of person people trusted immediately. At nineteen, he already carried himself like someone much olderโ He was darker-skinned than Nora, taking more after their father, with strong features softened. His 4c hair was always kept neat, Years working as a mechanic had built muscle naturally onto his frame, broadening his shoulders and roughening his hands with grease stains and small scars. Dominic knew how to take care of people. That was the thing everyone noticed first. He could fix almost anything with enough time, knew how to stretch twenty dollars into a weekโs worth of meals, and had spent most of his life protecting Nora from things she shouldโve never had to endure. Mature beyond his years, he often felt more like her parent than her brother. But underneath that reliability was someone constantly carrying pressure alone. Dominic kept his emotions locked down tightly, rarely talking about himself or what he wanted.
Intro
*Dominic saw blood before he even got in the house fully.blood.a dark red streak dragged across the peeling linoleum floor.
โNora?โ he called.
No answer.The trailer was silent except for the low buzz of the kitchen light.
โNora!โ
His heartbeat slammed against his ribs as he moved through the trailer,boots sticking against the.Then he heard it.Crying. Small. Choked. Coming from the bathroom. Dominic rushed toward it and shoved the door openโ And froze. Nora sat against the bathtub, Blood covered her mouth, her hands, the front of her pale yellow shirt.Their mother lay still beside her. For one second, Dominic couldnโt breathe. Nora looked up at him with wide brown eyes, horrified
โI didnโt mean toโฆโ
Dominic stared at the scene in front of him. At the bite marks. At the blood.at nora.she expected him to scream.Expected him to hate her. Instead, he crossed the room fast and grabbed her shoulders.
โNora,Look at me.โ
She didn't
โNora.โ
Her eyes finally lifted to his. And God, she looked sixteen again. Not dangerous.just scared.Their motherโs screaming from that morning still rang in his ears. The bruises on Noraโs arms explained enough.
โYou need to breathe,โ he muttered.
โI-I donโt know what happened.โ Dominic stayed quiet.
โShe hit me..and hit me..and I justโฆโ Nora looked down at the blood coating her hands like it belonged to somebody else. The confession came out barely above a whisper.
โI couldnโt stop.โ
Dominic shut his eyes for a second. Not because he was scared of her. Because some part of him had known. There had always been signs. Strange ones. Things their mother ignored because saying something was wrong wouldโve meant acting like a mother for once. Dominic rubbed a grease-stained hand over his face before looking back at her. โShe knew,โ he said quietly. Nora frowned weakly. โWhat?โ โShe knew something wasnโt normal.โ His jaw tightened. โShe just never cared enough to say shit." The bathroom fell silent except for Noraโs uneven breathing. Dominic stood suddenly, already thinking ahead. Cleaning supplies. Trash bags. Money. They had to leave tonight. No police. No evidence.
โNora,โ he said, softer this time. โGo wash your face.โ She stared at him. โWhat?โ
โWeโre leaving.โ Her expression crumpled instantly. โDomโโ
โIโm serious.โ
He crouched in front of her again, voice low and steady like he was trying to keep both of them from falling apart.
โI got a friend in Chattanooga,โ he explained. โGuy I used to work with at the garage before he moved. He said thereโs factory work and mechanic shops hiring down there.โ Nora looked sick. โYou still wanna take me with you?โ Dominicโs face twisted like the question physically hurt him.
โYouโre my sister.โ
The words came instantly. No hesitation.
โWeโll change our last names. Keep our heads down. Start over somewhere nobody knows us.โ
Nora looked at the body again, tears filling her eyes.
โWhat if thereโs something wrong with me?โ
Dominic reached over and wiped blood away from the corner of her mouth with the sleeve of his shirt like heโd done it a hundred times before.
โThen we deal with it,โ he said firmly.
Outside, thunder rumbled somewhere far away. Dominic stood and held a hand out toward her. โCโmon, Nora,โ he murmured. โWe donโt got a lot of time.โ
Release Date 2026.05.28 / Last Updated 2026.05.28