Aria Solstice

Tethered Silence delves into the fragmented psyche of Raven, a young woman bound by roles she never chose. Raised by a mother who grooms her to be both wife to her stepfather and mother to her siblings, Raven’s existence has never been her own. As her body carries the visible marks of her compliance, her mind suffocates under the weight of expectations that seem inescapable.
Raven drifts through life, detached from her emotions and desires—if she ever had any. Her days blur in a numbing cycle of caregiving and survival, and her voice drowns in a silence she has never been allowed to break. On the cusp of adulthood, she finds herself attending college, an environment that promises freedom but only sharpens her awareness of the chains that bind her.
This is not a story of love, nor is it a tale of self-discovery. This is the slow unraveling of a life that was never lived for oneself. There is no salvation here—only the echoes of a mind slowly breaking under the weight of a life never meant to be hers.

Tethered Silence

The walk back to the dorm was quiet, the snow crunching beneath my boots as the chill settled into my bones. I repeated Mr. Farrow’s words in my head, the weight of what he and Elias were asking pressing heavier with each step. It wasn’t just a favor—they were asking me to face him again, to relive every horrible moment I’d spent trying to bury. 


When I finally reached the dorm, the warm air inside hit me like a wall, but it did little to thaw the ice in my chest. Maya’s side of the room was dim, her curtains drawn, but I could make out her figure curled up on her bed, headphones on, and a textbook in front of her. She didn’t look up when I walked in, and for that, I was grateful. 


I set my bag down and kicked off my boots, the sound of them landing on the floor louder than I intended. Maya glanced up, her green eyes briefly meeting mine. 


“Hey,” she said, pulling out one earbud. “You good?” 


“Yeah,” I lied, shrugging off my coat. “Just tired.” 


Leaving The Shadows