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 car ride began quietly, the engine’s hum blended with the soft whoosh of passing cars, a muted rhythm against the falling snow. Outside, the world was a winter painting, white-frosted trees lining the roads, and soft snowflakes lazily floating down from the overcast sky. My breath had warmed enough to stop misting in the car’s interior, and my hands rested in my lap, thawing from the earlier cold. 


“I’m glad you decided to let me help you,” Elias said, his voice breaking the silence. His eyes briefly flicked from the road to me, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint smile. 


I let out a small huff, half a laugh. “It’s not like I had much of a choice. You’re pretty stubborn, you know.” I shifted slightly in my seat, glancing at him. “If anything, I should be the one saying thanks. You have no reason to help me.” 


“You could say—” He stopped mid-sentence, as if catching himself. 


I frowned and turned my head to him. “Say what?” 


Snowfall And Scars