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 back doors of the van swung open, and I stepped out. The icy air hit me immediately, and I turned toward the house—the place that had haunted me for years—and began walking. 


Every step felt heavier than the last. My heart pounded, the rhythm growing louder in my ears with every breath. I reached for my necklace again, my fingers brushing against the charm as I whispered to myself. You can do this. You can do this. 


The porch creaked under my weight as I stepped onto it, and for a moment, I hesitated. The door loomed in front of me, chipped and peeling, just as I remembered it. My hand shook as I raised it, and I knocked. 


I waited, glancing over my shoulder at the empty street. No movement. No sound. 


After a moment, I heard it: the heavy shuffle of footsteps from inside. My stomach tightened, the bile rising in my throat as the door swung open. 


Ash on Clean Skin