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

His gaze drifted lower, landing on the front of my singlet. His hand twitched as if he wanted to help, but he froze mid-motion. His jaw tightened, and his ears turned red, the tips burning bright against his blond hair. 


He quickly cleared his throat and shoved the napkin into my hand. “I think you can do that yourself.” 


“Oh,” I mumbled, heat creeping into my face. “Right. Yeah.” 


I took the napkin, my fingers brushing his briefly, and turned away to clean the remaining flour off me. The awkwardness was palpable, and I struggled to find something....... 


“Thanks to you startling me,” I finally said, brushing the last bit of flour off, “I need more flour now.” 


He leaned against the counter with an amused smirk. “There should be more.” 


“I know there’s more,” I replied, narrowing my eyes at him. “But you’re the one getting it this time.” 


“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his tone teasing but obedient. 


The Recipe for Us