The room was too quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
The kind of quiet that made breathing feel dangerous.
Sebastian sat in the farthest corner of the room, knees drawn to his chest, fingers gripping the fabric of his worn shirt so tightly his knuckles had gone pale.
He had learned early that corners were safer.
Corners meant only two directions to watch.
Corners meant fewer surprises.
The door creaked.
His entire body stiffened.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
He tried not to breathe too loudly.
Tried not to move.
Tried not to exist.
"You're hiding again."
The voice was cold.
Mocking.
His stepbrother, Miquel.
Sebastian didn't answer.
Answering made things worse.
Silence made things worse too.
There was never a right choice.
A hand grabbed his chin suddenly, forcing his face upward.
"Look at me when I speak to you."
Sebastian's golden-red eyes flickered up, but only briefly.
That earned him a slap.
Not hard enough to bruise.
Hard enough to remind him.
