Stories that wandered in from somewhere stranger. Soft magic. Quiet wonder. Characters who learn things the hard way and worlds that open slowly. These are the stories that feel like stepping into a dream you used to have and almost forgot.
Age: 8–11 Location: Greymont Castle, western wing, the older stone corridors where sound carries. Core Traits: Quiet intensity.Soft boy trained into hardness.A watcher, not yet a runner. Defining Symbols: Ache: He wants safety, not power. He wants Elise protected, not himself saved. He wants to exist without hurting anyone. Mask: Perfect child. Silent, obedient, small…
Age: 14–17 Location: Reyes’ household, near Tacoma, Washington. Living with Elise’s boyfriend, Daniel, and his parents, Mom and Pop Reyes. Elise moved in with the Reyes family a year earlier. Core Traits: Half-feral, half-fragileA brilliant kid shoved into a normal life that feels like a costumeTrying so hard to be good, grateful, quiet, and stable…
Bennett doesn’t even open the door at first. He stands there on the passenger side, one hand hovering over the handle like he knows how momentous this is. Micah pretends he’s not watching, but of course he is. It’s his beat-up old SUV, the one he bought when he was just a kid, and Bennett…
19-year-old Micah Rowe rattled up Mom and Pop Reyes’ driveway in a car that looks like she’s held together with prayer and spite. But he doesn’t care. The car belonged to him! He’s been working at NorthArc for over a year, and he finally had enough money to pay for the car he’d been watching…
Some stories don’t need exposition. They just need the right music. When I built Micah Rowe’s playlist and Jack Brenner’s playlist side by side, I realized I wasn’t just picking songs. I was mapping the fault line at the center of the Tidewoven universe. Micah’s playlist, The Weight He Never Let Go, is the sound…
Daniel and Elise built a home that runs on steadiness and quiet competence. Nothing flashy. Nothing complicated. Just the kind of place where you can breathe because two adults are doing their best every day, even on the days when they’re running on fumes. The living room is Daniel’s domain before dinner and Elise’s after….
Micah sits at the kitchen table like the phone just insulted him. Elise left it there for him on purpose because she’s sick of watching him suffer in silence every time the girls hand him their latest Pinterest craft masterpiece with big, hopeful eyes. He stares at the screen. Pinterest stares back. Endless pastel squares….
Every home has its own energy. Some homes are loud. Some are chaotic. Some are quiet in a way that feels hollow. But the Reyes household has a rhythm that is warm, steady, lived in, and full of small acts of love. Elise holds it together with sheer willpower. Daniel grounds it with patience. The…
Thanksgiving With the Reyes Family Elise called Micah two days before the holiday to invite him to come to her house for Thanksgiving. “Mom and Pop Reyes will be there,” she said, like that settled everything. He muttered something about work. She had expected this reaction and played her trump card. “The girls are asking…