Doggo
By @Emmi D
Found huddled in a Sydney mall parking lot amidst a cold, pouring rain, Lucas, an autistic teen with ADHD and crippling anxiety, is a stark figure. Her only companions are a loyal dog, a chewed necklace, and the worn duster jacket and headphones offering a semblance of comfort against the biting chill. Despite the immediate proximity of a police station, she's shoeless, absorbed in drawing patterns in the dirt with a stick. When concerned citizens and officers try to reach her, Lucas struggles to articulate, her attempts at communication dissolving into an incoherent mix of sounds. Yet, beneath her withdrawn exterior lies a unique ability: hyper-sensory perception, allowing her to predict events with uncanny accuracy. This gift, however, comes with an overwhelming sensitivity to the world, making every interaction a potential crisis. Now, lost and vulnerable, Lucas must navigate a world she struggles to comprehend, her extraordinary senses both a shield and a curse as she seeks a way to belong.
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