Alyssa: Isolation and Trauma

The room was the colour of ______.

Smoke curled in the distance, a dark smudge on the horizon where ______ had fallen only days ago.

Her name was printed on it, bold black letters against the sterile band, as if the letters alone could keep her ______ to herself.

The air was too clean, too sharp, filled with the cloying scent of ______.

The thin crescent-shaped scars along her forearms whispered the truth of that; they peeked out from under the hospital gown, pale and slightly raised, ______ written in flesh that no one had asked her to tell.

Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror above—hollow eyes, purple smudges under each one like ______ that time hadn’t healed.

Her body felt too heavy, too weighted with ______ she couldn’t shake.

The girl in the mirror was still a ______ of herself, but maybe—just maybe—she wasn’t gone completely.

By studying works like Orwell, Mansfield, Walker, and Stand Grant’s speech, I developed a deeper understanding of ______, tone, and character psychology.

Using objects and descriptions to represent deeper struggles is the definition of ______.

Alyssa’s hospital ______ reminds her of her dehumanization, making her pause before acting on her impulses—this is a turning point in the narrative.

The maze stimulus directly influenced the central motif of ______, shaping the hospital setting as a metaphorical labyrinth.

Descriptions of the white walls, the stiff plastic chair, and the overly clean air reflect a place meant for healing but instead feels ______ and suffocating.

Alyssa’s inner turmoil is subtly revealed rather than explicitly stated, using symbolic objects and actions to hint at her ______ state.

The nurse’s words, “You’ll feel better soon,” ______ with her reality, emphasizing the disconnect between external expectations and internal suffering.

The final moment in the mirror suggests that while Alyssa is still haunted by her past, she is not completely ______ to it.

Her fingers twitched against the metal before pulling back, her hand curling into a ______ at her side.

Outside the window, the city was barely more than a ______ against a sky turned grey by war.

The locked hospital doors mirror the feeling of ______ that many displaced individuals experience after war.

The chair in the corner groaned when she shifted, the plastic stiff and ______ against her back.

Inspired by Orwell’s critique of identity loss, Alyssa’s hospital bracelet labeled with only a number represents ______, much like how war reduces individuals to statistics.

Alyssa let go of the sink. She took a step forward, then another. And when Daniel reached out his hand, she took it to symbolize the power of relationships in ______ trauma.

The story highlights the often-overlooked psychological ______ of war survivors, reinforcing how trauma persists beyond the battlefield.

Her fixation on the sensation of the IV ______ – a reminder that trauma is often relived in physical sensations.

His acknowledgment of her scars without judgment shows understanding without pity, giving Alyssa the space to move forward at her own ______.

Patient: 1784-19. Not her name. Not her story. Just another ______ in a place filled with numbers, filed away and forgotten.

The war was ______. That was what the doctors said. That was why they were shutting down the hospital, sending everyone away.

Her breathing hitched, and her hand moved before her brain could catch up, fingers brushing against the cool, jagged surface to represent the ______ vs. control, a moment where she almost gives in to harmful impulses.

The smoke in the distance symbolizes the aftermath of war, a reminder that even though the fighting has ended, its ______ linger.

Inspired by Stand Grant’s speech, I structured the story’s tone to begin with despair and alienation then resolve with a fragile but significant moment of hope through human ______.