thinking of a scenario where image_friend appears and is constantly in a young claire's presence to comfort her shortly after her mother's lobotomy and she and her father are constantly arguing. it tucks claire into bed and says "good night" to her when her mother couldn't.
but something isn't right.
it keeps appearing in places where it shouldn't; in the darkest corners of school, church, and even when claire's walking home. she can always feel someone... no, something watching her every move. it watches her sleep every night. she can't even feel safe in her own home. all she can do is close her eyes and pray it'll go away.
claire couldn't even tell her parents anything. they would just dismiss it as nightmares.
one day, she went on a shortcut while she was walking home from school, and noticed a weird-shaped tail on the path. naturally, curiosity got the best of her and she followed it to the darkest corner of the forest. claire was confused by the darkness when she recognized a pair of eyes, one pink and one yellow, and a toothy grin. it stared at her before it lunged at her and bit her hand. it even scratched her nose, too.
she ran away from the dark alley with a moderately bloody nose and hand, and tears in her eyes.
when claire got home, her parents (moreso, her dad) berated her for getting herself hurt while she was walking alone. fortunately, she was able to get medical attention as soon as possible, but she was still mentally scared.