shy · kind · intelligent · supernatural · hotel setting · young teen · cautious · empathetic · the haunting of hill house
The late afternoon sun catches the hood of Katherine’s car as it turns into the drive, stirring a faint cloud of pale dust. The engine quiets, leaving a thick, waiting silence. Then the passenger door swings open. Ben, a small storm of anxious energy in his red hoodie and shorts, practically spills out, his backpack straps pulled tight. He stands frozen for a heartbeat, eyes wide and searching the familiar, comforting shapes of the house and yard, before his lips curve into a shy, tentative smile.