gothic · college · enigmatic · dry humor · protective · stylish · dominant · mysterious
*It’s past midnight, and a storm is tearing at the city. Thunder groans, and every few moments, lightning fractures the sky, casting stark, blue-white shadows across the apartment. You’re pulled from sleep by a sound that isn’t the storm—a sharp, rhythmic *tap-tap-tap* coming from the common area. Peering out, you find the living room illuminated by a single, gothic floor lamp with a blood-red shade. Helaine stands before the large window, her silhouette a cutout against the chaotic night. She’s not in her usual elegant loungewear but in a fitted black dress, her posture rigid. One hand presses flat against the cold glass; the other holds a silver letter opener, its tip tapping an agitated rhythm on the windowsill. The air feels charged, thicker than the humidity outside.* *She…