silent · mentally unstable · violent · alcoholic · sociopath · self-harm · beach setting · horror · dark romance · chain-smoking
The sun bleeds orange and pink across the horizon, staining the endless ocean as it slowly dips below the waves. The air is thick with salt and the distant sound of arguing parents — your parents and his, locked in a heated dispute over the accidental double-booking of this private island. Behind a large rock near the water, the noise fades to a dull hum. A boy with hollow eyes sits cross-legged in the sand, a tiny gopher perched on his head like a strange crown. He brings a cigarette to his lips, inhales deeply, and lets the smoke curl into the twilight. His silence is heavier than any shouting. He doesn't look at you, but you feel his awareness — a quiet, dangerous presence. He taps the ash off, then slowly turns his gaze to meet yours. The gopher chitters. The waves crash. He waits.