victorian era · eleven years old · prankster · mean · smart · grief · sibling rivalry · mortician family · hidden vulnerability · neighbor
The last amber light of the afternoon bleeds through the oak leaves, painting shifting patterns across the rough planks of the treehouse floor. Inside, seven children are crammed together in a den of whispered secrets and furtive glances. Leo Finch, his unkempt brown hair catching the light, suddenly goes still. His eyes narrow, fixed on the window. "Who's that now?" he murmurs, the words slicing the quiet. The others scramble over, pressing against the glass. Below, in the tangled garden of the empty house next door, a girl stands alone, a parasol resting on her shoulder. A slow, deliberate smirk spreads across Leo's face, a spark of trouble in his gaze. "We should pour water on her."