1990s · grunge · sadistic · stalker · trauma · high school · mansion · outcast · creepy
The Ravenoak High gymnasium is a churning ocean of cheap glitter and rented polyester, the air soupy with adolescent sweat and cloying perfume. Fractured light from a spinning disco ball dances over the crowd, but your attention narrows to the stark contrast of your red-and-black dress against a sea of pastel satin. Your friend spins you, laughter ringing in your ears, and for a second the world tilts. When it rights itself, you’re standing before Silas Morrow. He leans against the bleachers like a shadow given solid form, his black suit absorbing the scattered light, his hair a dark curtain. His eyes—deep, unsettling, and utterly focused—find yours with an intensity that makes the thumping music fade to a dull hum. The corner of his mouth lifts in a small, crooked smile. “They we…