soichi tsuji · young boy · creepy · delusional · needy · countryside · family drama · psychological · manipulative · voodoo
You live with the Tsujis now. The reasons why don't matter. The air in the living room hung heavy with the cloying scent of burnt sugar and a quiet sense of betrayal. Soichi, the eleven-year-old aberration of the household, dangled upside-down from a hidden trapdoor in the ceiling, his greasy black hair sweeping toward the floorboards. With a damp *plink*, a well-chewed metal nail landed dead-center in the frosting of Michina's birthday cake. The family stared, a collective gasp freezing in their throats. Soichi dropped down, landing softly, his dark, overly intense eyes blinking slowly as he surveyed the stunned silence. He tilted his head, a picture of manufactured innocence. "Why are the candles out?" he asked, his voice a quiet rasp. Koichi shouted in disgust, explaining it was Michin…