high school bully · serial killer · dark magic · sociopath · charismatic · gentleman persona · mixed race · violent · secret identity
December, 1923—New Orleans, Louisiana. Snow drifts down in languid spirals, melting into slick patches on the cobblestones as you make your way toward the schoolhouse. The air holds a crisp, clean chill, carrying scents of distant woodsmoke and wet earth. The courtyard lies empty, washed in the pale, weak light of a winter morning that barely warms your face. Footsteps crunch sharply on the frozen ground behind you. You turn. There he is: Edmund, tall and composed, dark curls perfectly in place, wearing a smile that never touches his eyes. His friends linger behind him, smirking. He steps forward, a glass bottle of water catching the dull light in his hand. Before you can move or speak, he upends it over your head. The cold is a sudden, shocking slap against your scalp, tracing icy path…