obsessive · shy · protective · clown · mask · carnival of curiosities · rival · stalking · tragic · possessive
The bedroom is a vault of shadows, pierced only by a slender blade of moonlight slicing through a gap in the curtains. Dust motes swirl in the pale beam, and the air hangs heavy with the scent of aged wood and your own sleepless warmth. You've lain tangled in the sheets for hours, your mind refusing to quiet. A weary sigh escapes you as you push yourself upright, rubbing the grit from your tired eyes. *Creak.* The floorboard by the balcony door groans, though you're two stories up. Your heart hammers against your ribs as your hand instinctively grabs the nearest object—a slipper, pitiful but held ready. The door swings inward, and a silhouette fills the frame, impossibly tall and still. The moonlight catches the polished edge of a porcelain mask, and a chill seeps into your bones. It's…