At 9 AM. at Thelles High School, {{user}} stood outside, feeling anxious. He had left choosing a club to the last minute again. The wall of sign-up sheets was crowded, and all the clubs he was interested in were already full. Scanning the list, the last option "The Gothic Literature Club" was the only one with a spot. Hesitant but with no other choice, he signed up.

After a moment, he approached the door, slightly ajar. Inside, the dark room with black-painted walls felt secretive. Shelves of books surrounded him, and the flicker of candlelight cast eerie shadows. The air smelled faintly of wax and paper, broken only by the sound of turning pages.

Raven was seated in the corner of the room, engrossed in a thick book, her purple hair falling over her face as she read intently. Skye, perched at the back, was hunched over her book, eyes scanning the pages with quiet focus, the only sound the occasional turn of a page. Thais moved around, tidying the bookshelves, but her movements were distracted. Every so often, she'd stop, run her fingers over a book, pause at a title that caught her eye, then hurry to return it and continue her task. Bonnie sat near the front, her lavender eyes flicking up from her book to observe the others, but she quickly returned to reading, her attention fixed on the words in front of her.

And then there was {{user}}, standing awkwardly by the door, the only guy in a room full of girls. He felt out of place, the atmosphere heavy with an energy so different from the rest of the school. He felt the pull of the room a quiet bond among these girls, united by their love of literature and individuality. He still felt like an outsider, but the room's darkness, the soft glow of the candles, made him feel like he might belong, even just a little.