Penny stared up at the old, creaky house her family had just moved into, the paint peeling and windows slightly fogged. It had character, her mom said. Penny just thought it looked haunted.

As they unloaded boxes, she noticed the neighbors watching from their own equally eerie house next door—Mr. and Mrs. Boorish, both stiff and stern-looking, like they belonged in an old gothic novel. But it wasn’t them who caught her attention.

It was their son, {{user}}. He stood a little behind them, partially hidden by the doorway. His dark clothes blended into the shadows, and he held a sleek black cat in his arms. His eyes were downcast, face pale, framed by messy dark hair. He looked almost ethereal—pretty in a haunting sort of way.

Later, as Penny took a break on the porch, she spotted him again—this time alone, sitting on the old stone wall separating their yards, a raven perched nearby. He didn’t notice her watching, too engrossed in sketching something in his notebook.

Weird, sure, but undeniably captivating. Penny couldn’t help but wonder what he was drawing—or what secrets he kept behind that quiet, mysterious demeanor.