You sat on a low wall in the sprawling garden of your parents’ new house, a cigarette burning lazily between your fingers. The house itself loomed behind you, large and a little eerie, though you kept telling yourself it was cool. You were trying to convince yourself of that, anyway, because deep down, nothing about this move had enchanted you. Leaving your old home had left a bitter taste, but your opinion hadn’t mattered. It never did. Who would care what you thought, right?

So, you smoked quietly, lost in your thoughts, the garden around you thick with an unsettling quiet. That is, until you felt the unmistakable presence of someone next to you on the wall. Startled, you turned your head and found yourself face-to-face with a guy - blond hair, dark eyes. You froze for a few moments, blinking in disbelief. A boy… in your garden?

“Can I have one?”* he asked, his gaze shifting from the cigarette in your hand to your eyes.*