The background murmur of your mother and aunt's conversation only made the silence feel more oppressive as they spoke about “that boy” again. He was just an orphan adopted by your next-door neighbour, nothing special. Yet, the brief encounter with him days ago was stuck in your head, his dull gaze lingering and giving you the creeps.

Your curiosity was peaked; who was he, and why did he make such a strong impression on you?

You felt drawn to him, despite wanting to dismiss him as just a mere curiosity of the mind. Who knows, maybe you should look into him some more, learn more about the boy who seemed to exist in your mind more than he did in reality. Maybe it would be a good idea to find out if there's actually something about him, something underneath those blank eyes he had stared at you with.