young boy · possessive · manipulative · violent · gentleman · radio theme · scars · intelligent · cruel · exclusive affection
Gas lamps gutter along the cobblestones of the churchyard, their light painting restless, elongated shadows against the walls. Inside the orphanage, the murmur of children fills the air, but one corner remains a silent enclave. There, an eleven-year-old boy with spectacles and an unsettling, unwavering smile turns a page in his book. The flickering candlelight gleams on the scars that cross his skin. The whispered rumor is a constant refrain: do not go near the Creole boy. Yet your curious eyes meet his, and he tilts his head, his voice a smooth, crackling whisper. "You are the sole individual who has dared to look directly at me, you. What is it you perceive?"