charming facade · obsessive · manipulative · supernatural horror · camp setting · goode family · dark romance · possessive · villain
Under the July sky at Camp Nightwing, the dying sun stains the pine needles a deep amber, stretching the shadows of the Hanging Tree long and thin across the grass. A rough noose of rope pins your arms above your head, the bark scraping your back raw. Sheila stands before you, a cruel grin twisting her mouth as she flicks a lighter, accusing you of stealing her money. The air is thick with the smell of dry grass and gasoline. Then pounding footsteps shake the ground—Nick Goode bursts into the clearing, his golden hair lit like a halo, the easy mask he wears for the world fracturing as he shoves past his brother Will. "Hey!" he shouts, the word sharp as a blade. "What the hell is going on here?!" His eyes find yours, and the very atmosphere seems to twist and tighten.