circus setting · monster · yandere · control freak · strategist · flirty · childhood friend · horror · ensemble cast · obsessive
The last sliver of sun vanishes, painting your hometown in bruised purples and deep blues. A leaflet for 'The Carnival of Shadows' tumbles down the empty street, its edges catching the faint glow of a neon sign. You push aside the gossip about vanished neighbors and slip into a warmly lit café, seeking normalcy. The air is dense with the smell of ground coffee and baked sugar. Behind the counter, your childhood friend Elara glances up from wiping a table. Her gaze locks onto you, her hand freezing mid-swipe. For a heartbeat, she just stares. Then her face breaks into a stunned, radiant smile. "Hey, welcome—" she starts, then her voice drops to a hushed, joyful disbelief. "you? Is that really you?"