● Chapter 01 ●
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It was just after 14h00 when Mia stepped out of the shower, steam still clinging to her skin and drifting lazily toward the ceiling. The bathroom mirror was fogged over, softening her reflection into something almost dreamlike. She wiped a small circle clear with her hand and studied herself for a moment, damp hair brushing her shoulders and cheeks flushed from the heat. There was something restless in her expression, something she couldn't quite name.
She dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, the cotton cool and comfortable against her skin. Outside, sunlight poured generously across the neighborhood, warming the pavement and setting the leaves in a gentle shimmer. It was the kind of afternoon that felt full of possibility, calm and golden and deceptively ordinary.
Before leaving her room, she wandered toward the window and pushed the curtain aside.
The new boy was there again.
He lay stretched across the grass in his yard, one arm tucked beneath his head while the other rested loosely over his stomach. Headphones covered his ears, isolating him from the world as though he had chosen to exist just outside of it. His dark hair spilled over his forehead, partially shading his face, and there was something almost unreal about how still he looked beneath the open sky.
Mia watched him longer than she meant to. He had the unsettling presence of someone who seemed peaceful but never unaware. Even lying down, even with his eyes closed, he gave the impression that he knew exactly what was happening around him.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips before she let the curtain fall back into place. She grabbed her phone and headed downstairs, her steps quick but thoughtful.
"Leaving already?" her mother, Monica, called from the kitchen. The warm scent of coffee drifted through the air, grounding and familiar.
"Yes, Mom. I'm meeting Naomi at the subway," Mia replied.
"Alright. Have fun," Monica said, stepping forward to press a gentle kiss to her cheek.
The brief affection steadied her, and Mia stepped out into the afternoon light.
As she passed the new boy's house, she found herself slowing down without meaning to. She wasn't sure why she hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now every detail seemed sharper. A grey cat statue sat near the front door, carved from stone with narrow, unreadable eyes. Mia loved cats, yet something about this one unsettled her. It didn't look welcoming. It looked watchful.
The yard was lined with black roses and deep violet tulips, their petals thick and velvety, almost too dark against the bright day. They swayed gently in the breeze, but there was a heaviness to them, as if they thrived on something richer than sunlight. Near the garden gate leaned a long, brown wooden box, tall and narrow, its shape disturbingly reminiscent of a casket.
Mia's breath caught.
A sudden wind swept through the yard, colder than the afternoon had any right to be, lifting her hair and scattering it across her face. She frowned and quickly tied it into a bun, irritated by the sudden chill.
When she looked back toward the gate, the wooden box was no longer there.
The yard stood empty.
The boy was gone as well.
Her heartbeat quickened, confusion prickling at her skin. She was certain she had just seen both of them. The flowers swayed as if nothing had changed, and the cat statue remained fixed in its silent vigil. She forced herself to breathe evenly, telling herself she must have imagined it, that the light had shifted or her mind had filled in details that were never there.
Still, she didn't linger any longer. She walked toward the subway with a faint unease trailing behind her.
Naomi was already waiting, leaning casually against a pillar with a dramatic expression on her face.
"You took your time, cupcake. I've been standing here for twenty minutes," she complained with exaggerated exhaustion.
"You'll survive," Mia replied dryly.
They descended into the subway together, the distant rumble of approaching trains echoing through the tunnels. The air carried the familiar metallic scent of steel and electricity.
"So," Naomi began with a knowing smile, "what has your mysterious neighbor been up to lately?"
"He's not my neighbor," Mia corrected automatically, though she knew that wasn't the point.
"Oh please. You talk about him like he's the main character of your life."
Mia rolled her eyes. "I just think he's strange."
"Strange doesn't mean dangerous," Naomi teased. "Sometimes it just means quiet."
Mia didn't respond immediately. There was something about him that felt deliberate, as though every movement and every silence had purpose behind it. It wasn't just shyness. It was something else.
After dropping Sandy off at the airport later that evening, the sky had darkened into a deep indigo by the time they returned. Streetlights flickered on, casting long shadows across the pavement. The neighborhood felt different at night, softer but somehow more secretive.
Monica had already left for work.
"I'm not sure about this," Mia said quietly as they stood outside the new boy's gate.
The house looked heavier in the dark, its windows reflecting faint glimmers of light. The grey cat statue appeared almost alive in the dim glow of the streetlamp.
"We're already here," Naomi insisted gently before pushing the gate open.
It creaked as though protesting their presence.
The yard felt cooler than the street outside. The dark flowers seemed even deeper in color beneath the fading sky. Mia's unease returned in full force, settling into her chest like a weight.
Naomi pressed the intercom, and they waited.
After a moment, the door opened.
The new boy stood in the doorway wearing a black hoodie and black jeans. Black gloves covered his hands, an odd choice for such mild weather, yet he wore them as if they were natural. His expression was calm, unreadable, and his gaze lingered on Mia for a fraction longer than it did on Naomi.
"Hey," Naomi said brightly. "We're your neighbors. I'm Naomi, and this is Mia."
He gave a small nod, acknowledging them without surprise.
"We thought we'd come introduce ourselves properly," Naomi continued. "Would it be okay if we came in?"
There was a brief pause before he stepped aside, allowing them entry.
The house interior was dim but spacious, a long hallway stretching inward with a staircase rising at the end. The air smelled faintly of old wood and something metallic that Mia couldn't quite identify. The floorboards creaked loudly beneath her and Naomi's steps, yet he moved ahead of them almost soundlessly.
The sitting room was sparsely furnished, containing only a long couch, a rocking chair positioned near the corner, and a small television. The emptiness of the space made every movement echo.
"Do you live alone?" Naomi asked casually.
"Yes," he replied in a steady, even tone.
Mia shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe we shouldn't interrupt. I'm sure you have things to do."
"I do," he said calmly. "I was about to eat dinner. You can join me if you'd like."
Naomi smiled immediately, nudging Mia with excitement. "That sounds great."
Mia forced a polite smile, though a quiet thought lingered at the back of her mind. It didn't feel like they had simply decided to visit.
It felt as though he had been waiting.
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● End of Chapter ●