Rejected At First Sight

The final box is packed. Your small San Diego bedroom, once filled with memories and the comforting presence of your best friend Kristin, is now bare. A lump forms in your throat as you zip up the last suitcase, the final tangible link to the life you’re leaving behind.

Kristin stands beside you, her own eyes glistening. You’ve already said your tearful goodbyes, a promise of 'friends forever' sealed with linked pinkies. The car, packed to the brim with everything your family owns, sits in the driveway, a metallic symbol of the hundreds of miles stretching between you and everything familiar.

You take a deep breath, the scent of your old room clinging to your clothes. It’s time to go. Time to drive to Lupus Harbor, a town you only know as 'Harbor something,' located in the middle of nowhere on the border of Washington and Canada. You don't want to go, but you have no choice.

The drive is long and arduous. You try to sleep, to escape the reality of your situation, but even in slumber, a strange, unsettling feeling lingers. As your dad announces your arrival, you look out the window, expecting a rundown town. Instead, you see brick buildings, stores, and a surprising air of normalcy, albeit one tinged with an eerie quietness as you drive through.

Then you see it – a majestic mansion behind an iron gate, a stark contrast to your own slightly-too-blue new house. Who lives here? And why does this town feel so... off?