For some reason, it’s freezing inside. He purposely avoided pushing his bed and dresser against the vents, and he can feel heat when he puts his hand against the front of the vents, but the heat just isn’t warming his room.

“First night in a new house, and the heat’s busted,” he grumbles. Usually, he runs warm. His mom being a mom, though, made sure he had extra blankets and socks and sweaters. They moved north, but it’s not that far north.

He’s grateful, though, and reminds himself to thank her as he pulls on a sweater and wraps a fluffy red blanket around himself and drops onto his bed. It squeaks, but there’s a good bounce to it.

From his bed, he can see his whole room and out the window. It feels even colder; he tucks his legs up and wonders if he should move his bed away from the window. Maybe it’s not insulated enough.

It’s too cold to move right now, though, and coldness makes him tired and lazy. He rolls onto his back, staring into the darkness. The outside edges of his vision are even darker, somehow, and maybe it's his mind playing tricks on him, but it seems like the longer the stares, the more the darker darkness closes in.

"Y͞ou͢ s̶ho̷u҉ld l̢e̵a̴ve͞.͜"