'Ohh god, I love this scent,' Mrs. Tilly breathed in the pleasant scent of the coffee brewing in her coffee maker, the hum calming her.

She had just woken up, and it appeared her husband had gone jogging with the dog. The house was finally peaceful; unfortunately, that peace was quickly disturbed by an angry foreign voice.

Curious at the source of that muffled sound, she moved to the window and parted the new living room blindes with her finger, her brows raised at the sight before her.

A derelict taxi was parked at the curb of her neighbor's house, causing her to narrow her eyes, 'It's the fucking King family again,' she thought as she observed.

The driver, and the source of all the noise was a thick-necked man with a scrunched face, by his accent, one could tell that he was... unfamiliar, and he used that unfamiliar tone to yell at the top of his voice, his gaze upward.

"Hey, you pay now! Me been waiting for two hour!" His voice echoed with a thick, guttural accent, his hands gesturing wildly at his watch and then at the vehicle before he added. "Is money or I leave!"

"Hold on, would you?" A familiar voice flew into her ears, much like an annoying bug would, causing her to frown heavily, a sigh escaping her, "Valen."

"You piece of fucking trash boy, give me my money and I go now!" The guy yelled once more.

His words seemed to please Mrs. Tilly, a sizzle of satisfaction blooming in her chest, a small smirk appearing by the side of her lips, 'Finally, some cosmic sense of justice is visiting this little creep, I still remember how happy we were to get this house at a quarter of the price all at the little expense of living near a serial killer's child... My poor baby. But why is he looking up?' she thought.

Her curiosity rose at this notion, so she walked outside for a better view only to see Mr. Valen, moving like some possessed spider monkey on coke.

He swung leg-first out of his bedroom window like something was chasing him, a cardboard box in his arms as he dropped onto the thick branch of the tree outside.

He then scaled down, placing the box of luggage on the lawn before climbing back up with as much speed as he had descended.

It looked like he was fleeing the country.

'Has he finally killed someone?' Tilly thought, her arms on her waist as she observed.

It was at that moment that her husband, Bunlarv, appeared within her sight with their dog, which he held by a leash.

He, too, was watching Mr. Valen with a confused expression on his face, "Good morning, honey," he greeted, his attention barely on her, "What is this kid up to this time?"

"I don't know, he looks like he's fleeing the country," Tilly answered, as she watched their tree-climbing neighbor, her gaze vindictive, her teeth grinding against each other.

The dog, who was usually loud, was quiet as well, silently hiding behind Bunlarv's legs, its ears down.

When Bunlarv turned to his wife, he noted that same vindictive expression on her face and then spoke, "I don't think that weasel did something bad; it looks like he's going on a trip."

"Something's wrong, I don't believe he's finally leaving," Tilly simply shook her head, though she could not deny the hope in her own voice.

It was then that Mr. Valen, having placed the second box beside the first, seemed to become aware of his audience, his unsettling gaze turning to them like something unalive.

He froze for a moment, his expression a mix of lifelessness and strangeness, like a skinwalker who realized it was being watched; he then looked away as though to adjust his expression.

In the next moment, he turned that calm, empty face towards them and, to their horror, started walking over, a lifeless smile appearing on his lips as he thought, 'My favorite couple, it has been quite a while, I'd better pay my regards.'

"God, he's coming over here," Tilly hissed, her body going rigid as he approached, trying to fight the urge to walk away lest she pounce on the young man.

Bunlarv puffed out his chest slightly, displaying his masculinity in the face of his wife's discomfort, "Just be civil. He'll be gone in a minute," he said to his wife, his tone reassuring.

But as the youth approached, they discovered that some things were different about him; he was taller, more robust, and his eyes appeared darker.

'Did he get a growth spurt?' The couple could not help but think as they observed, but they did not say anything.

Meanwhile, Mr. Valen had long since arrived in front of them, his gaze lingering on Tilly for a moment too long, his actions causing Bunlarv to narrow his eyes.

"You look so sexy, Ma'am," Mr. Valen spoke in such a tone that it would be easy for an outside observer to mistake it as the weird rambling of an honest youth.

Mrs. Tilly smiled at those words, but apart from her narrowed eyes, reddened face, and gritted teeth, she was not angry at all.

"We should be going now, Valen. Have a nice day," Bunlarv decided to cut the conversation short head into the house, but was immediately stopped when he heard Mr. Valen's next words.

"I'm going to be attending RD University."

"WHAT?!" The couple yelled simultaneously, their eyes flaring up in surprise as a common thought passed through them, 'This kid got accepted into college?'

"By the looks of your faces, I can tell you're happy for me," Mr. Valen sighed reminiscently, walking towards the stunned couple, his arms hugging them both before they could react, "I'll miss you both as well, you're like family to me."

Bunlarv and Tilly both looked like they'd been touched by the plague incarnate, their expressions contorted into a forced frown of disgust.

"Okay, that's enough! That's enough!" Mrs. Tilly said, breaking out of the hug before pointing at Mr. Valen, "I don't know how you got into RD, but you'd better stay away from our child; you've traumatized her enough."

"Okay, I'll take care of her then," Mr. Valen spoke with a wide smile.

"I'll-" Tilly moved to confront Mr. Valen, her face as red as a tomato, but she was stopped by Mr. Bunlarv, who remained calm. "Leave," he spoke.

"You Come Now Fucker!" The taxi driver shouted once more, his eyes narrowed as he honked at Mr. Valen.

"Welp, I'll be taking my leave now," Mr. Valen turned back, his form walking towards his two boxes of luggage which he heaved into the back of the taxi.

Soon, Mr. Valen boarded the taxi, a breath escaping him as he thought, 'What a fascinating duo, I can't believe I failed yet again.'

It was a side experiment he was working on. For most of his life, the people he'd been around were youths and teenagers who were easily riled up.

These couples were his little test subjects to test the boundaries of what emotional maturity looked like, a must if he ever wanted to be truly normal.

As the taxi drove out of the neighborhood, Mr. Valen found himself pondering his plans for university.

'University students often take college as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, to try new things, make friends, and have wild adventures. For my high school education, I chose the role of a sheepish pushover who was prone to bullying and had confidence issues (a classic). But with the drastic change of my surroundings, and after putting more thought into it, it would be more fitting to assume a more confident, reserved, and even confrontational personality. Should I join a band? Or start an emo phase? Or maybe just come out and say I'm gay? The possibilities for my new normality are endless,' he pondered with glee.

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