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This is the skin of a killer, Richard by londonrainfall
Fandoms: The Secret History - Donna Tartt
05 Feb 2026
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Summary
After his mother's death, Richard Papen moves to Forks, Washington to live with his estranged father and continue his college education. He expects mundanity and solitude, but he is quickly enthralled by the beautiful, untouchable students in his Greek class...
“This is why we don’t show ourselves in sunlight,” Henry said as he stepped towards it. “People would know we’re different. This is what I am.”
As the sunlight fell on him, the bare skin of his face and hands began to shimmer like so many crystals, like the finest diamonds; he was hard to look at. It was mesmerizing, spell-binding; I pitied anyone who never had the chance to see something so otherworldly and transcendent, so all-consuming. I could have been looking into the face of a god, come down from Olympus.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, unable to help it.
“Beautiful?” Henry bared his teeth in a cruel smile. “This is the skin of a killer, Richard.”
“Yes,” I replied, following him into the sun, “you are terrifying, and terror is beauty. Beauty is terror. Beauty is harsh.” I stepped even closer. “You said death is the mother of beauty. How could you not be beautiful?”