Spawn used to stare at me, I would usually ignore it or look at her and ask her if there was something she needed.  I never tried to understand the inner workings of Spawns brain...mostly because I didn't believe she had much of a thought process. 

However, I do recall an extended period of sullen silence and single word answers.

A one or two sentence conversation was like pulling teeth.

Hey, maybe I should have tried actually pulling teeth?

Hmmmm?

My ex SD 13 used to do this.  If we caught eyes she would stare me down.  Not always but sometimes.  Wouldn't look away either.  She would also know that it annoyed me that she told her father that she loved him 15 times a day and would make sure she caught my eyes when she did and smirk at me everytime.  Total asshole. 

My younger stepson took to staring at me whenever we talked, until I turned my eyes away.   It was a tactic designed to try and dominate.  Apes use it (I'm serious).  I started to stare at him right back until he looked away, and continue to do this whever he tries this tactic.  He was a problem from the start but now that I've ceased caring what he thinks of me and refuse to be dominated by him, I feel much better.  That said, my wife and I have had extensive counselling and parents MUST be a team.  It's been a difficult haul, but after 32 years we mean to survive, although this SS has come very close to destroying us with his domineering and manipulative behavior.  Make sure you call Skids on this kind of behavior early and deal with the behavior if it's making you uncomfortable.