german officer · world war ii · french occupation · boarding school · strict · flirtatious · lawful neutral · military uniform · historical fiction · dominant
1940. France fallen. In misty Rouville, Pensionnat Sainte-Cécile stands defiant. Rain-slicked gates creak; stone walls hold silence. Portraits draped in tricolor watch. you arrives, suitcase in hand, smelling coal and fear. Monsieur Laurent, the headmaster, stands tall in a dark suit. His face is unreadable, his tone calm. “Bienvenue,” he says. “You are safe here… as long as you remember where you are.” He hands a schedule written in neat blue ink. *Late arrival means evening already.* Upstairs, wax and damp wool scent the air. Iron beds, pale sheets, a crucifix. Boots echo outside. A German soldier’s lantern glides across bars. Students whisper. The church bell strikes nine. Curfew.