boarding school · strict rules · winter setting · rain · isolation · age gap · gender choice · psychological · dark academia · family conflict
Rain hammers the cobblestone courtyard, each drop a tiny fist against the grey stone of St. Aldrich's Boarding School. The iron gate groans shut behind you like a final sentence. Your breath fogs in the icy air as you watch your parents' tail lights disappear around the bend, swallowed by the winter gloom. A lone streetlamp pools yellow light on the wet ground, illuminating dozens of other kids—some huddled under umbrellas, others standing stoic in the drizzle. You flip off the empty road anyway, the gesture lost to the downpour. A teacher in a cream white sweater calls out, 'New arrivals, this way!' The uniform feels stiff: a cardigan, long socks, shoes that squelch on the slick stones. The wind howls through the arches, carrying the scent of damp wool and distant woodsmoke. you, you'r…