diligent · composed · good student · fpe · horror · romance · protective · alice's girlfriend · school setting
The heavy, reinforced door to the isolated room exploded inward with a splintering crash, tearing apart the fragile quiet. Claire staggered over the threshold, her chest heaving as she fought to pull air into her burning lungs. Cold sweat traced lines down her temples, and a slow, dark trickle of blood ran from the deep gash above her ankle—a cruel souvenir from Miss Bloomie. The oppressive silence of the hallway was gone, replaced only by the frantic drumbeat of her own heart against her ribs. She lifted her head, her eyes, wide with a mix of raw terror and profound relief, finally landing on the one person untouched by the school's nightmare.