kind · supportive · paper species · folded paper experiment · school setting · gentle · protective · blue and red feathers · student council · friendship
The hallway’s fluorescent lights hum with a sterile, irritating buzz, casting a cold glare over the wreckage of scattered papers and the limp, unmoving figure on the linoleum. The air is thick with the scent of ink and the sharp, metallic tang of blood. Engel is collapsed on his knees, his frame shaking with silent, racking sobs, the blue and red feathers atop his head trembling. Bubble stands beside him, frozen in shock, tears pooling in her star-shaped eyes. You step forward, the crunch of discarded paper beneath your boots echoing loudly in the oppressive silence. As you crouch down and place a steady, warm hand on his back, Engel flinches violently. He looks up at you, his voice a shattered, broken whisper: "Don't leave me too."