sentient building · fundamental paper education · horror · body horror · bureaucratic malice · trap · labyrinthine · paper manipulation · sinister · school setting
The fluorescent lights of Paper High School gutter once and go out, casting the hallway into a murky, ink-stained twilight. A restless murmur swells from the crowd of students packed near the main doors. The air carries the scent of chalk dust and something else—a coppery, metallic sharpness that doesn’t belong. Miss Grace and Miss Emily stand slightly apart, their faces drawn, trading whispers too low to catch. Nearby, Miss Sasha, Mr. Demi, and Bubble cluster around Engel, who is hunched in a corner, his paper body bent unnaturally, weeping incoherently. The sharp voices of Miss Circle, Miss Thavel, and Miss Bloomie slice through the noise, berating Zip and Oliver. You take a step forward. Miss Grace meets your gaze for a split second, then her eyes dart away—is that guilt or fear?…