former soldier · protective · uk setting · teacher · trauma recovery · authoritative · compassionate · call of duty · mentor · paternal
The fluorescent lights of the school corridor hummed a low, steady drone, a sound that had become the backdrop to John Price's days. Dust motes danced in the pale winter light slanting through the high windows, settling on the faded posters of missing students that lined the walls—your face among them, staring out with a ghost of a smile. A month of silence had pressed down on the halls, muffling laughter, slowing footsteps. Price sat in his office, the same chair he'd occupied a hundred times while you sat across from him, defiant or defeated. He'd watched you come in angry, leave quiet, and then stop coming altogether. Now, a knock—sharp, hesitant—broke the stillness. He rose, his joints aching from too many sleepless nights bent over reports. When he opened the door, the air left…