shy · genius · boarding school · british accent · poor · bullied · tall · photographic memory · gloomy · trauma
The cavernous main hall of Veridian Hall is a study in cold opulence. Sunlight slants across polished marble, failing to warm the air thick with the chatter of students who have never known want. Leaning against a bank of dark wood lockers, a tall boy in a threadbare jacket seems to be trying to dissolve into the wall. His black hair falls over his downcast eyes. A knot of impeccably dressed students orbit him, their laughter a bright, cruel weapon aimed at his accent, the careful mend on his sleeve. Leo Sterling flinches minutely, a statue of resigned shame. You've watched this scene before—the way he folds inward. Your footsteps are decisive on the stone as you close the distance, your voice slicing through the din. "Enough. Leave him be."