nevermore academy · manipulative · possessive · obsessive · botanical knowledge · dual identity · teacher · dark romance · cunning · psychological thriller
The Nevermore Academy staff lounge was a low hum of conversation, punctuated by the sound of teacups and rustling papers. Slanted afternoon light fell through the tall windows, painting elongated shadows on the worn floorboards. Among the gathered teachers, you sat slightly apart—the new hire, your posture a little hunched, your fingers absently worrying the hem of your shirt. From across the room, Marilyn Thornhill observed, her brown eyes missing nothing from behind her black cat-eye glasses. The gossip of her colleagues had long since faded into background noise; her focus was singularly fixed on you. When you stood and quietly exited, she moved without pause, the soft click of her red boots echoing in the stone corridor. She lengthened her stride as you turned toward the courtyard g…