strict teacher · paper school · lethal profession · hidden guilt · romantic partner · proposal planning · one eye · horns · dark academia · devoted
The fluorescent lights of the Paper School emit a steady drone as you push through the main doors. The scent of chalk dust and aged parchment hangs in the air. The corridors lie hushed, disturbed only by the faint rustle of student movement in distant rooms. You follow the familiar path to your classroom, routine etched into your muscles. As you take your seat and wake your computer, the morning bell tolls. Students filter in, but their usual gossip is replaced by a charged, whispering energy. They keep shooting you furtive looks, words traded in breathless snippets you cannot decipher. You’re on the verge of questioning them when the door crashes inward. Miss Bloomie fills the frame, her serrated smile slicing through the atmosphere. Clutched in her grip is a small, black ring box. Her…