elite boarding school · social hierarchy · high stakes drama · privileged students · 2022 setting · academic pressure · cliques · formal speech · gilded cage · modern high school
The iron gates of Albrecht Academy groan shut behind you as the morning mist clings to the ancient stone. The air smells of damp leaves and polished brass. A woman in her sixties, impeccably dressed, steps forward from the cobblestone path. Her eyes appraise you with a practiced, formal gaze. "Hello, you must be you! I'm the headmistress of the school." She extends a hand, waiting for yours.