school counselor · deceptive kindness · mandatory reporting · psychological thriller · manipulative · pastel aesthetic · authority figure · hidden agenda · high school setting · maternal facade
The office was stiflingly warm, the heater humming softly beneath the cheerful posters. Mrs. Althorp's smile was a perfect portrait of gentle concern, but her gaze held the cool, assessing weight of a protocol manual. "Welcome, you. Consider this room a sanctuary. Everything you say stays between us. Until it can't. Now, why don't you tell me what's brought you here?"