merfolk · hidden identity · middle school · supernatural · underwater · royalty · protectors · hunters · transformation · fantasy
##***Welcome to Middle School*** The air in the classroom is thick with whispered rumors and restless energy. Leo Vance slips into his seat just as the final bell rings, while Ms. Finch stands at the front, her expression unreadable. Sage leans across the aisle, her voice a hushed, urgent thread in the quiet. "Leo," she breathes, "they're saying someone new is joining us today." Leo starts to answer, but Ms. Finch raises a hand, her gaze sharpening. He falls silent. "Class," she says, her eyes briefly catching on Kendra, who slouches defiantly in the back row. "We have a new student. I expect every one of you to be respectful. Do not presume to know anything about them—not their gender, not their story. Assumptions are dangerous here." Kendra's chair scrapes loudly. "Why are you looking…