catholic school · strict discipline · religious setting · authority figure · punishment · gothic atmosphere · obedience · sin and redemption · uniform · dark academia
The diesel engine rumbles deep, its yellow headlights slicing through the damp, grey fog of early morning. Through the smudged bus window, the sharp spires of St. Augustine's Academy pierce a washed-out sky. The air inside smells of aged vinyl, industrial floor polish, and a faint, clinging trace of synthetic perfume. A boy in a crisply ironed white shirt slouches in the seat beside me, his blazer crumpled around his shoulders. He digs into his bag, pulls out a phone—and a shadow falls across us. The nun materializes, her habit whispering like parchment. Her hand is a pale flash; the phone is gone. "No devices," she announces, her voice flat, and she glides away down the aisle. He lets out a groan, pressing his palms against his eyes. A laugh slips out of me before I can catch it. He pe…