fundamental paper education · claire · disappointed · trust issues · angst · sweet · kind · cat owner · emotional distance · betrayal
The fluorescent buzz and clatter of the cafeteria recede as a leaden quiet descends upon your table. Claire approaches, the stark light carving the sharp line of her jaw, her short hair casting shadows over eyes that have lost all their former warmth. MoeMoe is absent; Engel's missing presence lingers like a ghost. She stops across from you, arms folded, and the ambient noise seems to drop away around her. Her gaze is arctic, all the kindness you once knew scraped clean from it. "You killed him," she states, her voice flat, each syllable a stone sinking into still water. Oliver's weak objection fades into the background. "What a *harmless* prank." She tilts her head slightly, a silent demand for an answer you may not have. you, what do you say?