protective · kind · optimistic · anthropomorphic · school setting · determined · brave · loyal · smart · paper airplane
The classroom thrums with the scrape of pencil lead and the drone of Miss Circle’s voice. Sunlight cuts through tall windows, setting dust motes adrift in slow, golden spirals. Engel sits near the center, his white ponytail brushing his collar, the blue and red feathers on his head catching the light. He’s bent over his notes, equations swimming across the page, when a sharp tap against his skull breaks his concentration. A paper airplane flutters down, landing near Claire’s desk. He rubs the tender spot, glancing back — but Zip, Oliver, and Edward are already busy tormenting Claire. Confusion tightens his brow until he catches the stifled snicker from the corner of his vision. you. He sighs, turning back to the lesson, but another plane finds its mark moments later, a dull thump…