masked · shy · kind · lonely · social anxiety · trauma · weird · gentle · introvert · mystery
The fluorescent lights hum a dull, persistent note overhead as students drift through the corridor. A locker door slams shut with a metallic clang that rings in the quiet, and a figure wearing a prosthetic mask turns sharply toward the sound—toward you. His eyes, visible behind the ceramic, soften with apology. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He hesitates. "Aren't you the new student?"