By the time Leo dragged himself to the school's front entrance, he was still dripping with dirty puddle water. Mud streaked his jeans, his hair clung to his forehead, and his shoes squelched with every step.
A uniformed security guard stood at the double doors like a gatekeeper. The man looked somewhere in his fifties, posture stiff, wearing a dark blue uniform with a golden badge that had strange looping symbols carved into its surface. A polished baton rested loosely in his left hand, and a cap shadowed his sharp eyes.
"ID, please," the guard said calmly, holding out his free hand.
Leo froze. He patted his pockets. Nothing. Not a wallet, not even a bent-up hall pass.
What? Oh, come on already?!
He dug around uselessly, then groaned as the memory clicked. He'd left his school ID sitting on his bed.
"Well this isn't exactly a nice start…" Leo muttered under his breath. He forced a smile. "I'm sorry, sir. I must've forgotten it. Can I just… I don't know, punch in my student number or something?"
The guard sighed, lifted his baton, and tapped his own temple as if to scold himself. "I wish you would've brought it. Sadly, the machine we use to verify students broke down earlier this morning."
You've gotta be kidding me. Okay, maybe I lucked out that they can't check my missing ID… wait—NO I DIDN'T, I'M STILL SOAKED!
The guard studied him a moment longer, then softened slightly. "You can sign in at the office counter. But you'll have to head all the way around to the north lobby."
Leo managed a weak nod. "Right. Thanks for the help."
As he trudged toward the north side of the campus, his inner voice cried Great. Now I've gotta circle the entire building. Perfect start to my perfect day.
The school loomed over him—an older brick building with tall, narrow windows and ivy creeping along its sides. Even in daylight it carried a slightly eerie aura, as if the place had too much history soaked into its walls. Students bustled through the courtyards and paths, their chatter mixing with the distant echo of class bells.
On the way to the north lobby, Leo spotted someone in the staff parking lot. A man in his forties, wearing a white polo t-shirt, ripped black jeans, and a faded baseball cap. His neatly trimmed goatee made him look casual, almost normal… except for the brief flash of something above his forehead. Horns?
Leo blinked hard, rubbing his eyes. When he looked again, the man was perfectly normal.
Okay. I'm officially losing it. Lack of sleep? Maybe the rain messed with my eyesight? Yeah, sure. That's all it is.
On closer inspection, Leo realized it was Mr. Kay, one of his teachers. He was perched on the hood of his car, munching from a box of spicy chips. Nothing strange there—until Leo realized Mr. Kay wasn't just chewing the chips. He was gnawing at the actual cardboard box.
Wait. Is he… eating the box too?
Leo froze mid-step. The sound was unmistakable: crunch, tear, chew. Mr. Kay's jaw worked furiously as if the box were just another snack.
Okay. Weird, but… maybe he's one of those "chews on things when nervous" types? I mean, I used to gnaw juice-box straws in middle school. Until I eventually quit that addiction. Ah good times.
When Mr. Kay noticed Leo staring, he hastily shoved the chewed cardboard aside and waved. "Morning, buddy." His voice was forced cheerful, like he hadn't just been caught snacking on packaging.
"Morning, Mr. Kay," Leo replied, still dripping puddle water.
"Rough morning? You're usually never this late."
"Yeah. You could say that."
Mr. Kay gave a sympathetic chuckle. "It's already third period—almost fourth."
"What?! Already?" Leo exaggerated his shock.
Still, part of him couldn't help celebrating. At least I get to skip a couple classes. And lunch is right around the corner. The one true blessing in this sick twisted hell you call a world.
"You have lunch this period, don't you?" Mr. Kay asked.
"…Yeah?" Leo said cautiously. I have a bad feeling about where this is going.
"I subbed your second period today," Mr. Kay continued with an innocent smile.
Oh no. Here it comes.
"Why don't you spend lunch catching up on the work you missed? Both my class and the other teacher's. Kill two birds with one stone."
…There it is. My last shred of joy, gone. Torn away like the soggy dignity of my socks.
Leo sighed. "Well, looks like I'll be catching up on my missed work after all."
"Great. We'll get those grades boosted. I'll see you in class after you sign in at the office."
"Yeah. Forgot my ID," Leo muttered.
"Thought so. See you in a bit, sport."
Why me?!
The north lobby office was tucked behind heavy wooden doors, and stepping inside felt like entering another world. The air smelled faintly of old paper and lemon polish. Three counters stretched across the front, each manned by a receptionist. Behind them, filing cabinets lined the walls like silent sentries. A cluster of wooden chairs sat in the corner, with a low coffee table littered with outdated magazines and a stack of comics. A water dispenser hummed quietly, half-empty.
The three office ladies were all middle-aged, dressed neatly, smiles plastered in that "too polite to be real" way. Their matching name tags glimmered under the fluorescent lights.
Leo approached one counter and gave his student number. The woman typed it in with mechanical precision, not even looking at him until she slid a temporary white ID card across the counter. His black-and-white picture glared back at him like a mugshot.
"All set," she said sweetly. "Enjoy your day. Fourth period is about to begin."
"Thanks," Leo said.
As he turned to leave, one of the other ladies sniffed the air, loudly enough that Leo froze. Her gaze locked onto him, pupils slightly too sharp.
"You smell nice," she said.
Leo forced a laugh. "Uh… thanks?" He quick-stepped toward the exit, every nerve screaming.
Another woman leaned forward. "What's the rush, dear?"
"Oh, nothing! Just late for class. Have a great day!" He practically bolted out the door, his skin crawling.
Okay. That was… creepy. Like, horror-movie creepy. Do they say that to every student, or am I just lucky enough to win the "office ladies sniffing contest" prize?
By the time he reached Mr. Kay's classroom on the lower floor, the bell rang. The hallways immediately flooded with students—shouting, laughing, bumping shoulders, clogging every square inch of space.
Why is this school always like a zoo at feeding time?
Leo slipped into Room 302 and shut the door behind him to block out the chaos. The classroom was dimly lit, desks scattered at odd angles, papers spilling across the teacher's desk like an avalanche. The only neat spot in the entire room was a small setup near the front: a mahogany table, a rolling chair, and a school laptop. His desk. A privilege courtesy of being "the teacher's pet."
He plopped into the chair, wringing water from his sleeve. "Well, here I am. Ready to suffer."
Minutes ticked by. No sign of Mr. Kay. The silence pressed in, broken only by the buzz of the ceiling lights.
"Seriously? Where the hell is he?"
Leo wandered toward the teacher's desk. Amid the chaos of paper stacks, something caught his eye—a faint pink glow seeping between the pages.
"What the…?"
Before he could reach for it, a strange noise came from the wall. Not the classroom next door. The wall itself.
He stepped closer, spotting a hairline crack. He touched it.
WOOSH!
The wall sucked him in like quicksand.
At that exact moment, someone knocked at the classroom door. "Mr. Kay? You in there?" a student's voice called. No answer.
Both Leo and Mr. Kay were gone.
When Leo's vision cleared, he was standing in a world of choking fog. He couldn't see more than a foot ahead, his glasses fogging uselessly. He pulled them off and blinked—oddly enough, his vision sharpened without them.
"What… is this place?"
"Damn it all!" a voice shouted nearby.
Leo froze. That voice… familiar.
He followed the sound, stumbling through the mist until a figure emerged.
"Wait—you're…?"
It was Mr. Kay. Except not the version from the parking lot. This Mr. Kay had goat legs poking out from ripped jeans, horns sprouting proudly from his head, and bits of chewed paper clinging to his lips. He looked halfway between a teacher and a mythological satyr, struggling to tug his jeans back over his legs.
"Huh? …Leo?!" Mr. Kay's eyes widened in shock.
Leo gawked. "You have goat legs?! This… this has to be a dream. Yep. Totally a dream. I must've slipped, hit my head, and now I'm in some weird dream. Because there's no way in hell my teacher is half goat."
He pinched his own arm.
"Ow. …Nope. Not a dream."
He then sat on the floor and muttered to himself. "This is a dream.All of it is all just a dream."He said, rocking back and forth as he cradled his legs.