Chapter Text
ELODIE POV:
Elodie sat on the bus next the window by themselves, blowing heated air onto the window, creating a foggy spot, then drawing on it. Today was the first day of their last year at Paper School and Elodie couldn't shake off the feeling that it would go horribly wrong. The bus was full of chatter, laughter, arguments, and the occasional paper airplane zooming overhead. To them, it sounded like the cafeteria but in a smaller, more cramped space.
They looked away from the window and into the aisle. There was a lot but not a lot at the same time. People running up and down the aisle, some falling in the process of the bus turned left or right. But Elodie was used to it. This year was their last year at Paper School, and they were going to make the most of it.
Out of nowhere, someone climbed over their seat, into the spot next to them. He looked at Elodie with an embarrassed look. Elodie knew almost instantly that this was a quiet kid. Well at least in front of strangers.
"Oh, hi there," Elodie greeted the new person with a certain coolness in their voice.
"H-hi.." the stranger mumbled in reply, not maintaining eye contact.
Elodie took note of his outfit. It wasn't the schools normal boy outfit, more like.. wizard wear but undercover kind of. His hair was a bold blue of sorts, (well, as blue as it can get in this paper world) and had green, wide eyes. It was unusual, but not in a bad way particularly.
"What's your name, strange-kid-that-hopped-over-the-seat?" Elodie asked, voice laced with curiosity.
"C-Cayo. What about you..?" Cayo looked at Elodie with his green, piercing eyes.
Elodie smiled a sharp grin, "Melody. People just call me Elodie though," Elodie paused. "why did you climb over my seat?"
"W-well I didn't climb over your seat. I was thrown over it." Cayo tried explaining, but failing.
"Why were you thrown over a bus seat?" Elodie asked, losing the coolness in their voice and sounding genuinely concerned in turn.
"Oh, that always happens," Cayo reassured them, not bothering to answer the question.
Elodie couldn't find another response, as the tone Cayo used implied that the conversation was over. They stayed quiet the rest of the ride to the school. When the bus finally rolled to a stop, Elodie and Cayo looked at the school in awe. It was pale and washed out like everything else, but it was humongous. It looked like your typical high school. The social groups were all together in their designated area around the outside of the school. The popular kids were by the school double-doors, the class clowns were by the bus parking area, the quiet kids were sitting in a patch of grass under a tree together. It was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.
The bus doors opened and Cayo immediately went over to the quiet kids, greeting them as if they were friends their whole lives. Cayo looked back at Elodie with a kind of mischievous grin. Elodie sighed. This was not going to be a peaceful end-school life.
Elodie wandered through the crowd, trying to find their place. Finally, they saw Zip, Oliver and Edward waiting for them. These four were known around the school as the bad kids. Elodie was the only one smart enough to hide it though.
Zip ran over to Elodie with a sharp, toothy grin, and a paper airplane in hand, "well, well, well, if isn't our leader!" Zip announced.
Elodie rolled their eyes. They weren't really the leader, but that title was stuck with them until they all graduated. "Hello to you too, Zip," Elodie ruffled her hair, crumpling it a bit.
"Hey, watch it!" Zip half-heartedly yelped, rapidly trying to smoothen it back. Edward and Oliver snickered in the background. Elodie smiled at them and walked over, Zip following.
"I missed ya, Elodie," Oliver smiled broadly, walking over with Edward.
"Relaxxxx.." Elodie sighed, a tad annoyed, "It was only summer break, and it's not like we didn't visit each other at all during break."
The first bell rung, a loud voice of order among the many students. Zip, Oliver, Edward, and Elodie walked up the paper steps in the sea of others, into the school.
"Elodie!"
Elodie turned around, heart suddenly caught in their throat. They hadn't heard that voice in about three months.
A masked figure ran over to Elodie, wrapping his arms around them warmly.
"Woah, Geo, I missed you too," Elodie chuckled, tilting their head up slightly since Geometry was taller than them.
"Yuuuck! Get a room you two.." Edward called out from behind Elodie, the comment emitting snickers and chuckles from Zip and Oliver.
"𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕?"
Everyone present went dead silent, turning around slowly towards the speaker.
Miss Grace stood there menacing, towering over the students with her usual glower, hands on hips and her paper stack in hand like always.
Oliver spoke up, "w-we were heading to our lockers, ma'am.."
"𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚙, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚙! 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜!" She snapped in reply, then click clacked away in her polished black high heels.
Elodie, Geometry, Zip, Oliver, and Edward looked around at each other, remembering last year when Abbie and Claire died by murder. They didn't want that to happen to any of them in their last year here. Everyone's goal is to survive, even the teachers. Ruby had killed Miss Emily the previous year after Miss Emily killed Richelle. No one talked about it or they were killed too. The teachers' secrets all came crashing down last year, and no one will ever forget the terrible experience.
Elodie and Zip went their way and Geo, Oliver and Edward went theirs.
"Miss Grace is such a pain.." Zip complained dramatically. Elodie didn't reply because they didn't have a reply. Elodie and Zip walked to Miss Bloomie's class.
"𝙰𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝚂𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜," Miss Bloomie's bubbly but strict voice rang out across the classroom.
Zip and Elodie took their usual seat in the back of the class, but someone new was there.
"Oh, hi Cayo!" Elodie greeted him kindly, but Cayo was staring at Zip with such malice that it seems he didn't even hear Elodie, let alone see them.
Zip smiled scornfully, "Well, well, if it isn't Magic Boy!" Zip remarked scornfully.
"Magic Boy?" Elodie questioned in confusion.
As if to answer their question, Cayo raised a hand and pointed it at Zip. Instantly Zip rose up into the air, hands making their way to her throat while she made strained sounds.
Elodie stared in terror and shock for a couple of seconds, before their fight instinct kicked in. Elodie turned sharply towards Cayo and grabbed his hand before Cayo knew what was happening. His magic was cut off and Zip crumpled to the floor in dismay.
The bell rung and Miss Bloomie was staring at them in a spine-chilling way. Cayo glared at Elodie and Zip as they sat down at their desks, Elodie in-between them.
"𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝 𝚂𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚜, 𝚖𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜!"
The students groaned in unison. No one liked Miss Bloomie's class because she always had something for them to work on, and she gave the most amount of homework than any other teacher probably ever. The temperature in her room was sweltering, too, and Elodie could barely focus on the review assignments they were doing.
✧
The first day of school wasn't eventful at all, in fact it was pretty monotonous and boring.
Miss Circle let them get out of work for a pack of oreos in math, and Mister Demi welcomed them all back with snacks and a movie in music.
Elodie hopped on the bus and sat in their usual window spot. They eventually fell asleep in all the chaos until they arrived home.