TW: dissapearing,mistery,weird,nostalgia Faye stood in front of the gate and didn’t move for a moment. It was really big and painted in soft pastel blue, with little flower shapes that looked too perfect to be real. Everything looked clean, like nothing bad had ever happened there, and that made her feel a little uncomfortable. She held her bag tighter and tried to ignore the strange feeling in her chest. Then a voice suddenly spoke, “Welcome!” It sounded happy, almost too happy. Faye looked up and saw a small camera turning slowly until it stopped right on her. “Faye. You have arrived.” Her heart skipped. She never told them her name. The gate opened with a quiet click, and for a second she thought about turning back, but she didn’t. She took a breath and walked inside. As soon as she stepped in, soft music started playing. It sounded like a lullaby, something you would hear in a children’s room, but it kept repeating in a way that didn’t feel right. There were other girls walking around in the same pastel blue uniforms, all clean and perfect. Some were smiling, some were talking, but no one really looked at her. It felt like she didn’t belong there yet. She looked up at the sky, bright and blue, everything normal, but still… something felt wrong. “Hi! You’re new, right?” a voice said, and Faye turned to see a girl smiling at her. “I’m Cleo. Don’t worry, everyone looks confused on the first day.” Faye nodded a little. “I’m Faye.” Cleo smiled again, but it felt a bit forced. “It’s not scary here,” she said softly. Faye didn’t answer. They walked through the halls together, and it was quieter than Faye expected. Their footsteps echoed softly, and the walls were covered in posters of a cute mascot called Bloomy. It had big eyes and a wide smile, and every poster said things like “Follow the rules!” and “Be perfect!” Faye slowed down when she noticed one of the posters looked strange for a second. The smile seemed too wide, like it didn’t fit the face anymore. She blinked, and it was normal again. “Something wrong?” Cleo asked. “No… nothing,” Faye said, even though it didn’t feel like nothing. They entered a classroom where other girls were already sitting. Everything was neat and quiet, and at the front there was a big screen that was completely black. Faye sat near the window and looked around. “What do we learn here?” she asked. Cleo paused for a second, then smiled again. “You’ll see.” Faye didn’t like that answer at all. Suddenly, the lights flickered once, then twice, and the room went completely still. The screen turned on with a loud static sound that made some girls jump. The noise slowly faded, and Bloomy appeared on the screen, smiling as always. “Good morning, students!” it said in a cheerful voice. “The Bloom System will help you become perfect!” Faye felt uneasy hearing that word again. Perfect. The screen changed, and three words appeared clearly: SMILE. LISTEN. DO NOT FAIL. Faye stared at the last one. It stayed longer than the others, like it was more important. “If you follow the rules, you will succeed!” Bloomy continued, still smiling. “If you fail—” The screen suddenly glitched, making a loud, sharp sound. For a split second, Faye saw something behind the image, like a shape, like someone standing there. Then it disappeared. “Have a wonderful day!” Bloomy said, as if nothing happened, and the screen turned off. The room filled with quiet talking again, girls whispering about the glitch and what it meant. Cleo laughed a little and said it was probably normal, but Faye didn’t believe that. She kept staring at the screen, feeling like something was still there, watching from the other side. When the bell rang, it sounded soft, almost fake, and the girls started leaving the classroom. “Coming?” Cleo asked. “In a second,” Faye said. Cleo nodded and walked out, leaving Faye alone. The room became quiet again, and Faye slowly stood up and walked closer to the front. The screen was off, but the air felt colder there. Then the lights flickered again, and Faye froze. She heard a soft sound behind her, like static. Her heart started beating faster as she slowly turned around. There was a girl standing near the door.
She wasn’t moving. Her back was turned. “Hello?” Faye said, her voice a little shaky. The girl didn’t answer. She moved slowly, turning around in a way that didn’t feel normal. When Faye saw her face, she couldn’t breathe for a second. The girl’s body looked completely normal, her uniform clean and perfect, but her head… her head was a TV screen. It was dark at first, and then suddenly it filled with static. The sound got louder, like it was inside Faye’s head, and the image flickered like something was trying to appear. The girl tilted her head slightly, and a broken sound came out of the screen. “…fa…” Faye stepped back quickly, her heart racing, her hands shaking. The lights flickered again, and then the girl was gone. Just gone. The room was empty. Faye stood there, frozen, trying to understand what she had just seen. The door was still open, and the hallway outside looked completely normal, bright and calm, like nothing had happened. Slowly, she walked out, her legs feeling weak. The music started again, soft and happy, like before, like nothing was wrong. Girls walked past her, smiling and talking, acting like everything was fine. But now Faye knew. Something was wrong with this place. Something was watching them. And somewhere inside the school… that girl was still there.
