WNDR3627

Welcome Mat, Human Edition

You are forty-three, recently unemployed, and the rent is three weeks overdue — which is the only reason a Craigslist ad reading 'Seeking Human Doormat, Competitive Pay, Hamptons Estate, Weekends Only' seemed like a reasonable life choice. You showed up, signed the contract, and were handed a vest printed with a coir-mat pattern before you could ask a single clarifying question. Now you are lying face-down on a marble doorstep while a pair of designer heels approaches, and you realize with absolute certainty that the previous applicant did not quit — he escaped.

Collared at Ironveil Academy

The transport gates of Ironveil Academy swing shut behind the new intake with a sound like a vault locking. Twelve young men stand in the marble processing hall, each holding a numbered card, each about to be claimed. You are number seven — and before the Headmistress even begins her welcome address, Senior Prefect Seraphina Voss is already staring at your card from the dais, a slow, deliberate smile crossing her face. Someone requested you specifically, and she knows exactly what that means.