Shadrach (Shadrach Acres #1)

Tuesday, December 1st

2. Tuesday, December 1st

At 7:25 a.m. she had made her way out of the car, across the parking lot, through the breeze way, and into the main office. She'd taken a seat, as requested by a stern looking secretary ( she really wasn't once you got to know her) and waited. It was 7:29 a.m.

Alek sat and she sat. She sat some more. Crossed and uncrossed her legs. Ran a hand over her hair, concerned that the fog and humidity and made it frizz - it hadn't. She waited some more.

At two after eight, a dark, tall, neatly dressed Man came to retrieve Alek.

He smiled and bent to shake her hand. "Good morning. How was the drive?" Before she could answer, Mr. Hammond's, the building principal says, "Let's tour the building." Alek only smiles and rises to follow him.

When her things are locked away safe in his office, they take an elevator up to the third floor, which houses sixth grade. Then to the second floor, which holds seventh grade, and the room that she will co-teach in: remedial reading. On each floor as they go, she is shown the grade level offices, where the copy machines are located and the break room, also on the second floor.

The main floor is eighth grade, the front office, the library and a very short flight of steps down, the cafeteria and gym. They step into the libraries doubles doors and quickly walk a circuit. Alex is introduced to the librarian and they make their way out to a second set of double doors directly to the left.

This is the music Hall. There are five rooms all on the left side of the corridor. The first is a comfortable rec room, with couches, a recording booth, a pool table, a media center and tables a chairs. The next rooms are band, orchestra, and concert choir. In the choir room, Hammond's stops to give a precocious looking girl a peppermint. "Stop sucking your thumb." He admonishes. The girl unwraps the candy pops it into her mouth and jams her thumb right back in. He shakes his head, sighs quickly and closes the door as he laughs.

"This last room", he says as his mood sobers, "is ISS."

ISS also known as the Right Track program, is clearly situated on the bottom of the building in this corner for a reason. To maintain the illusion of punitive reinforcement.

Looking through the rectangle of glass, Alex can see that each desk has a makeshift partition attached. They are tall enough that when standing your average student can't see over it. No eye contact, no talking, no socializing, period. It's quiet. Straight ahead, Alek sees a man's hands at a desk reading the newspaper. Golden brown hands flip the pages unbothered, he has a sports watch on his left wrist, and from what she can see, the top of his head is an organized bumpiness. Loc'd hair that has been braided down.

This man is their jailer, Mr. Dickerson.