The Exiled Gem

Sweet Vengeance

The boys, however, did have their revenge. Life became wretched for Alexandra then.

It was bad enough before.

The next morning, her dormitory room door was locked from outside. She had a good idea who was behind it. There was a window, but it was at the second floor, how was she to jump from there? Besides, that morning was their first class with Master George. Problem number 3 and the biggest one: Alexandra had already got two fails this year, she hadn't completed the race, so she couldn't be passed, of course. Another one? DETENTION. What would she have to do in the detention?

She tried everything. Breaking the door, which was utterly impossible. Even tried jumping out of the window, but she faltered every time- which was good, for between detention and breaking your neck, everybody should choose detention. She pounded on the door, shouting. Nothing worked.

Then, leaning by the window, she spotted Owen walking past the hall. Alexandra called out to him- once, twice, thrice. She yelled herself hoarse at him, but he didn't look up. Finally she wrote "LOOK UP" on a paper, crumpled it and threw it upon his head.

Owen looked up.

'Help!' She demanded, perched on the window.

But he only grinned maliciously, laughed and went away, perhaps to tell his friends that their deal had worked.

'Damn it!' Alexandra yelled, and banged the window-sill in desperation, 'You mad, crazy, insane boys!'

All the three terms mean the same thing, Alexandra. Mind reminded her.

'Shut up!' She hissed back, at her own Mind- the logical part of her, one she didn't often listen to. 'Oh these second-rate commoners!' She added, like a perfect, mental princess. Jumping back down from the sill, Alexandra sat down cross-legged on the floor, breathing heavily and angrily, staring that wall as though it had locked her up.

* * *

In the afternoon, before lunch, when she lay on the mattress, starving and (she thought) dying, Alexandra heard the latch click. She got up hurriedly and pulled the door open, almost disjointing it at the hinges, and looked left and right.

No one.

And even if there was anyone, who would believe this? Boys had locked her up..? It was a serious accusation and then she had no proof.

'First things first.' Alexandra muttered to herself, 'I've got to tell Master George.'

However, no amount of explaining would get the Master to believe that she had indeed been locked.

'Why would they do that?!' He asked, frowning through his beard.

'Because I ... Fannel, got them to own up about sabotaging me earlier, in the race!'

'And proof?'

'I have none, sir...'

'So unless they own up to it, I can do nothing.' He clarified. And then, perhaps more to himself, he muttered, 'first of all, whoever heard of a woman spy? She WILL get teased and bullied.'

'Sir, you mean, the teasing and the bullying are not their fault, but mine?'

'What else, girl? Why do you want to do this? Stay at home, get married! You will get a good match, you are young and beautiful. This?' He advised, looking around at the campus, 'This is no place for a woman. I can talk to the King if you want.'

Alexandra felt rather angry and helpless, both at once. She had come to respect Master George by now- but he was proving difficult to understand and work with. Too stern. Too inflexible. Too perfectionist.