Chapter 9- A Dish Best Served Cold
“Lara Blackwood!” A shrill voice called from behind me. I turned around in the crowded hallway and scanned the faces of the passing students. A stern face appeared through the crowd, parting them like the red sea as she walked in my direction.
“Oooh, you’re in trouble, girl!” Rachel joked from beside me while nudging me in the ribs. We had just left our Literature classroom when my name had been called.
“She probably just wants to see how I’m doing. I haven’t seen her since I started anyway.” I assured Rachel, as well as myself. Surely that must be what she wants…right?
Headmaster Andrews walked briskly towards me, stopping only a metre away. She tilted her head up and stared at me coldly.
“Lara, to my office. Now.” Her professional voice also held an under tone of anger. What had I done? I nodded quickly and turned back to Rachel who’s eyes were widened in worry.
“I’ll see you later, okey?” I said calmly. She just nodded and walked away. My head swivlled back to Headmaster Andrews only to find her walking ack the way she came. I followed her.
Worry weighed heavily in my chest. I had a feeling I was in trouble, I didn’t miss the slight venom in her voice when she told me to go to her office. Staring down at my black heeled boots, I walked calmly after her, thinking about my possible demise.
Headmaster Andrews was already waiting by her office door when I finally reached it. I walked past her as she held the door open, mumbling a quick ‘thanks’. She didn’t acknowledge it or even look at me. Oh shit, I thought that’s a bad sign. I sat in the unconfortable red leather high back chair in fron of her mahogany desk and waited for the scolding to begin.
“So I’m guessing you don’t want me here to see how I’m progressing?” I asked with a worried look. I already knew the answer to the question, but I had hoped to lighten the rather dull mood at least a little bit. No such luck.
Andrews sat with her arms folded under her chin and looked down her nose at me. I shifted uncomfortably under her disapproving gaze. My eyes glanced in every direction but her as I waited for her to say something.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking at the roof breily before reaching into a draw in her desk and removing a small square piece of paper. She slid it across her large desk and rested her slightly wrinkled hand on it for a moment before removing it.
I stared at the paper, completely frozen. Yep, I’m as good as dead. The paper was a photo. It was slightly blurry, like when you take a picture in the dark with a crappy camera and the light shifts all over the place.
My eyes squinted as I gazed at the image. An image of me. I was wearing my pyjamas and bunny slippers and was walking through the dark, towards the Academy. It was dark and the faint light coming from the tall lamp outside the Girl’s Dorms illuminated me.
My face was turned in the direction the photo was taken, my eyebrows furrowed slightly towards my dark brown eyes. My hair was caught mid flip, flying all over the place as I turned my head. Swallowing hard, my eyes lifted from the photo to meet with Headmaster Andrews cold eyes. The picture was taken last night, when I met with the others at the Lodge.
“Do you have any idea how much trouble students that sneak out, after curfew get in? This is very serious Lara! It is a very important rule of ours, here at Kuxe that students do not leave their dorms at night!” She put extra emphisis on the last part of her lecture, smacking the table hard enough to make my flinch back in shock. “It is a serious matter and there will be severe consequences!” I suddenly felt a tidal wave of Anger as I realized something.
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Lasting Impressions
Teen FictionYou only get one shot at a first impression and for seventeen year old Lara Blackwood, first impressions are lasting ones. So when she first found out her mother was forcing her to attend Luxe Academy for her senior year, she was furious. Lara expec...
