High Impact || Genshin Impact H.S AU

Chapter 6.7

“Get in,” Jean said sternly, opening her window a bit to communicate it across to Barbra. Barbra nodded and dashed to the passenger seat, opening the door, and sitting down. Jean begins to speed off while Barbra was getting her seat belt, causing her to yelp a bit.

“Jean you’re going over the speed limit,” Barbra said, noticing the car’s speedometer being 10 miles over the speed limit posted. Jean grimaced, her body coursing with adrenaline and fear, worrying for the lost child. She lost one member of her family and she refuses to lose another.

“Barbra look around, and see if you can find her,” Jean ordered, eyes on the road as she passes the many cars and speeds through the street, yet still unsure of where she was going. Barbra nodded, pressing her face against the glass and eyeing for a small girl with blonde hair.

A few minutes pass and Jean could still feel her body was on fire, agitated and scared at their lack of success. Barbra seemed to be getting lackluster at searching for Klee via the window, just leaning and casually looking out the window.

“Jean, where would she go?” Barbra asks. Jean thinks for a few moments, unsure. Today was supposed to be about Klee in her eyes, being one of Alice’s days off. Having fun and making memories like they always do. Then it clicks, Jean gasps and swerves, suddenly turning the car down another street.

“Ah! Jean be careful!” Barbra cried out, clenching her nails into the armrests. Jean only grimaced, deciding to ignore some traffic rules in favor of Klee. The things she would do for the girl go beyond a lot farther than what some people may think.

Jean accelerates the gas pedal, moving the car faster till they eventually turn down the street. Jean felt a chill goes down her spine as she remembers the red car that passed them, Alice in tow, and heading off into the large world.

She swallows, feeling her heart sting in the memory of it, being so fresh and new. But now she needed to focus on the child, Klee, and make sure she was safe.

Eventually, they arrive at the house, Alice’s now-abandoned house. Jean sees the door has been opened, remembering she locked it earlier and left the key under a rock. Something that Jean knows Klee knows.

“Klee!” Jean cries out, parking the car and taking out the key. Barbra dashes out and goes ahead inside the house. Jean follows behind before she is suddenly interrupted by her phone, vibrating of all sudden.

“Alice?” Jean wonders, pulling the phone out. Instead, her heart freezes, seeing it was Superintendent Signora. She gulps, nervous. she knew she couldn’t refuse the call or else she could risk getting fired so slowly she accepted the call.

“Hello Superintendent Signora,” Jean says as calmly as possible, her body shaking a bit.

“Hello Jean, I heard the tragic news that Alice decided to run away, leaving the child behind,” Superintendent Signora said coldly and quickly. Jean was baffled, unsure of how the lady had heard such news so quickly. She hadn’t told anyone about it whatsoever other than Barbra or Klee.

“W-what? H-how do you-” Jean asks, but Superintendent Signora quickly shuts her down.

“Don’t ask, I have connections. Anyway, I’m just informing you that if the parent is unable to care for the child and doesn’t have a guardian ASAP, it will be deported to an orphanage,” Superintendent Signora stated. Jean felt her gut drop, realizing that Klee was now alone. She knew that the child couldn’t live alone like a few older high schoolers and would thus be unable to succeed through the Genshin District program to become successful in life.

“Also, since Alice upended her terms of the agreement, the child will pay for the consequences and be suspended, long enough to make it hurt,” the fair lady continues. Jean went cold, understanding what she was saying.

Jean has seen the same punishment befall on other students, knowing at first it seems harmless, but with the suspension counted on her record, it will make her look bad and fail to go to college. Unable to go to college, means violating the terms of agreement for the Genshin District and result in a massive debt that can last for all your life. Klee, being abandoned didn’t deserve any of that.

At the moment, Jean could imagine the sweet Klee, eventually growing older only to be bombarded with not going to college and then getting stuck in debt, left to the streets of Mondstadt and unable to be successful in life. She didn’t want that for Klee, knowing the child is truly amazing and special, capable of so much and she refuses to let the child be ruined because of her mother’s mistakes. With a deep breath, Jean made an inevitable decision.

“Don’t do that,” Jean protested, hearing a sharp inhale on the other end from the fair lady. “I-I will take in Klee, be her guardian, and as for the violation,” Jean continues, then whispering, “I’ll turn it in for a favor, anything you wish, I’ll give to you,”. Her heart pounded, nervous as hell for what the unpredictable and terrifying lady would have to say. She hears a sneering laugh.

“Okay, anything I wish for, you’ll have to do,” Superintendent Signora says.

“Yes,” Jean confirms, feeling a sense of moral wrongdoing. She feels like she was making a deal with the devil, shaking it hands. She can only hope whatever the fair lady wished for wasn’t something illegal.

“Alright, you know where to find the paperwork, I want it done by next week,” the fair lady says before hanging up. Jean lets out a bit sigh of relief, grateful to have that somewhat smoothed over. Yet in the back of her head, a lingering voice panicked about the possibilities of Superintendent Signora’s wish. The woman was merciless and could easily make Jean do something dirty, but Jean knows she’ll do what she can for Klee’s future, no matter what.

Jean heads inside the house, about to announce being Klee’s new guardian.