Sagas

{2} It's hard to say goodbye ~ P

Principal Katherine Evans was everything I expected her to be: classy and beautiful with a no-nonsense aura. She was adorned in jewelry, had full makeup on, and looked young and fit. The wrinkles on her hands were the only things that showed her age.

"Good morning, ma'am," I greeted, when I got into the office.

"Miss Kuro, it's such a pleasure to meet you. Come over and sit down. Let me take a good look at you." She said, looking me over and pointed to the chair opposite her.

I pulled out the chair and sat down. "So beautiful," she said, nodding approvingly, "and intelligent too. Congratulations on your scholarship and welcome to Excel High."

"Thank you," I replied.

"I need to go over some things with you. We will be done in a few minutes, and you can get settled in." She folded her hands on the table and focused fully on me. "I'll admit I didn't know a lot about your condition until I heard about you. I had to do extensive research on haphephobia to understand it, but now I do, and I will do all I can to support you and ensure you enjoy your year with us." Principal Katherine said.

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate that." I really did. It was all going better than I had expected.

"But you mentioned that you'd like to keep this quiet?"

"Yes, as quiet as possible," I answered. No one needed to know. I wanted something close to a normal life this year, and that meant not walking around with a label on my forehead. People feared things they didn't understand. I learned that the hard way through the years.

"I understand your decision, and I'll do as you wish, but you must be careful, and also know you can always come to me if you need help." She gave me a tender smile that formed creases at the corners of her eyes.

"I will. Thank you again for understanding."

"You are my student now, and we take top priority in the safety of our students." She said as she went through some files on her table. "Here," she handed a red file to me. "It contains the schedule for your meetings with your therapist and a letter you would take to your class master to get everything else you need."

I opened it and went through the papers. There was a typed letter addressed to someone, asking the person to give me uniforms and my list of books. The second paper contained information about my meeting sessions with my therapist; we would meet via Skype on Thursdays at a certain venue. I checked the name of the therapist I would be seeing and relaxed when I saw Dr. Joan's name. I had specifically told the school I wanted to continue with her, despite how many professionals they had. It took a while for Dr. Joan and I to get to where we were, and I couldn't stand the thought of starting afresh with a new person.

"We did as you asked. It is Dr. Joan." I nodded and smiled. I was grateful for everything so far. The principal had respected my requests and made me feel welcome.

"I'll make the best of my stay here," I said, but what I truly meant was that they wouldn't regret having me.

"You better. I take pride in my students excelling, and I have a strong feeling that you would make me immensely proud."

I didn't respond to that. I had no intention of making anyone proud. I just wanted a hiding place and a quiet life, but she wasn't done talking.

"You said in your application that you run tracks?" She asked.

"Yes, but not anymore," I answered. I only put it there because it was compulsory to add a sports activity you were good at.

"But you used to at some point?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.