A Smile to Hide (CYOA/WWYFF)

Chapter 34

    Principal Rhoda gives you some immediate guidance when socializing with your peers.  Since you’re human, you should obviously stay away from things whose diet does include humans, although this school doesn’t allow any species with an all-human diet, just as human students aren’t allowed to eat any of the other beings.  If such a being should interact with you, she suggests trying to be friendly first, but if things do turn for the worst, find your friends or a teacher.  Vice Principal Ymir gruffly adds that just because most humans are frail and usually don’t have any aggressive psychic or magical abilities, it doesn’t mean that anyone would go easy on you.  The rest of the advice given was about basic etiquette, and then the conversation turned to school customs such as seasonal festivals, when you can use the phones for personal use, what you should do if you get hurt or injured, and that fights wouldn’t be tolerated. 

    “Do you see those statues hanging from the center of the cross arch of the ceiling?”  Vice Principal Ymir asks, pointing a finger up which barely passes above her head.

    Still walking, you look up and see the gangly bat-like stone statues, and all the ones, lined up each in the center of where the cross arches meet.  You had also seen similar ones on the outside of the school, and near the windows.  “They’re gargoyles, right?”

    “Yes, very good.  These gargoyles, act as surveillance cameras, even when they are stone.  That means that you can’t get away with much, if anything, here.  Keep that in mind when you plan your mischief.”

    “Good to know,” you say lightly, not that you really were planning on pulling off any practical jokes at the moment.

    On the way to the cafeteria, talking more about school-related subjects, and asking questions about you, Principal Rhoda recognizes one of the students.  Her ghostly pale appearance is hard to miss.  “Ah, Miss Zandra!  Good timing.  We were just about to drop yer new roommate off at the cafeteria.  Why don’t yeh take her there instead and get to know each other a bit.  Show her around too.”

    Zandra hesitates, looking between you and the stack of books in her arms, but continues to smile.  “Yes, of course.”  Her voice has a high edge to it, like a little boy’s just before they hit puberty.  Her silvery-white pixie style hair and her strong angled jaw along with her purple and gray striped sweater tucked into her baggy denim overalls makes her look even more like a boy.  Zandra doesn’t even reach five feet, giving her an even more younger appearance.

    “Ah, good.  I was worried I wouldn’t make it in time for the meeting this morning.  Thank you, Miss Zandra.  I hope yeh enjoy Fintan’s, Kimberly, and if yeh have any problems, yeh can always come see me at my office.”

    Vice Principal Ymir stands in front of you with a pinched face.  “Don’t do anything stupid.”

    “Yes, ma’am,” you reply, only to not seem disrespectful.  Seeing Vice Principal Ymir grunt and then follow Principal Rhoda makes you realize that you had been holding in an exasperated sigh.

    Zandra chuckles.  “Don’t worry about the vice principal, she’s like that with everyone.  You’re Kimberly Upshaw, right?  The principal told me last night that I would be getting a new roommate soon, but I didn’t think if would be this soon, so I’m sorry that the room is still a mess.  I’ll clean it up right away, but anyway my name’s Alexandra, though I prefer Zandra, but if you want to call me Ally, or Alex or anything, really, that’s quite OK.  I heard you’re from North or South Carolina—I totally forgot which one, I’m sorry—but what’s it like over there?  Are the people nice?  What about the demographics?  I find it fascinating that the ethnicity percentage is different from state to state and even from city to city, and I always wonder why that is so I’ve been working on mapping everything, but it’s kind of hard to do even with all of these books and . . . I am so sorry.  People have said that I ramble and talk too much.  I didn‘t put you off, did I?”