Horse Stone (Book 1 of Ilyrian Series)

Chapter 14

We walked into the Headmaster's office one by one. We all stood at the back of the room, watching a Snape lookalike working on whatever.

"Is it me, or is he..?" Jen began but stopped when he cleared his throat.

"There will be no talking until I say that you can," the Headmaster said. "You are all late. I had expected you all here early, but you didn't show up. Now, you..." He glanced up and looked at us before looking back down. "...eight have to wait until I am finished."

"But, Headmaster, we were- Oof."

I jabbed my elbow into Izzy's rib cage, and she glared at me. I narrowed my eyes at her and flicked my eyes to him, silently telling her to shut up.

The Headmaster slammed his pen on his work and glared. His brown eyes turned darker, and I could tell that he was angry. "And, why were you eight late?" he asked. "Do tell so that I can finish my work."

I licked my lips, feeling anxious and nervous. I squeezed Nina's hand when she placed it in mine, reassuring her and me that we were alright.

"Well?" he asked.

"I had a small panic attack coming into the school," I said, and he looked at me. "My sisters wanted to make sure that I was ok, which is why they didn't enter."

"And, why did you have a panic attack?" he asked.

I shrugged, staying silent.

He sneered and wrinkled his nose in disgust, and my heart started to pound. "What? Can't answer a simple question? Do you really want to stay here and wait until I finish before I deal with you eight?"

My tongue went dry, and I could feel my heart racing faster. My whole body was tense, and I could feel myself start to panic again.

"She was scared of coming here," Gwen blurted out, noticing that my face was turning a couple of shades whiter. She cleared her throat when the Headmaster looked at her. "She panics over new places sometimes because she doesn't know what to expect."

"Ya," Izzy said, and he looked at her. "She panicked a lot on the trip to the new house." She shrugged her shoulder, acting indifferent, but I could tell that she was nervous. "It's annoying sometimes, but it happens."

"How often?" he asked, turning his gaze back to me.

"Not often," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "But..." I shrugged. "I go to therapy to help."

"Hmmm." He turned around in his chair and grabbed a big box that was beside his desk. "This is all of your stuff," he said, slamming it onto the table. He turned around again. "Your uniforms, shoes, maps of the school, class schedules, and agendas are in there." He picked up another box and slammed it on the table. "Books are in here."

"Have the uniforms been washed beforehand?" Jenny asked, raising her hand. She looked at us and shrugged. "What? Just wondering."

The Headmaster sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, they have been washed and ironed yesterday," he said, sounding bored. "The uniforms are to be worn every day, so you all will need to change be after we are done. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," we chorused.

"It's Headmaster, not Sir," he sneered.

"Yes, Headmaster," we chorused.

"Good." He looked at his work and sneered in disgust. "All of the lunches are at the same time. The twelfth grade through eighth grade are in Dining Room A. Seventh grade through third grades are in Dining Room B. And, second grade through kindergarten are in Dining Room C. Twelfth graders have the option to eat outside or the common area. The others have the option to eat in the common area. Just make sure that your teacher knows where you are going. Understood?"

"Yes, Headmaster," we chorused.

"There are no cell phones unless you are in the designated cell phone area or the nurse's office. Make sure that your phone is on silent or off." He paused and waited. "Now."

We took our phones out and made sure that they were silent before putting them back where they were.

"Hmph," the Headmaster said. "Now, go grab your stuff and get to class. Tomorrow, there will be punishment if you are late. Understood?"

"Yes, Headmaster," we said. Two of us grabbed the boxes with our stuff and started to make our way out the door.

"Oh, and Miss McCormick?" he asked, and all of us paused and looked at him. He sighed and shook his head. "The one that had the panic attack."

I hesitated but stepped forward, clutching my sister's hand. "Yes, Headmaster?" I asked.

"Be a Dear, and do not have another panic attack. They are... quite annoying."

My throat clogged up, and I tried not to panic. I had no idea if I could stop the panic attacks from happening and was nervous that I could be expelled over it. "Yes, Headmaster," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Good, now everyone, get out of my sight."