A Lifetime Ago

Chapter 32

(21 years old - September, First day as Headmistress)

I sighed as I tossed another outfit back into my wardrobe, unsatisfied with yet another. The next one I pulled out was not half bad and would have to do if I were not to be late for my first class. I know I shouldn't be too concerned with a thing as small as that but as the saying goes dress confident, act confident. Teenagers are like dogs and can pick up on the scent of fear within a second. I hurried out of the bedroom while adding a few pins into my updo.

"Eat." Saul commented, handing me half a bagel already buttered as I was passing the kitchen.

I took it from him appreciatively and gave him a quick peck on the lips before leaving the suite altogether.

I got to the classroom about five minutes before students started to arrive and seven minutes before the start of classes.

"Right, so" I started confidently gaining the attention of the students as I came around the large desk that resided at the front of the class and leaned against it. "Magic." I paused, letting the word hang in the air. It was a second year class but if I wanted things to change, there was going to be a ton of going back to the basics even with the third years. "It's an intricate thing that's been within our culture for as long as people have walked our world. To fully understand it, we need to understand the culture in which it thrives, our culture. So, who can tell me what culture is?" I was expecting to have to wait as they thought and mulled this over but instead I was greeted with more than a dozen eager students whose hands shot up the second I had finished speaking. "Yes, Monica." I nodded towards a girl with dark hair who sat in the second row of desks beside a blonde haired fairy.

"Culture is a collection of things that makes a certain group or civilization distinctable. These things could be language, food, music, clothes and so on." Monica finished, satisfied that she'd excelled in her definition.

"Not quite." I replied, holding in a small smile as her look of satisfaction turned to one of confusion. "Anyone else?" I surveyed the room yet no hands shot up the second time around. "Write this down," I paused for a moment as the students all shuffled around, grabbing their writing utensils and opening their notebooks to an empty page. And as I started to speak the enchanted white board marker scribbled on the board so they could all see the words as well as hear them as I slowly walked down the rows of desks. "Culture is the system of beliefs and values that result in human modes of acting, reacting and interacting."

And of course after a definition with such big words like the one I'd just given, there was a tone of questions about certain meanings or just the statement in general and how it comes to be. This class discussion took the rest of the block, but it was nice to see the students so engaged.

When the students were leaving the class, Saul slid in through the door, and waited, standing on the other side of my desk. "Need a hand with anything?" He asked, studying my expression trying to determine if the class had been a success or failure.

"Don't you have class?" I asked, smiling, as I sorted some papers into neat stacks.

"Not for about an hour."

"I'm doing just fine Saul." I looked up finally, my smile growing at his relieved expression.

After my morning classes had ended I retreated back to my new office to try and get through some of the piles of work that had seemed to be neglected by Rosalind for some time. I'd barely gotten into the paperwork when someone came through my office door without so much as a knock. I dropped my pen on the document ready to reprimand whoever had just barged in as well as my new assistant who'd just let them in; but I immediately dropped the headmistress masquerade when I laid eyes upon Sarah, and instead took up the friendly and caring 'almost sister in law'.

"Rosalind would've ripped me a new one for not knocking." Sarah replied, making her way to the couch in the corner and making herself at home.

"Trust me, I was about to." I replied, joining her.

Sarah laughed at the exhausted look I sported. "Who would've thought running a school full of teenagers would be so much work?" She teased.

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown, as the saying goes." I said, rubbing a hand across my brow.

"Well, if it helps you're more popular among the student body than Rosalind."

"Anyone would be more popular than Rosalind." I replied and we both got a good laugh out of that.

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(26 years old, May)

It was a beautiful sunny spring day. I was only supposed to be watching the kids in the morning, but by the time the afternoon came, I decided to hand my classes off to someone else and tell Saul that he doesn't need to worry about watching them after his sessions with the specialists. Yes, it was unusual for me to take a day off, but the weather was stellar and the kids were just so joyful.

After a long game of tag, everyone was worn out, even me. So we all laid down on the grassy hill watching as the clouds passed by and using our imaginations to describe them.

Terra was lying closely to me on my left, while Sky was on my right with Sam to his right. That's when I heard Ben's voice call out to me as he approached. "Where's Saul? I thought you were supposed to be teaching right now?"

"Didn't you and Saul both just confront me about working too much?" I asked, sitting up, full on knowing I'd won. "And now you're saying I should be working..?

Ben's face was a mix of panic and confusion as he searched for the right words. "What- Uh- Yes- I mean no- I don't know!"

After our little debate, we all returned back to Alfea, to grab the kids a snack and go about the rest of our days.

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(28 years old - Mid June)

It was a hot and sunny late afternoon. Classes had ended nearly an hour ago and the training grounds had been quickly deserted, as the students kept to the school in hopes of staying out of the sun.

Saul and I had made good use of this time. We were on one of the platforms, wooden swords in hand and sparing back and forth like there was no tomorrow. I was glad Saul had agreed to this. It felt good to finally let out some of the built up frustrations and tensions from the past year.

The swords swung back and forth, neither of us missing a beat, the silence was calming until Saul said something so out of the blue, I froze for a split second, but that was all the time in the world he needed to send me stumbling and on the ground.

"So, when are we ever going to have this wedding?" He stated calmly. I looked up at him, slightly shocked and without a clue on what to say. That's when Saul gave a small laugh, "I'm just messing with you. Why change what isn't broken?" He said pulling me back to my feet. "I don't need some silly ceremony or title to show how much I love you."

I processed this information slowly but carefully before responding. "You're not just saying this because of my reaction are you? Because I was just shocked-"

"Fay," he interrupted calmly. "I mean it."

"You really mean it?" I asked again.

"Well, when the time is right it wouldn't hurt. But that time is not now."

"I love you." I replied, before trying to catch him off guard with another attack, but he deflected like he saw it coming miles away.