Dark Waters (Warriors S1B5)

Chapter 13

Six of us nodded. Frazz looked like he might say something to the contrary, but Max and Jay shot him glares, and he gave a thumbs-up instead. 

Mr. Cole suspired. "Fine. We'll continue. Dismissed."

The others got up and evanesced in hued scintillations of light. I adjourned in my seat.

"Daphne, was there something you wanted to discuss?" Mr. Cole inquired.

Four sets of eyes locked on me. My eyes straggled down to the table. "Why don't you want us to continue?" I finally catechized in a maunder.

"Do you want to have children, Daphne?" 

"I...think so."

"When you have children of your own, you'll understand. For now, go home. Rest."

Earth date: 01/09/2012, 08:00

Monday eventuated with an assembly. I draggled my class down to the auditorium. I hied Keenan Carter, who bored at me but didn't do anything otherwise. 

I was reposed between two students, Russell Hampton and Neil Craig, who knew each other but didn't know me. I beetled back as they confabulated around me.

"What's the assembly about?"

"Don't know! Nobody said."

"Do the teachers know?"

"Ask one of them."

Before they could, Mr. Cole locomoted out onto the stage and raised a hand for cessation. "Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance," he said. 

I stood with everyone else. The Pledge of Allegiance was one thing I would never get used to about America. But I declaimed it anyway and sat down with everyone else afterwards.

Mr. Cole stood reticent behind the podium for a moment. I wasn't rooted abutting to the stage, but even from my locality nigh the mezzo of the auditorium, I could behold Mr. Cole had the sides of the podium in a death grip. Finally, he undertook, "10 years ago, I transitioned from a military career to being principal of this fine school. I went from military life to education because in many ways, the two are opposites. A good soldier follows orders. A good student thinks for themself. A good military makes the world better with might. A good school makes the world better with knowledge. The military has you dealing with mostly adults. In education, all your focus is on the children. After 15 years of military life, of orders and ranks and writing home to newly childless parents, the idea of working with children, helping them to become their own person, sounded lovely. And it has been. 10 years, hundreds of thousands of students, and I have so much to show for it. I wake up every day excited to come to work. I've watched from afar as students of mine have started fantastic careers. I've gotten a couple of wedding invitations from members of the 8th grade class of my first year."

Mr. Cole paused. He looked out into the audience. I squirmed in my seat, because I was certain he was looking at me.

"So, it is with great hesitance that I announce that this school year will be my last as your principal."

The auditorium laded with gasps. Students goggled at each other, mutely instituting each other if this was Mr. Cole's idea of a prank. Teachers clapped hands over their mouths and started to whisper to one another.