Alice

chapter four

Mrs. Jackson glanced up at her love, and smiled sweetly. "Hey baby," she said back.

Mr. Jackson walked up next to her, and bent down to read what she was typing. "How's it going?" he asked, sticking his face playfully closer to her work.

Mrs. Jackson shoved him away, laughing. "Don't look," she chuckled. "I'm not done."

"You've been working on that thing for three damn years," he laughed. "When will you be done?"

Mrs. Jackson put her typewriter away, and stood up, walking across the room to the counter to rinse out her white mug. "Well, when you're running an orphanage, you don't get much 'free time'", she said, turning the faucet on, letting the cool water touch her fingers.

"We haven't gotten any free time," Mr. Jackson said cheekily. "Remember when we first met? At the high school dance?"

Mrs. Jackson laughed aloud. "You took me to your car, and we were there for the whole dance, and we did something you called 'playing'," She dried her mug with a small towel and set it down my the coffee maker. She stared at her husband, top and bottom. God, what a handsome devil, she thought. She brushed back her red hair and walked up to her lover.

"Yes, indeed I do remember that," he giggled. "To bad we can't do it again." He smirked.

Mrs. Jackson caressed her her husband's gorgeous face, and smiled at him with compassion. "Bernard, I am fifty-five years old. Our ten children are gone, living their lives. We are retired, finished, through," she said quietly, petting her husband more.

Mr. Jackson sighed. "Can I at least have a smooch?" He begged, smiling at his wife.

"Oh, sure. Mrs. Jackson placed her glossed lips upon Bernard's, and closed her eyes. She stroked his back, while her lover giggled and sorted his hands through her hair.

"I love you," Mr. Jackson moaned, removing his lips from Mrs. Jackson's.

"I love you too," she said, giving him a gentle hug.

Suddenly, the morning bell rang. Mrs. Jackson flinched, then laughed. "Well," she said. "Duty calls." She walked up to the announcer, and pressed the big red button.

"Everyone, please get into your outfit and go to breakfast," she said, then pressing the red button again.

Alice picked a blue skirt, and a white shirt with a blue wool sweater from her little drawer beneath her bed. She also snatched her pure silver bracelet, a black bow, and followed to the girl's changing room. Alice stared around the halls as she walked through them. She was awestruck by the artistic paintings of beautiful scenes. But Alice accidentally bumped into the same redheaded girl, making her stumble. The redhead shoved Alice like a worthless dog, spitting in her face. "Watch where you're going bitch!" she said, walking away with her ugly friends.

Alice stood there, tears swelling up in her eyes. She felt horrible. She felt exactly like Sarah said, the ugly duckling in the flock of perfections. She heard Sarah walk up to her, and felt her hand touch her shoulder. "It's ok Alice," she said sweetly. "Just ignore them. Block those half-hearted jerks. Say, during recess we could swing together."

Alice looked at her friend, and smiled gently. Well, Alice thought. If I am to be stuck here, at least I have Sarah. Then Alice nodded her head, accepting Sarah's kind gesture. "Sure," she said. "That sounds great."

Sarah returned the kind smile. She offered her hand, Alice took it, and they walked to the changing room.

Once all the children had changed into their unique, fine clothing for the day, they all streamed into their classroom, like ants in their carved tunnels. Teachers young and old awaited them, ready to give them knowledge for the outside world. Some were gentle as the touch of a baby bird. But others were as cruel as slave drivers. And unfortunately, Alice and Sarah's teacher was one of those slave drivers.

Her name was Maria Wellsworth, but her class called her Ms. Wellsworth. She was about six feet tall, seventy, green eyes, and a river of white hair upon her head. That day, she wore a white dress that blended in with her white hair. Her hair was in a bun, and she had on a gold ring with a diamond in the center on her middle finger. One thing that made her much more terrifying, she fought in WWII. She knew anyone's weak points. Her whips hurt more then a baseball bat, and she was as strong as an ox. But, her bones were weak. She couldn't fight like she once did. But her whips still did hurt. A lot.

"Good morning class," she said aloud, glaring across the room at each child, and they settled down instantly.

"Good morning Ms. Wellsworth," they all said in chorus.

"Yesterday," she began. "Many of you failed your math test. And those of you who did, you know what must happen."

At least five of the thirty-some children all went pale. They all stood up: One black haired chubby girl, one unusually skinny bow with blonde hair, a tall boy with a brown military buzz, and two twin girls. They all lined up in front of Ms. Wellsworth's desk. Their knees buckling and their hands trembling. One at a time, Ms. Wellsworth brutally whipped them twice on the arm with a ruler. Oh my god, Alice thought, staring with fear and sympathy at the suffering children. What is wrong with that wretch?

Ms. Wellsworth set her ruler down, and stood up in from of the chalkboard. "Those who have failed the test with also get a re-do. And if you fail that, you'll leave this classroom with bruises the size of a brick."

The children that god whipped slowly walked back to their desks, a few were crying, and others just had tears in their fear filled eyes. Alice cast a hateful glare at the woman, rage swelled in her, for she hated abusive people who hurt children. Especially children that are not even twelve.

"Now," Mrs. Wellsworth said, standing straight and with her hands behind her back as they do in the army. "Get out your history books from in your desk, and read chapters twelve through twenty. Afterwards we are doing a quiz."

Alice glared at the woman one last time, then she followed Ms. Wellswroth's instructions. Alice took out her rather large history book, opened it up, and began reading.