"So class can any of you tell me what the answer to this question is?" Mrs Clank asked, sharp green eyes roaming over every student, watching few avert their eyes to avoid answering, hands fidgeting in their laps. A few hands were up from the snobby brats who thought too high of themselves with a smirk on their face. Her eyes landed on a student who had a few beads of sweat rolling down her face, twisted into something that meant she needed the toilets.
"Yes Emily, can you tell me the answer?" she asked, deliberately delaying her to relieve herself.
"Um... actually Mrs...I...uh...need to go use the bathroom please?" she asked trying to force a smile for her teacher, whom she hated with her guts. Mrs Clanks smiled albeit too sweetly for Emily's like, but she did not drop her fake smile. She wasn't always harsh....she was in fact the most evilest woman she had ever come across, she never liked it when students missed the class for their own petty reasons such as going to the toilet. Honestly, couldn't they go beforehand or did they come to school sent with nappies?
"Of course Emily, but you know what that means though don't you?" Emily's moment of happiness was downplayed, she knew what was to happen if she went...two weeks of homework to be turned in for one week. Emily was usually a bright kid as she had no problem doing the work, so with her one devil of a smile, she replied, "Of course Mrs." Others were less fortunate, homework building up higher than their debts they would have to owe in the future.
The green eyed woman's smile turned into an ugly frown, tiny rows of wrinkled skin visible over a mile away. "Go on then, no more than five minutes."
No sooner had the words left her mouth, Emily went rushing out the class, slamming the door in haste... followed by a loud sorry which caused a few heads to pop out the doors.
Half an hour later.....
Mrs Clanks had 15 minutes to finish the lesson and Emily still had not returned. Probably has diarrhoea. Even telling herself this did not reassure the growing nervousness in her every minute passing by. I'll check on her after the lesson.
The bell had rung for break time and Emily was still not back. The students had quickly collected their papers, stuffing them into the bag already overfilled with other subjects. Mrs Clanks strolled over to Emily's desk to find anything unusual for her lateness to class. Nothing out of the ordinary.
She directed herself towards the girl's toilets hearing a few giggles and a few words of missing class and bunking. Of course she would. With a satisfied grin, she turned the corner, determined to give Emily the lecture of her lifetime. Opening her mouth to speak, she had then noticed a group of girls from the higher class staring at her as if she had swallowed a frog, the group walking away from her muttering something about weirdoes.
Suddenly feeling too hot out of embarrassment, she pushed the door open to be relieved by the cool air coming in from the small window open on the other side. Guessing a pervert had constructed this. Her first time being here, she was not quite fond of it already. Drawings on the walls, tissues on the floor, empty makeup bottles in the sinks and red fingerprint smudges on the edges of the porcelain sinks. So mostly a typical girls bathrooms to be precise.
Noticing one cubicle was locked, she called out "Emily? ....You in there?"
....
....
....
No response. Mrs Clanks had knocked on the door to find no answer still. Weird.
"Yes?" Mrs Clanks jumped on the spot, heart racing for a reason she couldn't define. Not Emily. "Sorry about that, you carry on." Walking away she heard a snort, and rolled her eyes. Now a new question lingered on her mind, where was Emily? The weather was too cold, with repeated forecasts of hail stoning and heavy rain to last all week for her to go out.
Exiting the bathroom, she looked at the clock to see she only had twenty minutes left to find her before she rang home and reported the absence. Silly girl where did she go? The school was not overly large, so finding Emily or her friends would not be a hassle, just time consuming. Walking around the school briskly, eyes scanning everything and everyone she could see, she was determined to find her and then punish her for wandering off.
Finding her was more important than the comments she had heard behind her back of being a pervert, and a few whistles aimed at her pristine figure. Hell, even the guys in senior had been caught openly flirting with her, which had resulted them being suspended for one week. Whether she took this as a compliment or felt disgusted no one could guess.
Finally spotting Emily's friends she walked up to them with a straight face, as she neared closer she heard a few whispers and hushing's about being quiet. She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled, looking at which one she knew best.
"Ah... Hannah was it?" she nodded. "Nice day isn't it?"
The girls looked at each other wondering if she had some crack that may have been offered to her. The weather was horrible and drying out their pubescent face, causing dry skin to appear from nowhere, scaring off potential boyfriends they had their eyes on.
Not even giving her a chance to open her mouth she asked, "You haven't seen Emily anywhere have you?" The girls nodded no, then noticed her frown, deep in thought.
Hannah answered, "She went to the toilets Mrs, haven't seen her since then, might have gone home Mrs."
The teacher looked curiously at her, thinking she was hiding something behind that innocent face of hers. Hannah's face dropped as she noticed her stare. The girls nodded to each other and then quickly scurried off, not wanting to be caught talking to her. Insolent girls.
The office. She walked to the office to find Emily's absence in the register, finger going down the long list of names, finding quite a few who regularly bunked school. Finding nothing in the book, she proceeded to ask the receptionist about her.
She hesitated looking at her profile. Black hair twirled around her fingers, nails painted by red and well-manicured. She was chewing a piece of gum like a goat with grass, not stopping in the slightest. She was busy on the phone, probably talking to her second boyfriend of the week, face heavily caked with makeup enough to last a few days.
She registered Mrs Clanks waiting for her, and put the phone down. "Oh hi Clarice you need anything?" She smiled nervously at the receptionist, and asked, "Hi Sophie, was wondering if you've seen Emily anywhere, you know the one with the blond hair, green eyes, the one seen hanging around with your sister, come here?"
Sophie stared at her blankly for a few seconds, before putting her finger on her chin and eyes rolled to her right side, thinking.
...
...
"Nope, haven't seen her here, sorry."
"Thanks." She walked away even more anxious. Break was nearly over and she had nothing on her yet. Oh why am I getting worried, she's probably around here snogging some guy secretly. She reassured herself yet again, but couldn't stop the little seed of doubt growing in her chest.
Bell had rung for lunch, all students running out the classrooms as though it was their last meal of the day. Staff had gathered into the staff meeting room, with the back door open for takeaway deliveries and smoking. Mrs Clanks sat on the computer going through her lessons, though her heart was not into it. She drowned out the mindless chatter in the background, nothing interesting going on.
".....yeah I know first time..."
"Must've been ill had a perfect record that girl..."
"Emily was her name wasn't it..."
"Haven't seen her all day... had an assignment to hand in...."
"Hey Clarice you've seen Emily haven't you today?"
Suddenly she could feel all stares upon her, some secretly accusing her of her disappearance. "Yea...Yeah I saw her she went toilet in my lesson, never came back, must've gone home." She laughed nervously and turned her head back to the computer. Not feeling it, she went to the office and proceeded to look up Emily's home number and dialed the number. She cautiously looked around to see anyone coming, hoping none questioned what she was doing.
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
"Hi this is Amelia Anderson, how can I help you?"
Mrs Clanks sighed with relief, "Hello Mrs Anderson, I'm just phoning up to tell you Emily has done really well so far in her studies and I thought I must tell you. She's been a bit unwell....," she paused not wanting to worry the parents, making up a white lie she carried on, "Yeah a bit unwell you see and maybe she could be sent home?"
"Oh that's unfortunate, we've been doctors and he said she'll be fine in a few days, nothing too much trouble, and we've given her medicine in the morning so she should be fine."
"Ok then, sorry for the trouble, goodbye Mrs Anderson."
"Goodbye."
Clarice put the phone down and leaned back into the chair. How's that possible, I said fucking bullshit and it was true? At least now I know she's not at home. So not at school or at home. The only place then was the nearby corner shop that sold over dated crap to customers. Walking back to the staffroom, she grabbed her coat and walked out the back door towards the shop.
She pushed the door open and the smell of tobacco and musty cardboard boxes invaded her nose, which she wrinkled her nose to in disgust. Looking around the shop she bought a chocolate bar and paid the money carefully not to touch the dirty hands.
"Umm... have any school girls come in here today?"
The man looked at her blankly and smiled, none too nicely. "Lots come in here, so be more specific."
She eyed him, "Blond hair, green eyes, has a red headband on?"
The man laughed rubbing his chin, "Well that's a girl I'm willing to take home any day."
"She's 13 you horrific animal," she said glowering at him.
He was taken aback, "So sorry lady, but no haven't seen no little girl in here." She walked out the shop and realized lunch was nearly over, I need to report her absence now, maybe someone else can...?"
As she neared the school, she heard the bell rang and sought out Mrs Huffman, the person responsible for safeguarding. She knocked on the door hearing a few papers shuffle, "Come in."
"Hi Audrey nice to see you."
She looked up, sighed and flatly said, "Same, what'd you need?"
Mrs Clanks didn't bother smiling for this man look alike, and responded, "A student of mine went to the toilets and never came back, her bags and coats in class, except her phone. No-one seen her go out or been in the corner shop."
"Probably hiding from you heh, heh." She wondered if she was meant to hear that or not, but nevertheless she ignored it. "So will you find her?" she inquired.
She waved her hand, "Yeah, yeah it's my job isn't it?"
Clarice smiled, "Thanks Audrey." She doesn't give a shit what happens to these kids, but at least she does her job well, though I have my doubts with the cash she has on hands all the time.
"Now get out!" Mrs Clanks huffed and never bothered closing the door behind her, hearing a few obscenities and the door slamming. Luckily no student was walking about.
Clarice had finally finished teaching the horrible brats she was assigned to, and went about collecting her belongings and leaving the door open for the cleaners. She grabbed Emily's stuff and locked them in the room behind her, where other confiscated things were kept, might sell these, serves them right for playing with them in my lesson.
Mrs Clanks had kept Emily in the back of her mind, cleaning her single, yet modern apartment and then heading straight to bed. I'll have a shower in the morning. She looked over to her husband's picture smiling with sad eyes, said goodbye and turned out the lights, hoping she received better news in the morning.