Suzy had never been to the Principal's office before. There was something about the threat of getting sent there that made the biggest troublemakers sit quietly. She never considered herself to be a troublemaker, yet here she was. She sat outside the office on the chairs lining the wall and waited. Cuddles sat next to her, sprawled out on a few chairs. His head was in her lap and he could feel her sadness and disappointment. The clock slowly ticked by on the wall and Suzy sat quietly in the waiting room, looking down at Cuddles' head and gently petting it. She heard the sound of a door opening, and she looked up to see another girl walk in and sit down next to her. The other girl seemed a few years older than her, with wavy blond hair. She reached into a backpack and pulled out a thermos, the type where the cap seemed to double as a cup. She opened it and poured some tea into it. It smelled rich and fragrant, like no other tea Suzy had seen or smelled before. The girl took a long sip and then turned to look at Suzy.
"So," She said, "What are you in trouble for?"
"It's a long story," Suzy said.
"I don't mind," The girl said. "It's not like I'm going anywhere. I'm Alexis, by the way."
"I'm Suzy, and this is Cuddles," Suzy said, looking down at his head.
"Nice dog," Alexis said. "Unique. Where'd you get him?"
"Anubis."
Alexis raised her eyebrows and took a long sip of tea. "I'd probably be more skeptical if he wasn't made of bones. Kinda hard to ignore."
"I was hoping he'd be able to help," Suzy said, "But it seems everyone just got scared."
"So what exactly happened?" Alexis asked. Suzy obliged.
That morning, Suzy had headed to school with her dad. Cuddles sat in the back seat with her, a large sheet next to the both of them.
"Now, Suzy," Her dad said, "Are you sure you want to do this? I know you said he listens to you, but I still don't think it's a good idea."
"If I can show people how cool Cuddles is, then maybe people won't be so wary of Anubis."
Suzy's dad sighed. "Alright, I won't stop you. If Anubis trusts you to do the right thing, I should too. Call me if anything happens, alright?"
Suzy nodded and got out of the car. It was still early, and most kids hadn't arrived yet. She gripped Cuddles' leash and took a deep breath before heading into the school. She made it into her classroom without anyone seeing her, and sat down at her desk. Cuddles sat down next to her chair, and she told him to stay still as she draped the sheet over him. She wanted him to be a surprise, to impress people as she revealed him for the Show and Tell. He stayed there still as a stone, waiting for Suzy to ask him to do something. They sat in silence for a while, waiting for the day to start. The Show and Tell would take place in the first hour, so they only had to wait a little while longer. Out the window, Suzy could see the school bus pull up outside the school, and the air filled up with the sound of children piling off the bus and heading inside, talking and laughing.
The door to the classroom opened, and people began piling in. They were all talking among themselves, some carrying other things for Show and Tell. Suzy felt something coming from Cuddles, an unrest. She figured that if Cuddles could tell how she was feeling, it'd make sense that it works the other way around too. Normally he seemed rather carefree and happy when he was near her, but now it was different. So many different sounds and smells, so many new people around that he didn't know. He seemed tense, and Suzy put one hand on him over the blanket to calm him. He seemed to relax a bit but was not comfortable here. Finally, the chatter settled down as the children got into their seats and the teacher walked in.
"Good morning, class," She said, smiling at them. "Did everyone have a good weekend?"
The teacher took roll call, and Suzy felt Cuddles' slight panic when she raised her hand off the sheet to respond to the teacher. She quickly set it back down as soon as she could, and Cuddles felt relieved a little. Suzy began to think that this may not have been the best idea, but it was too late now. She never considered that Cuddles wouldn't like crowds. How could she have known? She'd never taken him out where there were a lot of people before, and whenever she'd seen another dog outside it seemed fine. She took a deep breath and patted him a little. She hoped they'd be able to get through this.
The roll call ended, and Suzy watched as the other children took out their items for Show and Tell from bags and backpacks, setting them on their desks.
"So," The teacher said, "Who'd like to come up and present what they brought first?"
Suzy raised her hand, if only to get it over with for Cuddles' sake. She was sure that if they calmed down and tried to pet him, he'd relax too.
She came up to the front of the class and the sheet followed her, making a clacking sound on the floor as it went. The rest of the class grew quiet, their chatter lowering to a whisper. She pulled off the sheet, and there was silence for a moment, then she heard a shriek. Suzy turned around to see the teacher hiding behind the desk.
"S-Suzy," She mumbled, trying to sound cheerful as usual, "What is that?"
"It's Cuddles, my dog." Suzy turned back to face the rest of the class and saw their faces. Some were shocked and some seemed scared. One of the bigger boys that liked to tease was pale, and it almost looked like he was about to throw up. In the last moment of silence, Suzy looked down and her eyes met Cuddles'. Then there was an explosion of sound from the class. More screaming, shouting and sounds of terror erupted from the class. Cuddles nuzzled his head into Suzy hard, as if to try and hide from everyone. He pushed past her and scrambled under the teacher's desk, only to have the teacher jump back with a start. She tried to regain her composure and quiet the class, but it just got louder. Suzy felt Cuddles get more and more afraid. He felt like he just wanted to hide, to be far away from them. Suzy felt this rise in him, to the point where she felt like he might burst.
A sound rose above all the other ones and quieted them. Cuddles let out a deep, loud bark that sounded like it came from across the street, as well as from inside your eardrums. It echoed throughout the class, and everyone stood stock still. The teacher crept up to Suzy and put a quivering hand on her shoulder.
"Now, Suzy," She said, "It's bad to scare your classmates like that."
"But Cuddles is real! I told you before, and you didn't believe me!"
"That's no excuse for bringing something scary into the classroom. It's never nice to scare people."
"Cuddles isn't scary!" Suzy exclaimed. "He just likes to be petted and to nap and play."
"I think you should go and see the principal," The teacher said. "You should take Cuddles with you."
Suzy looked around the room once more and saw her classmate's scared faces. It hadn't worked out well at all. Suzy had hoped they'd all love Cuddles like she did, that they'd see how nice and sweet he was. If they could do that, Suzy figured they might feel the same way about Anubis. But when she saw how people looked at Cuddles and got scared, Suzy's heart sank. She reached under the desk and picked up Cuddles' leash with one hand while patting him with the other. He felt reassured, and slowly stepped out from under the desk. The teacher kept her distance as Suzy headed for the door, with Cuddles very close behind her.
"I'm sorry for scaring you", Suzy said as she turned to the other kids. "I just wanted to show you how nice he is." And with that, she headed towards the Principal's office.
Alexis sat there, listening to the story and sipping her tea. When Suzy finished, Alexis offered her a sip of tea. Suzy tasted it, and it was much better than any tea Suzy had ever had before. She gave Alexis the cup back and thanked her.
"Man, that reason's a lot cooler than why I was sent in here," Alexis said.
"And why was that?" Suzy asked.
"Someone claimed I cursed them. It happens every now and then."
"Did you?" Suzy asked. She hadn't heard of people using curses nowadays.
"That's not the point," Alexis said. "Just because my goddess is Hecate people blame me whenever they get any bad luck. It's like they're asking to be cursed again."
Suzy nodded thoughtfully. "They judge you before getting to know you," She said.
"Exactly," Alexis said, and looked Suzy over again. "You're pretty cool, you know."
"Really?" Suzy said.
"Most people don't have skeleton dogs, much less bring them to school to show their classmates." Suzy figured this was probably true. Alexis leaned over to scratch Cuddles behind where his ear would be. He seemed more relaxed now, and was quite enjoying the scratching.
"Do you like dogs?" Suzy asked.
Alexis nodded. "I've got three at home. They can be a handful at times but they're great."
They sat in silence for a moment, before Suzy spoke up again.
"What does the principal do to punish people?" She asked.
"Oh, it's generally no big deal," Alexis said. "Unless you definitely meant to do something mean, he'll normally just talk to you and ask you not to do it again."
"Oh," Suzy said.
"Besides," She added, "I've got a foolproof ticket out of trouble this time. Someone I know is in town that can get me off the hook."
"Really?" Suzy asked. "Who is it?"
"It's the High Priestess of Isis," Alexis said. "I know her through a friend. All she has to do is tell the principal she doesn't sense any magic here and I can go free."
"Can I meet her?" Suzy asked. She'd never met another High Priestess before, and was curious to see what they were like.
"Sure," Alexis said. "She should be coming along any minute."
They sat waiting for a few minutes, and then the doors opened and a woman strode in. She seemed to be around the same age as Suzy's mom, and wore a shawl on her shoulders. The Principal came out of his office as well, and greeted her politely.
"Good morning," he said. "We don't often get a visit from an acclaimed High Priestess here."
She smiled a warm, reassuring smile. "I happened to be in town and someone I know asked me to come. It seems they are being accused of casting curses."
The Principal nodded. "It's not the first time Alexis here was accused by someone of cursing people."
The High Priestess nodded and smiled warmly again. "Many people attribute bad luck and circumstance to the followers of gods who practice magic. I myself have suffered these accusations as well."
"So there's no curses going around?" The Principal asked. He seemed reassured.
"In the future, perhaps consider taking these accusations with a grain of salt. One would not want to make a god angry for rashly judging their followers."
The Principal nodded. "Of course, Ma'am. Thank you for your insight."
The High Priestess smiled again, and turned to look at Suzy. "Hello," She said. "What's your name?"
"That's Suzy Miller," The Principal said. "It seems she's the new High Priestess of Anubis, according to her parents."
The High Priestess smiled wider. It was the kind of smile where the person doesn't show their teeth, and feels calm and reassuring. "Nice to meet you, Suzy Miller," She said before turning back to the Principal.
"Why is she waiting in here?" She asked.
"She brought a skeleton dog into the classroom for Show and Tell and frightened everyone, including her teacher."
"And you aren't scared?" The High Priestess asked, looking down at Cuddles.
"You don't become principal of an elementary school without getting used to surprises, Ma'am."
"Of course. So, is she in trouble?"
The Principal pondered this. "I'm not sure," he said. "I'll have to think about it."
"Mr. Matthews," The High Priestess said, her voice keeping a calm and steady rhythm, "The position of a High Priestess is tricky and can be confusing to others. Gods work in mysterious ways, and what can seem chaotic to others may be an intricate and delicate path that a god has planned. And what mortal can oppose the will of the gods?"
Principal Matthews stood silent for a moment. "Of course," He finally said. "How could I refuse?"
The High Priestess smiled and turned to Suzy. "Good. Now that that's settled, would you like to come with me for a moment? We have matters to discuss."
Suzy got up to go, and Alexis got up as well. Cuddles jumped off the chairs and stood next to Suzy.
"Oh, and Suzy," Principal Matthews called after her, "Could you perhaps discuss things with your god before bringing your, um, dog back to school again?"
Suzy nodded. "I will. Thank you, Mr. Principal."
The High Priestess of Isis walked out of school, with Suzy and Alexis in tow. Once they were clear of the school, she spoke again.
"Alexis, I really feel like you should stop cursing people you disagree with."
"They had it coming," Alexis muttered.
"Now now," She said, "There are plenty of things one can do without magic."
They reached the street in front of the school, and an older, black car pulled up. There was classic rock that rattled on from an ancient cassette player in the dashboard. The teenager driving it had pins in his jacket and a patch in the shape of an ankh on his arm. Alexis headed towards the car and hopped in the back, while the High Priestess turned to face Suzy again.
"There is much we should speak of, Suzy of the House Miller. There are great things to come, and you should learn more about being a true High Priestess."
"I'd like to know more," Suzy said. "I want people to recognize Anubis as a kind god."
The High Priestess nodded. "A noble ambition. I will send this follower of mine to bring you some time so we can talk. Goodbye for now."
She got into the front seat, and the car drove off. Suzy decided to head home for today, and tell her parents what happened. She was disappointed that no one seemed to like Cuddles except for Alexis, but she was also excited. Maybe the High Priestess of Isis could show her how to serve Anubis properly, and then people would treat him nicer. Suzy thought about this, and began to walk home.