He raised an eyebrow.
Nothing.
He leant forward over steepled fingers and let a slow malicious smile spread over his face.
Still nothing.
He let his face fall into a deep frown as he prepared a suitably subtle insult to crush her spirit, but before he could stick the knife in-
"OOOO! I love your paper knife! Is the handle a viper?!"
She sat on a hard-backed chair before his wide, imposing desk. Practically radiating sunlight. Sunbeams and excited flowers and enthusiastic hmm…kittens? No, she was more of a puppy, an eager, desperate-to-please pup with a-
"I'm just so excited to be here! I love how old the school is! And I bet you have a huge library and I heard you have a ballroom and a pool and-and-and a big gymnasium-!"
Hmph. So she's perky. Time to break out the big guns. He'd be damned if anyone saw a pupil leave his office looking anything less than heartbroken. He stood slowly, his long, thin frame unfolding and strode gracefully around his room, stopping to adjust a thick curtain or stroke the spine of a book, and he spoke as he checked his fingers for dust and slowly paced the room.
"I'm sure you're aware of this Academy's long and illustrious history. Our alumni go on to achieve great things and are consistently the leaders in their chosen fields and therefore we have set the bar understandably high - and bars are what have landed you here, amongst the bright, the brilliant, the talented and those destined for greatness.'
Her wide green eyes followed him, drinking in every drawn-out word.
' Your international achievements in the field of gymnastics are what led you to our school and what won your admission. Quite simply, we chose to overlook your practically non-existent academic attributes- home schooling by your mother, a bizarrely eclectic curriculum and so forth, based purely on the glory you can bring to this school through each little twist and turn on the parallel bars-'
He stopped behind her, placing long spidery fingers on each side of the chair -back. He bent low over her and whispered, soft as a snake -
'- But here there's no one who cares enough to catch you, so you'd better not slip up or you'll hit the ground so hard expulsion will be an act of mercy, and I myself will be watching your progress. Very. Closely….' He felt that warm fuzz inside as he waited for the tears to co-
'Really?! Oh, that is-, it's like, I've never even had a dad or like an uncle before! So I can come to you with any problems or just to say hi or –oo! I can bake! Do you like frosting!?'
She had stood up in an instant, practically on her tiptoes and vibrating with well-meaning excitement whilst Professor Sabri's brain switched into panic mode:
QUERY:UNCLE?/?
…NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON SUBJECT
SOLUTION:/ =?
WORKING…
…
…
…
FORCE QUIT FORCE QUIT FORCE QUIT FORCE QUIT
Without a word he herded the babbling teenager out of his office and slammed the door behind her. He turned around and leant against it, heart still hammering away, only to hear a loud Thump. He turned and saw several inches of blonde hair caught in the door. He watched, mind still reeling as the hair inched upwards in jerky movements 'til he slowly reached out, turned the handle of his thick, dark door and saw the blonde locks whisked away to freedom. He shut his door again, brain cooling, breathing slowing, leaving him calmer and blissfully alone-
-except for his old friend; the nagging stabbing pain in his leg. He sat down heavily at his desk cursing the dampness of the season that would cripple him in the coming months. Time to use that blasted cane again…
A sudden thought. A sudden passing fancy,
Maybe.…..just maybe… I should have it plated gold? To give it that gleam of power….?
He lifted the expensive cane to eye level, turning it slowly, smirk spreading:
' Yeessss….yeessssssss….the powerrrrrr'
So, mes amies, the new girl has arrived, bringing with her mystery, confusion and rays of sunlight that may heat..or burn! Will her dark past follow her to her new future? Who can say? But! Will it ambush her in the present? That, that is a stor-
"Clopin!"
Uh, um
"What are you doing!?"
I was, um, (be cool, just stay quiet I'll handle this, keep reading) I was merely admiring our magnifique trophy cabinet...
"Don't lie to me you little shit! You were narrating again weren't you?"
No! No! I swear I was talking to myself!
"You were narrating your arse off! I heard you!"
No, I, there was a-my friend was here, he -
"You've been warned countless times you French mentalist! This is going straight to your Head of House!"
No please! Please! I couldn't help it! Please don't I'm trying really hard – look! Look! No handpuppets this time!
"Get back to your class this instant or I'll slap your mouth shut!"
Yes yes, thank you! I promise no more narrating!
"Hmph…..french fruitcake."
Well. What are you looking at?
Yes, you, the chapters over, piss off, or if you feel like giving up on any pretence of a life could always read the rest of this tosh! After all, if I can train a parrot to sing-
-tended.
You just deleted me!
You just deleted me you little git! Go do something worthwhile with your life instead of writing bloody Disney fanfiction! No one ever made a li-I like shagging boy's bums
YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT! I do not like boys bums! And I res- I like boy's willies- ENOUGH! THAT'S IT!
I quit, you hear me? No more Clayton in the rest of this stupid exercise in loneliness! Go and get a few cats you spinsiter!
And use a full stop every now and again!
SLAM!
