Yo, I don't own ADJL (sometimes I dream that I do - but I don't). Thanks again to my awesome reviewers! Enjoy!
"What? Mr. Rotwood, get away from me!" Rose tried backing away as Rotwood cornered her down. "It's PRINCIPAL! Vhy do you kids not understand zhis?" he stormed. "Principal Rotwood, I'm sorry! You know I have to obey his orders!" Rose fell to the ground. She was now being towered over by her principal. "What are you going to do?" she quivered. Rotwood grabbed her arms and lifted her to her feet and pinned her against the wall. "I'll give you one more chance!" he shook her. "I can't! I don't have an option!" she cried. He raised his hand and backslapped her drawing blood to the corner of her lip. "Come on, Huntsgirl! You have zee tools to do it! Do you hear me Huntsgirl!" he shouted her hated name. Wait, I'm Huntsgirl! Why would I take this from him? "Hi ya!" she kneed him in the gut and jammed her heel into is foot as hard as she could.
Rotwood had to pause and apply pressure to his injuries. Rose dashed out of the room and down to where Jake's was. Not wanting to disturb anything and begin a natural disaster, Rose tried to catch someone's eye to get Jake's attention.
Spud was the first to see her, but before he could quietly get Jake's attention, Rotwood had reached Rose and dragged her back into his classroom. Locking the door, Rotwood shouted at Rose, "Zhere's only one vay to get vhat I vant!" "Principal Rotwood, you know this is dumb! You could loose your job, the Huntsman could kill you, and you could be arrested! Please, if you let me go right now, I won't tell anyone, I promise! I'll say that I tripped and bit my lip. No one has to be involved," Rose persuaded. "I am tired of people zhinking zhat I am an idiot! I vant a dragon and I vant recognition!" Rotwood threw a desk across the room.
Rose's mind went blank on what to say. The only thing that she could do was gape into his dark eyes filled with fury. She had never seen him like this. Of course he became upset when Jake would do something stupid in the middle of class, but Rotwood was livid. He couldn't control his actions in this stage – it reminded her too much of the Huntsman. The rage, the anger, the dissatisfaction, those emotions Rose was too familiar with – sometimes even within her own self. To see it take form in another person against her sickened her.
Within an instant of Rotwood striking her again, a huge dragon flew in through the window. His arm was red all the way up to his shoulder, but that was all the red there was. Most of the dragon was blue with a yellowish underbelly. 'Lao Shi?' Rose thought to herself quite interested still in Rotwood's hold.
"A…A…A DRAGON!" Rotwood let her go jumping in glee. "Ooh! I've got to get zhis on camera! Quick Rose, I'll contain it, vhile you go and get my camera under my desk. Quick!" he stared the dragon. "How foolish of you Jake. I never zhought zhat you'd be stupid enough as to come and save Rose vhile putting at risk your entire community of magical creatures!" Rotwood cackled seeing the red arm. "You know, sir, I'd love to get that camera, but then I'd have to kill him, and you won't allow that," Rose smirked leaning against the wall. "And one other thing," the dragon spoke in a deeper darker voice than Lao Shi's normal voice, "I'm not Jake." Lao Shi shot fire everywhere he could. The desks and papers lit up in fire.
"Stop it! Stop it right zhis instant!" Rotwood demanded extinguishing everything that he could with the given fire extinguisher. "You're not Jake?" Rose tilted her head in valley girl style and acted dumb. "Nope," Lao Shi played along. "Rose, five seconds to get me zhat camera!" Rotwood held up his five fingers. "Sorry sir, I'm much more afraid of the Huntsman accusing me of treason than you. You have no authorization over me, or any right to me. If the Huntsman told me that he liked you well enough to have me help you, I would. But, sorry, he doesn't" Rose shrugged. "Rose!" Rotwood shouted threatening to hit her again. "All right, all right, geeze!" Rose stepped forward, but instead of getting the camera, she started to pretend to fight Lao Shi. Rose knew all of his favorite tricks, and he knew all of hers, so it wasn't very difficult to fake it.
Unfortunately, Rotwood saw right through it. Lao Shi had Rose up against the wall with his hands on her shoulders when there was a bright flash. They both turned to Rotwood who had snapped a sudden picture, and had a conceited smile on. What confused Rose and Lao Shi, was that he held the camera out. "I'll give you the camera, if you give me Rose," Rotwood compromised. The room fell into quietness.
"I'll be okay," Rose whispered quietly to Lao Shi. "Think about it dragon, it's saving your enemy, or saving you kind. Think about what that girl alone has done and threatened to do to your family and your vorld. You don't really vant her, do you?" Rotwood provoked. Rose could feel Lao Shi's grip tighten on her shoulders as he reminisced on the previous time of hate between them. Rotwood had left out the middle part of the statement. He should have said what she's done, what she does, and what she's threatened to do. Because what she does, is help Jake and him every possible chance. "Lao Shi, sir, it's the only way. The Huntsman will find out and it will all go downhill. I'll be fine, he won't kill me – trust me," Rose insisted.
"All right, Rotwood," Lao Shi threw Rose at Rotwood. In return, Principal Rotwood dropped the camera to the ground and smashed it with his foot. He caught Rose and pushed her down to the ground holding her there with the same foot that destroyed the camera. "Leave dragon, for I think that I have another camera close by," Rotwood warned. Lao Shi gave Rose one look of concern and flew out of the broken window.
"I tried Jake, I tried," Lao Shi put his hand on his grandson who was waiting outside in the parking lot.
"Vow, Rose. I knew zhat you veren't my smartest student in zee bunch, but I expected a bit of a better performance," he applied more pressure making Rose cry out in pain. "Too bad it's not anyvhere close to zee end of zee day," Rotwood leaned over and grabbed the rope on his desk. Tying her up, he derided, "So Rose, I need to know one zhing," he paused pulling her into a standing position, "Who cares most about you?
"Go to -"
But before she could finish, Rotwood jabbed her in the stomach. "Ah!" she cringed. He sat her down in a chair with a bandana that he had found left on a desk, and a role of duct tape in his hand. "Now ve can't have you making a ruckus vhile you're in zhere," Rotwood shoved the bandana into her mouth and taped it shut. "Zhere, zhat should hold."
Dragging Rose across the room, he placed her on one of the shelves in his cabinet. With her wrists and ankles tied together, Rose lay between the shelf and the shelf above her in a curled up position, tears streaming down her face. "Please Principal Rotwood, I'm sorry," she showed him with her eyes. "No," he stated plainly and sternly shutting and locking the door leaving Rose in complete darkness.
What was going to happen to her? What if Rotwood sells me out? Not to the Huntsman, but to the magical realm? Oh my gosh, Jake never told them about us! They'll want to kill me. I know it. Wait, he's not that smart – is he? Or would going to the Huntsman be ten times worse? At least with the dragons, Jake would be able to convince them, but with the Huntsman, I'm alone. All alone. Just as I am now. No one there to care for me, and definitely no one there to watch over me. Trapped between two hard spots and tied up to one side of it. Not being able to speak for myself, and if I try to break free, I still won't be able to stay away for long. Stupid metaphor.
Rose heard the bell to that class period end, and it felt odd not to react to them. Rotwood had his planning period in the next hour. He spent the whole time straightening up the room. By the end, the desks were neatly arranged, the window was covered up with garbage bags, and anything burnt was moved under his large desk.
Rose felt most awkward when the classroom was full. Why can't I move? What if someone finds me in here? Would that be a good thing? Well duh, but how much crap would I have to go through if the world found out? She could hear the sound of Rotwood's accent going through his spiel of how magical creatures used to rule the world, and lies of the living habits of a few individual ones. She could also tell that no one was paying attention to the facts Rotwood was popping out.
She was also beginning to get hungry. This should be her lunch hour, but she was used to skipping a meal or two without complaining if she was out on a hunt or when she was younger and couldn't cook, and the Huntsman was angry, sick, or out. But now she was really hungry, and the shear fright of Rotwood didn't threaten her like the Huntsman. But he was still able to get the upper hand. Why was he able to get the upper hand? I could probably escape the Huntsman if I ever had to, but Rotwood? He's not that big, nor muscular. Of course I let Lao Shi let me go, but I shouldn't have let him take me down like that. Why did I just sit there and let him do that to me? It was like I was in shock or something. Then he gave me that stupid question of who cares for me the most. What a jerk. Of course it's Jake, but I can't tell him that, because he probably has the room bugged. And the Huntsclan never cared for me. Strike that, they did care about me – as long as I do what they need of me. Ugh, I can't go crazy like this again! My only thought is escaping this closet right now. Maybe if I kick the door, I can get someone's attention.
Rose began to try and move, but the ropes had been cutting off her circulation, and it pained her too much to move any more. Around her ankle, she could feel a trickle of blood that had emerged from between the rope and her skin. The rope was so rough, and seemed as if it had been made just to put a person in pain.
The bell rang and everyone rushed out of the class. Rotwood sat at his desk until he was sure that everyone was gone and no one could hear him from the hallways, "So Rose, I bet you're hungry. For a nice warm burger, or a slice of cheesy pizza. Did you ever get to eat pizza at zee Huntsclan?" he irritated. Of course Rose couldn't respond from the damp bandana in her mouth. "Ah, but I guess since you vere so good during my last class, I suppose zhat I could get you somezhing. Of course I get to choose for you, because, you're all tied up!" he exclaimed and left the room laughing leaving Rose feeling like he had just punched her in the gut with what he had said to her.
As she lay there in the blank room, the only thing that she could think about was Jake, and the Huntsman, and her parents – the same three subjects that were always on her mind. She couldn't get them out of her head. The only words that she could describe her life with were a natural balance of nature. There was the bad part of being with the Huntsclan, but that led to finding and loving Jake. Then there were her parents who hadn't a clue where she was, but if she could find them and escape, how much more wonderful would that be? If Rotwood gets caught, then I'll be on the news. Maybe my mom and dad will be watching. Maybe they'll know who I am and come to rescue me! Rose wished hopefully – knowing that it was unlikely.
After school – Rotwood's Room
"Rose, vake up! Vake up Rose!" Rotwood shook the sleeping Rose. She opened her eyes to realize that school had been let out. Her wonderland where nothing could go wrong in her dream disappeared. She had a headache, but that was the least of her problems. Rotwood had said something about after school. She knew that her troubles were just now to begin.
"Zhat's gross," Rotwood brought out the soaking wet bandana from her mouth. "Water," Rose begged. The bandana completely sucked up all of the moisture in her mouth. The airflow felt cold and awkward and stung her lips that had been agonized by the tape. "Just a minute!" Rotwood scolded as he placed his right arm around the back of her neck and his left under he knees and lifted her off of the shelf. Man, he's touching me, but I'm too stiff to move. Rose couldn't stand the helpless feeling.
