This drabble concerns Peter, and his strive to prove himself to the Headmaster. Takes place the day before the Great School Quiz.


RANKINGS

"No, Peter."

"But why NOT?! Come on, Jeff! Surely, you don't need ALL of those children to yourself?!"

Peter Williamson recoiled when Jeff Morgan leant forwards, freckled face twisting into a snarl. A snarl that was usually saved for weaklings who would squeak and cower from the red-head, praying that their tormentor would bestow an easy fate onto them.

Holding up his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner, Peter chuckled weakly.

"Hey, come on! I was joking! I wouldn't dream of taking your subordinates away from you!"

Jeff leant back, smirking cruelly. "Good, see that it does not happen again."

Spinning on his heel, Jeff strode off to the canteen as it was his turn along with Sarah and Sue, to keep watch of the Lunch proceedings. Peter glowered at his fellow Prefect's back, but he lost his glare, glee replacing the previous expression on his face, when Jeff suggested a plausible idea.

"Why don't you go to the Headmaster and ask him? Surely, he will listen to you. You may be the lowest ranking out of us, but you are still his Prefect."

Cringing at the fact that he had been referred to as 'bottom ranking' yet again, Peter ventured towards the Headmaster's office. Like the others, he took his duties very seriously, chiding anyone who dared to tarnish his reputation.

However, all too often, Peter found himself wondering WHY he was the lowest ranking Prefect. Yes, he did sometimes disobey the Headmaster slightly by going too far in the bullying of Harvey Hunter, but so did Jeff. And HE was Deputy Head Prefect! So it couldn't be that.

'And let's face it. I am better than Simon and Sarah, those two are too nice for their own good! ESPECIALLY Sarah! I should be at least fourth in command, maybe even third!'

He wished that Rose was not the Head Prefect and that her place was fulfilled by Jeff as then, being Head Prefect, he would be able to have a few choice words with the Headmaster, in Peter's favour.

'Then I would be promoted up to Deputy Head! And leave the others to languish below in lower rankings!'

Smirking, Peter halted outside the wooden door, the brass plaque emblazoned 'HEADMASTER' twinkling in the light. Taking a deep breath, Peter held up a hand and rapped his knuckles onto the door. He let his hand drop, furrowing his brow in confusion when there was no reply.

After five minutes, Peter concluded that the office was empty. The Headmaster had either gone out of the school building or was in another part of it. Either way, as Peter levered open the door as silently as he could, he prayed that the man did not come back for a while.

Shutting the door behind him, Peter moved further into the office, blue eyes roaming the room. As expected, immaculate as always. A small smile twitched his lips as he lay his vision onto the Headmaster's chair. He had always wondered what it felt like, seated in a throne, lording over hundreds of people, both adults and children.

With only the briefest of hesitations, Peter slipped into the Headmaster's chair, locking his fingers together and posing in a serious manner. He broke his hands apart, bewilderment scrawling across his face when he encountered the sight of six folders, stacked up neatly beside the telephone.

Peter considered that they may contain some finer details of the Headmaster's plans and that their leader was examining them in preparation for tomorrow.

The day when the new regime would commence.

Peter smirked again. He could not wait to showcase his potential. To display how important he was to the Headmaster's plans and that without him, the entire regime would be a lost cause.

Curiosity spiking, Peter reached forwards and nabbed the six folders, opening them up as one. What he saw, caused him to gape. The files within were not about the Headmaster's plans per say, but about people who were involved in them.

The files were on the Prefects.

Peter was in two minds about this discovery. At first, he admitted to himself that the Headmaster had to write about them as they were a huge part of the school and if any school inspectors turned up unannounced, then the Headmaster could provide the inspectors with the folders, the files soothing the fears of the children's credentials and capabilities to control so many children.

However, Peter was also afraid. Why was the Headmaster keeping these files to himself? Was he writing down all of the negative aspects of his Prefects for a future date? So if one of them did something unforgiving, the Headmaster could refer to any previous, disciplinary-required actions, whilst striking them off?

He shivered, drawing the first folder closer towards him. As he had gathered, the folders were in chronological order, meaning that the first one was about the Head Prefect. Scowling at the fact that his folder was last and therefore, the last for him to read, Peter enveloped himself in the words of the Headmaster.

Written in his usual neat handwriting, the Headmaster had noted about Rose:

'Rose Carter is an excellent Head Prefect. Head-strong, determined and unafraid to display discipline when it comes to the troublemakers. She wields control over the children naturally and can lead them in any task given to her. She is a powerful leader for the other Prefects even to the point, that without her, the others would be lost and lacking in the motivations and skills needed for my new regime.'

Peter snorted. He admitted that Rose was a pretty good leader, but to his mind, Jeff would always be a better contender for the role as though Rose was not afraid to strike fear into the hearts of those who disobeyed, Jeff was more frightening than the rest of them put together.

Shaking his head at the fact that he had gotten off track, Peter resumed reading.

'Her intellect is vast and thus, would be very beneficial for my plans. Also the fact that she practically WORSHIPS me and the ground that I walk on is an added bonus. Yet, her rivalry with Dinah Glass may be her undoing. I must make sure that Rose stays on course otherwise, I may have to replace her with someone else.'

Setting the folder down, a grin traced Peter's lips. So, Rose may be replaced if she could not allow her hatred of Dinah Glass to be buried deep within? Peter filed this information mentally, moving onto the next folder.

'Jeff Morgan is a worthy example of what a Deputy Head Prefect SHOULD be. Though he and Rose bicker constantly, they work well together in a team and put aside their personal conflicts to complete the tasks that I provide for them. Jeff listens to Rose and enforces her orders repeatedly to the others if they are not willing to either listen or follow or in the rare cases that Rose is not present.'

Peter sighed, remembering the time when Jeff had basically screamed at a snobbish Sue to listen to what he was saying. That had resulted in a shouting match, which had lasted an entire hour. Peter had gone home that day with sore eardrums.

'Jeff is feared by the majority of the children and will be obeyed instantly for fear of retaliation. His… friendship with Peter is something that I shall allow as the pair complement each other and work well together in a team. Yet Jeff can be at times, too wilful. He is the most prone to disobey me and any orders given which I can nip in the bud, but what I cannot control is his HATRED of Harvey Hunter.'

Snorting, Peter thought: 'Why would you want to CONTROL Jeff's hate?! Hunter deserves all that he gets!'

'My concerns involving Harvey Hunter must be put to rest. I will decide on his fate when I have won. Either way, Jeff shall be a valuable asset to my plans, he just needs to focus his mind onto the tasks at hand.'

Peter closed the folder, putting it down. He glanced fearfully out into the playground, which was still empty, to his relief. Picking up the third folder, he sneered mentally:

'Oh, brilliant. This one is going to have glowing reviews!'

'Sarah Price is one of a rare kind. Though she strikes fear into the children as I expect all of my Prefects to do so, she has a 'nice' side to her, evident most prominently during any disciplinary acts. This 'kindness' no doubt will backfire on her as the children under her command may start to fight back against her. If this happens though, then I will be able to fix her.'

Peter wrinkled his nose. What did the Headmaster mean by that?!

'Nevertheless, Sarah is an exceptional pupil of mine. She obeys Rose instantly and is the glue that holds all of the Prefects together. Her intelligence is high and she will progress far in my new regime. If Jeff is ever stripped of his status, then Sarah will be promoted to his position without any question. She works well with the other Prefects though can clash with Jeff on occasions regarding Harvey Hunter. She seems to hold a soft spot for him, but it will likely fizzle out when Hunter is apprehended for his crimes.'

Peter snickered at the thought of Harvey Hunter being punished and that the Headmaster held contempt for Sarah in some form, before moving onto the fourth profile.

'Simon Neal is very worthy of being one of my Prefects. He values silence, which is appreciated, and his main focus in his life is his work. Whether it be his Prefect duties or his schoolwork, Simon gives his all and I am confident that he shall prevail in the new regime.'

Raising an eyebrow, Peter commented under his breath: "Simon's always been the most goody two shoes out of all of us."

'However when Simon does get his work wrong, which is a very rare situation, he shuts himself away. He berates himself, which should happen as I expect all work to be correct, but with Simon, he takes it to the next level. He does not listen or do as he is told when in one of these moods and thus, cannot be provided with orders. The key with Simon is to educate him until he will be guaranteed to not get any work incorrect. Then I will have the perfect Prefect.'

Peter closed the folder, placing it back into the steadily growing pile and picked up the penultimate one. He knew this was devious, but he was learning a bit more about his fellow Prefects, so saw no point in stopping now.

'Sue Winters is a brilliant Prefect. Her intelligence may be the lowest of the female Prefects, but she is no idiot, and her size makes up for what she is lacking.'

Peter whistled lowly. 'Ooh, that's a low blow from the Headmaster!'

'She leads the children effectively and is able to wield a substantial amount of power, which may lead to her handling more children as time progresses. Her size is intimidating, causing the children to be subdued and fearful enough to do as they are told. However, Sue's temper may be her undoing. Whenever she is riled up, she can be a hazard. Her temper is volatile and it can be expressed physically, which I cannot allow to happen during the set-up of the regime. If it continues, I may schedule some anger management classes for Sue as my control does not extend that far.'

Peter closed the file, thoroughly confused at some of the Headmaster's choice of words before picking up the last folder. His folder.

Straining his ears, Peter waited for a few minutes, then began to read when he was sure that no one was outside the office or in the surrounding corridors.

'Peter Williamson is a good Prefect. He obeys Rose most of the time, but is more inclined to obey Jeff as the two get along well. He can handle himself in any given situation, and is an example to the children on how they should behave.'

Peter smirked, proud of what the Headmaster had written about him. He always knew that the Headmaster valued his skills. Yet upon resuming, he lost his smirk in a rapid manner.

'But Peter is the worst of my Prefects. His intelligence is the lowest and he is the most immature. He always seeks approval from Jeff and is no-where near ready to take on more than ten children. He seems to take his Prefect duties not as seriously as the others and has at times, barely scraped a passing grade out of the exams that I have set them.'

The Prefect's eyes widened in horror and shock. How could the man even think of him like this?!

'As he is more inclined to follow Jeff's lead, it lowers his value to me. Partaking in torment is allowed, but overstepping the boundaries as they often do, is a danger to my plans. Also, I do not think Peter is good enough to raise any higher in the rankings, he is not powerful enough or dominant enough to wield so much control. I fear that if he continues to hold back on his skill set or does not improve, then I shall have to consider recruiting another Prefect. I do not have time to be replacing my Prefects, especially the one at the bottom. Frankly, I sometimes think of him as being a bit 'useless.''

Shutting the folder sharply, Peter's nostrils flared. So, the old man wanted him to be better? Peter stood up, re-arranging the desk so that it seemed as if it had been untouched. Though still loyal and utterly obedient to the Headmaster, Peter continued to sneer about him in his mind, enraged at what had been written about him.

'Think I am useless do you, Sir? Well come tomorrow and I'll show you who REALLY should be top of the chain!'

Leaving the office, Peter strode towards the Prefect's room, muttering darkly:

"I assure you, Sir. You won't regret providing me with such a prestige position."


Peter Williamson blinked, snapping out of his trance. He broke into guffaws as the Headmaster of his school blundered around, gunge all over him. The sound of cheering and clapping was all around him and soon enough, Peter was joining in.

A small part of his mind was nagging him that he was going to do something after the show. Something about showing off to the Headmaster? Yet, Peter dismissed it, thinking that his determination had been based on the hope that his school would win, instead of the truth which would have been him, trying his hardest to convince the Headmaster that he was better than perceived.


Fifteen minutes later, Peter was strolling out of the gates, Jeff beside him. Both had pounding head-aches, meaning that Peter could only nod when Jeff muttered:

"Want to play football at the park tomorrow?"