(A/N)- I'm sorry it's been ages! Work has me only wanting to lie around and watch Netflix like a zombie whenever I'm off. And it sucks. Thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy!/?
- At Ease -
Constance avoided Imogen like the plague since that letter incident. Davina wound up doing the same after she asked if Imogen would like a fresh cup of tea and the sports mistress had shot her a sour look. And Amelia, too busy worrying about this new alarm system, didn't appear to have noticed any changes in the behavior of her staff.
At least, that's what Constance Hardbroom had assumed …
The moment the two of them were alone, going over some of the day-to-day operations, Miss Cackle brought it up.
"So what's with the sudden tension between you and Miss Drill?"
Constance would've choked on her tea had she been drinking any. Her face flushed, and she struggled to look indifferent.
"T-tension?" she asked, stammering despite herself, "How do you mean?"
"Well, I know you and Miss Bat have never seen eye-to-eye, but last I heard, you and Imogen had both reconciled quite recently."
"And so we did." Constance replied curtly.
"Then why didn't you wish her good morning when she entered the room?"
"Didn't I?" Constance asked in fake surprise.
"You also ignored her when she asked you to pass the sugar."
"I must have been distracted."
"Constance …"
"Really, Miss Cackle, there is nothing going on be-… I mean, that is to say, we're not arguing currently. Actually, I was just going to suggest to you that, given the current situation, Miss Bat and Miss Drill should split responsibilities for the first years."
"What situation?"
"This whole alarm system thing; you know how Davina gets around loud noises and in a time of crisis. Should we really risk her having a full blown panic attack?"
"Imogen can see to them if Davina proves she's not fit to cope with it."
"But why not just-"
"Constance, you know how Davina gets when she's had a responsibility taken from her. Remember when you took the greenhouse from her?"
"Yes, well I wouldn't have had to take it from her had she not decided to take my plants, along with the rest of the school's, out for a walk and then forget where she left them!"
"She'll be in the cupboard for weeks on end if we don't give her another chance."
Constance sighed heavily, "Very well, headmistress … in a tree, Miss Cackle. My plants were in a tree." She reminded before exiting.
"FIRE! EARTHQUAKE! VOLCANO! FLOODING!"
"Miss Bat!"
"TIDAL WAVE! METEOR!"
"MISS BAT! MISS BAT! IT'S ALRIGHT!"
Miss Bat crumpled into an inconsolable ball on the floor on account of all the commotion that was occurring on account of the emergency alarm. Miss Hardbroom's shouting did nothing to help the situation either. But she acted quickly, instructing Miss Drill, who had arrived promptly on the scene, to take the first years back to Miss Bat's classroom.
"Alright girls, back to your classes, do as Miss Drill says!"
Constance sent the other wayward students who didn't have classes up to their rooms before returning to Miss Cackle's side, eying the out-of-breath chanting mistress.
"Has she settled down yet?"
Davina cut her a nasty look amidst her huffing and puffing.
"She asked for Imogen. Could you go and fetch her?"
"I'm right here, Miss Cackle." Imogen called, practically knocking Constance aside as she rushed past.
"Deep breaths, Davina," Imogen soothed as she sat beside her, guiding her through it, instructing her to breathe in deep, hold it a moment, and then release, over and over. Constance couldn't refrain from scowling, envious that Imogen had forgiven Davina so quickly. She also supposed Davina was unaware that Imogen had just taken over her class for her, in her predicament.
The alarm continued to blare, and Imogen urged Davina to her feet, allowing Amelia to take her to her office to rest.
"You can send the first years to their rooms with the rest of the girls," Constance instructed, "It doesn't look like Davina will be ready to return to class anytime soon."
Imogen nodded, "Yes, Miss Hardbroom," she replied dutifully.
"You're going to make an excellent form tutor, Miss Drill," Constance complimented, inwardly kicking herself afterwards, and she took off to her potions lab without seeing her reaction to those words.
"Thank you, Miss Hardbroom," she replied, sounding somewhat amused, and Constance blushed to herself as the alarm ceased, and the voices of her punished second years carried through the hall from the kitchen stairwell. She sighed in annoyance, and turned around to go and berate them for abandoning their duties.
After she told them off, she headed back towards the staffroom to find Miss Drill standing there in the hallway, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed in judgement.
"They were just following protocol," Imogen commented, having heard the discussion from down the hallway.
"They were being cheeky. They were given specific orders not to leave the kitchen –"
"And if there was an emergency?"
Constance opened her mouth to protest, but she was rendered speechless until she realized, "The alarm wouldn't have stopped had it been a real emergency."
"Point taken, but how were they to know otherwise?"
"Did you wait up just to argue with me?"
Constance looked to the non-witch, who had blushed, looking away. Constance sighed, stepping into the staffroom, and Imogen followed suit. Had Constance remembered that Miss Cackle had taken Miss Bat to her office, and that the staffroom was empty, leaving her and Imogen together alone, she would've gone off to the potions lab instead.
Imogen shut the door behind them, and Constance folded her arms in an attempt to disappear, but Imogen grabbed her.
"Don't." she insisted, "Please don't …"
Constance watched her a moment before relenting with a sigh, dropping her arms to her sides.
"Miss Bat told me what happened … with the letter …"
Constance's gaze fell to the floor, "I shouldn't have shouted at you … it's just that Davina can be so nosey sometimes … I was more upset with her than anything. It was misdirected anger."
"Nothing to do with Serge, then?"
Constance tensed, looking away, "That's entirely none of my business whatsoever …"
"No, it isn't … but I want you to know … we broke up."
Constance had to stifle the breath of relief at those three words, yet she could not bring herself to look at her, nor could she find the right words to respond with.
"I did go to summer camp with him though. He insisted I go; we barely saw each other as it was … anyway, that letter, he suggested that we try again …"
"Why are you telling me this?" Constance asked in annoyance, not being able to shake off the image of the pair of them spending the summer together.
"Because I told him I wasn't over you."
Constance's eyes widened, and she looked to Imogen as if she were mad.
"I didn't name you, don't worry. I just said I was still smitten with someone else."
Constance pretended not to hear that last bit, "Why did you lie? When the others asked-"
"I didn't want them to fuss over me or ask questions … I'd been single since I started working here – I don't know, I guess I didn't want them to think something was wrong with me …"
Constance rolled her eyes, "Are you forgetting that they're both spinsters themselves? I hardly think that they would judge you."
Imogen blushed with a small laugh, "Suppose you're right,"
As if on cue, the two witches burst into the room, Amelia carrying a cheesecake with a much more pleasant-looking Davina in tow. They offered Imogen some cake, and didn't bother to ask Constance for they knew what her response would be. Imogen politely declined while Constance slipped away without a word. Imogen caught sight of her just before she disappeared, and was half-tempted to follow after her, but her feet remained glued to the floor.
"Give it time," she mumbled to herself, feeling ridiculous for wanting so much to be with Constance again after having just gotten out of a relationship, albeit a very short-lived one. She smiled and accepted a cup of tea from Davina as she sat down at the table with a relaxed sigh, finally feeling at ease with herself for the first time in months.
(A/N)- I'm not happy with the ending but oh well this chapter has been bugging me - next chapter will be better hopefully! Please review I need fueling I suck so much lately in regards to creative outlets! x_x
