A/N: Hello! So, progress on the story is steady. I've definitely begun to work out some dynamic stuff that will come into play later on in the story. But then again, things are going to be hectic at home so I cannot guarantee any consistency on my updates to the story. I will try my best to not leave on a random hiatus, but I won't make any promises.
Part 2 of this: Alright so I guess I left on a random hiatus…again. I kind of forgot about updating due to everything that was going on so…at least I'm back now.
Enjoy.
!
Days passed, then weeks, then a month passed with Mr. Hook still managing to keep his teaching position. On the Monday of each week, all of the 12th year students would line up outside of Mr. Nolan's office for any news regarding the matter. However, most of the time they were shooed without being given any answers whatsoever. It proved to be a very trying time for everyone.
Yet, despite Mr. Hook's strict classroom standards and extreme methods of punishment, all of his classes performed remarkably well in their studies to the chagrin of all of his students, especially Margaret.
Margaret began to dread going to English class with a passion she never felt before. During the class she was the only person ever called upon to answer questions and was always singled out in one way or another. It was pure luck by this point that she'd managed to answer every single question correctly, but deep down she knew one day she'd answer wrong and she didn't want to find out what would happen if she did.
On top of all that, the leaf message she received did not help her feelings toward Mr. Hook. There wasn't much she could find on a "Mr. Hook" in many of the public records. In actuality it almost appeared that he didn't exist at all, according to the legal records of the state. This was a source of major frustration for Margaret, which again didn't help her feelings and performance in Mr. Hook's class.
After another afternoon spent sifting through nearly all of the books at the Grim Prep library, Margaret sighed and gave up for the day, beginning her dejected trek home. The clouds hung low in the sky, causing her to pull out her black umbrella and hurry her pace. She couldn't afford to catch a cold or anything worse; after all, she didn't want to fall behind in her classes.
As she scurried down the sidewalk, light droplets began to splatter on the ground. At first, they were few and far between, but they quickly turned more rapid and harsh. Margaret began to jog at this point, hoping to reach the warmth of her home as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew Margaret back onto the ground, causing her to lose her grip on her umbrella. In horror she watched it fly away in the wind quickly, with no hope of being able to retrieve it. Margaret quickly scrambled up from the ground and found a nearby shop front to stand under for protection from the pounding rain that blew in cascading torrents.
It was in the midst of this rain that Margaret looked over to her left in the direction of her home to see a faint figure standing near an alleyway. Margaret narrowed her eyes, squinting to get a better look. Water dripped from her stringy hair at this point, rolling down her back uncomfortably as she remained staring at the figure. The figure slowly walked into the alleyway, though it was obvious from the silhouette that she saw that the figure was looking back at her. Without thinking she immediately ran out into the rain with her feet soaking wet, turning left to head into the alley. She froze upon seeing that nobody was there. Frantically, she scanned in all of the directions around her, ensuring that the figure had disappeared for certain. That was when a faint shadow caught her eye in the sky.
Margaret cast her gaze upward to see…something flying away into the distance. It appeared too large to be a bird, but what could it have been? Margaret shook her head, only to find the flying…thing had disappeared.
"I really must be acting barmy right now," she muttered to herself, pulling her vest closer to her as she realized how cold she was. Having already reached the point of no return in regard to the how soaked she was, she sprinted out of the alley and in the direction of her home.
!
"Hmm," Margaret said to herself in deep thought as she sifted though the clothes in her wardrobe. "Too modern. That's not even a nightgown. Too old. Not natural enough," she muttered. Wendy knocked lightly on Margaret's door, entering quietly.
"What are you up to, dear?" She asked her gently. Margaret looked up and smiled sheepishly at the mess of clothes in her room.
"Well, tomorrow is Halloween in America. As an initiative to help us students at Grim Prep learn more about international cultures, they are asking that we dress up in some sort of costume for the occasion. I'm trying to find an outfit that is a late 19th century early 20th century nightgown," she explained to her Nana. Wendy nodded slowly at the explanation, scanning the clothes that Margaret had laid out. "Unfortunately, I can't seem to find anything that fits the bill."
Wendy smiled gently at her granddaughter. "Well, you might be in luck. I happen to have some of my nightgowns from when I was a little girl myself. How about you look at what I have see if any of them fit you?"
"Really? Thank you so much Nana!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Wendy. Wendy led Margaret to her room, having her stand aside as she retrieved an old chest from underneath her bed. Upon opening it, many old pieces of clothing were found neatly folded in it. Wendy carefully dug through the chest, finding an old nightgown near the bottom of it.
"Ah, this is the one!" She said in triumph, holding it up for Margaret to see. The nightgown was a light blue dress with a darker blue ribbon above the hip. The sleeves were short and slightly puffed out, something very characteristic of older pieces of clothing. Margaret touched the fabric gently in awe.
"It's beautiful," she murmured. Wendy's smile brightened.
"You know, it's actually the dress I wore the night I went on my adventure with Peter Pan," Wendy told Margaret after a moment of thought. Margaret smiled at her grandmother fondly at the statement.
Of course, Margaret knew the stories about Peter Pan weren't true. It was a wonder that her grandmother still pretended they were true after all of these years. However, it was something that brightened her day and eased the burdens of growing up, so she never complained. In fact, Margaret admired the imagination her grandmother had to come up with such stories.
"Well, make sure that this fits. Also, if you so wish, I believe that I have the perfect hairstyle to complement this dress. It is the hairstyle I always wore to bed when I was young."
Margaret smiled widely at Wendy. "I would adore that, truly."
!
Margaret stood in front of the full-length mirror downstairs, carefully fiddling with her hair, ensuring that the curls didn't unfurl. After a moment, she gave a quick twirl, allowing the nightgown to swirl in response to the movement. The outfit was truly perfect. And for some unexplainable reason Margaret couldn't help but be excited about the school day ahead. Nana walked up to Margaret, smiling down at her.
"It is like looking into a mirror," she commented. Margaret beamed, looking down at the floor quickly.
"I don't know why, but I feel so excited about wearing this nightgown. It's truly beautiful," Margaret said, twirling again.
"It looks quite becoming on you."
Margaret looked up at her Nana, giving another quick grin and a hug before gathering her messenger bag and her lunch. "I do not plan on staying after school today, but if I need to, I'll be certain to get Mr. Nolan to ring you," she told Wendy. Wendy acknowledged the plan before the two waved at one another before Margaret left.
She trotted down the street in a strangely content mood, feeling the slight breeze in the air cause her skirt to dance slightly. The sky was a particularly foreign blue, with no cloud in sight, uncharacteristic of London weather. A few birds chirped up and down the street, providing a nice background compared to the unintelligible chatter Margaret normally heard from the public-school students she walked by in the morning.
Soon enough, Margaret arrived at school along with many of her classmates, all of them dressed in an array of strange garb. One student had dressed up as the headless horseman, another as a simple ghost, and one even had dressed up in a clown outfit. A few of Margaret's classmates caught sight of her outfit and made a point of complimenting her appearance profusely, which both surprised and delighted Margaret greatly.
Upon walking up the steps toward the main entrance, Margaret caught sight of Mr. Hook taking a careful interest in her as she walked up, causing her to pause briefly. Mr. Hook was dressed in an elaborate pirate costume, filled with elegant reds that spun into intricate gold patterns that laced throughout the outfit. He also wore an oversized hat with a particularly large, white feather jutting out from it.
For reasons Margaret couldn't explain, along with the fear she normally experienced when seeing Mr. Hook, she felt a strange familiarity at the sight in front of her, unsettling her even more.
Suddenly, she snapped out of her trance, running up the steps and scurrying as fast as she could into the school, praying silently that Mr. Hook's class would go by fast.