School did not improve much as the days progressed. Almost every day, Mrs. Williams would some fault or misbehavior (some real, some imagined) that would require Rayellen to be sent to the hallway. One time, it was for chewing on her pencil, which Mrs. Williams said was a disgusting habit. Another time, her teacher claimed that she could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking 'bad thoughts.' Rayellen wasn't sure exactly what she meant because she had been daydreaming what would be like to live in early America, which was their current history lesson. She didn't think that was a bad thing to think about, but she didn't try to explain as she took her usual place in the hall. She knew that any explanation would only make matters worse - if that was possible at this point. Unfortunately, she found out that it was possible.
Rayellen's grades began to drop. The top student of the third grade began to get more B's and C's under Mrs. Williams' tutelage. She just wasn't in the classroom enough to hear many of the lectures or read her textbooks. Like Miss Louisa, Mrs. Williams believed that taking any of the books off of school grounds was synonymous with stealing. Her class work was rarely finished as well, although she rushed to complete it. Unfortunately, she was so rushed that the work she did complete was filled with errors. She honestly tried to do her best and to finish all her work but there wasn't enough time.
One day, she hadn't been sent out of the classroom when it became time for recess and, for once, she was allowed to join the rest of the class outdoors. However, she knew that the other students now avoided her entirely except to make fun of her, so she wasn't particularly excited. It wasn't as if she was going to have any fun. Suddenly, the idea came to her: she might as well study. She didn't see any problem in taking her books with her since she would still technically be on school grounds and she would be careful not to get her books dirty. Without stopping to really consider any consequences, she grabbed some of her books and walked outside. Choosing a shady spot next to the school building, she opened her math book and worked diligently to catch up with her class.
She was intent on solving on particular math problem, when suddenly she heard Mrs. Williams yell. She didn't yell out any particular word or phrase, instead it was like a sound an angry animal might make. Confused, Rayellen looked up and saw her teacher standing over her. Mrs. Williams face was red and her hazel eyes were wide open and blazing. Rayellen became frightened and tried to back away, but Mrs. Williams was too quick. With another animal-like cry, she swooped down and grabbed Rayellen roughly by the arm and jerked her to her feet.
"Children!" Mrs. Williams screamed, "Come inside at once! Recess is over!"
Some of the children started to grumble, but the moment they noticed the expression on Mrs. Williams homely face, they were silent. They walked back to class as Mrs. Williams brought up the rear, dragging Rayellen along with her. The other students quietly took their seats as they waited for their teacher to speak.
"As ya know," she began, "everyone is expected to follow the rules, but some of ya just don't to listen ." She thrust Rayellen forward as if putting her on display for the class. "Recess has been canceled for the rest of the week because she was caught breaking on of the most important rules: no stealin'."
A general moan trickled hesitantly through the class, but Mrs. Williams didn't seem upset. In fact, the teacher seem to encouraged by it. "Now," she continued, "Just in case any of ya think about stealin,' let me show ya what happens to thieves." With her free hand, she reached behind her onto the desk and picked up a heavy wooden paddle that had holes drilled through the thick wood. According to the rumors, the holes made it hurt worse when you where hit, but Rayellen didn't know for sure. The few times she had been spanked, her Mamaw had used a switch on the back of her legs. That stung but Rayellen suspected that the paddle would do more than just sting a little. She struggled slightly, but this only angered Mrs. Williams more.
"Stop fidgetin,'" she ordered as she spun Rayellen around, "Now, pull up yer dress."
Rayellen was shocked. Mrs. Williams surely didn't want her to pull her dress up in front of everyone. "What?" she managed.
Mrs. Williams didn't explain. She shoved Rayellen up next to the desk where she couldn't move away and jerked the back of the dress up to reveal her white, cotton panties. The shame she felt revealing her underwear to the class almost eclipsed the actual pain of the paddle striking her butt, but not entirely. That pain was sharp and quickly evolved into a deep, throbbing pain that seem to spread throughout the entire area. Mrs. Williams struck her four times, stating that she received on whack for each of the books she had 'stolen.' She tried not to cry out as the physical pain of the paddling intermingled with the embarrassment of the entire class seeing her blue backside concealed only by her underwear.
When Mrs. Williams had finished, she stepped away and allow Rayellen's dress to fall back into place. "Now," Mrs. Williams said, laying the paddle on the desk, "Go back out into the hallway and wait until I tell ya to come back in."
Rayellen stood there for a moment, still leaning against the desk. The pain inside of her changing into something else. For so many years, she had taken the verbal and now physical abuse from others and she had taken it quietly. But now, she could feel all that hurt twisting up inside of her like a snake; coiled and ready to strike. Slowly, she turned to face her teacher. "No," she growled.
"I said to go out into the hallway," Mrs. Williams demanded, but it seemed to Rayellen that her stern voice had lost some of its edge. Perhaps it was just because Rayellen refused to be afraid of her now.
"No," Rayellen repeated, "I didn't do anything wrong. I did NOT steal those books, and you know it. AND YOU KNOW IT!"
The sound of Mrs. Williams' large hand striking Rayellen's face was loud and deadly, but Rayellen didn't even seem to feel it. She stood her ground, her eyes blazing as the left side of her face began to swell slightly and turn purple. Screaming with all the anger and hurt that had build up inside her, Rayellen grabbed the paddle from the desk and threw it at Mrs. Williams. Her aim was off and Mrs. Williams tried to dodge, but it still caught the older teacher on the right shoulder. The blow knocked her off balance and she fell to the floor heavily. Rayellen started towards the fallen Mrs. Williams.
"What's going on here?" a deep voice demanded.
Rayellen turned and saw the principal, Mr. Lyons standing in the doorway. The anger quickly seeped out of her as she looked at him and she became a little ashamed and scared. He had always treated her fairly nice, but now he would see her as the others saw her - as some sort of monster. She didn't want that.
Mrs. Williams quickly jumped to her feet. "The little animal threw my paddle at me after I attempted to discipline her for stealing. I want her expelled!"
Mr. Lyons frowned deeply and walked over to Rayellen. She dropped her face, but he gently placed his hand underneath her chin to lift it until he could look at her. "What's this darker area on her cheek? It looks like a bruise," he said.
"Who could tell?" Mrs. Williams snorted. Mr. Lyons looked at her, almost angrily, so she quickly added, "Look, I was just goin' to paddle the girl when she went crazy. She grabbed the paddle and threw it at me. While ye're lookin' for imaginary bruises, I have a real one comin' out on my shoulder."
Mr. Lyons looked back down at Rayellen. "Is that true?" he asked, "Tell me, what really happened."
Rayellen realized this might be a chance to set everything right. She could tell him about all the injustices of Mrs. Williams' treatment and her reasons for taking the books outside. Was this her chance? Yet, as she stood there prepared to tell him everything she realized that she was being foolish. If she said what really happened, it would be her word against Mrs. Williams and who would believe her. Even her classmates, who had seen exactly what had happened would no doubt side with their stern teacher over 'Blueberry.' "It's true," she finally said when she decide their was no use to argue.
Even Mrs. Williams seemed surprised by her 'confession,' as Mr. Lyons sighed deeply. He moved her hand from her chin to place it on her shoulder and gently led her out of the room. Silently, they walked down the hallway and Rayellen could hear some of the teachers and students from behind the closed doors. In a way, she longed to be back in one of those rooms, but it seemed that for some reason she didn't belong there. Finally, they reached the office where Mr. Lyons opened the door and gently guided her inside.
"Now, Rayellen," he said, as he seated himself in his chair, "are you sure you don't have anything else to tell me?"
Slowly, Rayellen nodded, which seem to distress the principal even more. "Then I have no choice but to expel you," he explained, "You know that, don't you? I guess I should call your mother."
"We don't have a phone," Rayellen announced, numbly.
"Yes. I suppose I knew that," he said. He grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote a letter, which he placed into the envelope. Instead of immediately handing the envelope to her, he paused as he stared at the white surface. "Are you sure you don't have anything else to tell me?" he prodded, "Didn't anything else happen back in the classroom that I need to know about?"
"No, sir," Rayellen replied.
Mr. Lyons regarded her for a moment before handing the envelope to her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "But I have to do this. I don't want to, but…" His voice trailed off as he regarded her sadly.
Rayellen took the envelope and slowly walked to the office door. She turned just before walking into the hallway. "Goodbye," she said, softly.
Mr. Lyons didn't answer. He just sat there, watching her quietly. To her surprise, he looked as if he was about to cry, but she did inquire as to why. She had no idea what he might say, but already she knew that she couldn't believe it.
Without another word, she left the school and began her long journey home. In all reality, she was a little afraid to go home. This was one of the first time she had done something this bad and thoughts of what her punishment might be worried her. Perhaps, her mother would leave. While she had tried to convince herself that she no longer cared, the idea that her mother would actually abandon her was frightening. She could live with Mamaw and Papaw, but somehow that wasn't quite the same.
As she walked home, she passed a large grassy field. A gentle breeze stirred, causing the tall grass to sway like gentle hands reaching towards her. Whenever she looked at this field, she had an unexplainable feeling inside that she just wanted to run in in that grass and far away from here. It wasn't that she was always unhappy, but there was just something that seemed to be calling to her. She often imagined running through that field and deep into the woods that surrounded it. There, she could live with the squirrels and the rabbits and hidden from the rest of the world. After all, she had a natural talent with animals - her Mamaw said so. If she lived in the woods, she could make friends with the small animals and live happily, like in a fairy tale. She never told anyone about this fantasy she had created. It sounded so silly. Life wasn't a fairy tale.
Shaking her head, she turned away from the field and continued home. As much as she dreaded it, she knew that it would be better to just get it over with so that she could find out what her punishment was. Still, the closer she actually got, the slower she walked until she was barely moving by the time she actually arrived.
There was so much commotion at home, no one even seemed to notice that she was home early at first. "Isn't it wonderful!" her mother exclaimed she saw her, grabbing Rayellen up in her arms and swinging her about the room.
Rayellen laughed despite herself. "What's wonderful, Momma?" she asked.
"I'm gettin' married tomorrow," Elizabeth responded, "I'm so happy!"
For the first time since she had gotten home, Rayellen noticed Arnold Kern sitting on the couch nearby. He was a tall man with red-blonde hair that was beginning to thin slightly and pale blue eyes. Rayellen had only met him a few times before, but he had always been nice to her and this time didn't seem to be an exception. "Hello, Rayellen," he greeted, "Aren't you home a little early today?"
"Ya are early, aren't ya? Elizabeth realized, as she set Rayellen back on her feet. "Is something wrong?"
Rayellen had almost forgotten what had happened she was so caught up in her mother's happiness, but now she remembered. There was no time to hide the envelope that was clutched tightly in her right hand, so she helplessly handed the note to her mother.
Elizabeth opened the envelope and stared at the letter for a moment, struggling to read it. "What does it say?" she finally asked, "I don't think I'm readin' this right."
Rayellen knew that her mother could barely read the letter, so she tried to figure out the best to tell her what had happened. However before she could do so, Arnold took the letter and quickly read the contents. Yet, he didn't immediately speak when he had finished reading. Instead, he just looked at Rayellen for a moment as if he was having trouble finding the right words.
"Well?" Elizabeth prodded.
He cleared his throat. "It says that Rayellen has been expelled," he said.
"What?" Elizabeth cried, "That can't be true!"
"That's what it says, though," he confirmed.
Elizabeth whirled on her daughter, but Rayellen was quick to try and defuse the situation. "It wasn't my fault!" Rayellen insisted, "Mrs. Williams said I stole some books, but I didn't. I was just reading them during recess."
"Ya always have to blame someone else, don't ya?" Elizabeth countered, "It's never YER fault. Why are ya tryin' to embarrass me? Aren't I allowed to happy fer once?"
"But, I didn't do anything wrong!" Rayellen cried.
"She might be telling the truth," Arnold spoke up, "You know how some teachers are: they're always right and everyone else is wrong."
Elizabeth didn't respond at first. She glared at her daughter for a few minutes before turning. "Come on, Arnold," she said, "We need to be goin'."
Rayellen became frightened when she realized her mother was leaving. "But where are you going?" she asked, but her mother didn't answer.
"Mom!" she cried, running after her, "Don't leave me!"
Mamaw hurried forward and took Rayellen in her arms. "Yer Ma just goin' to get married," she said, "but she'll be back. She just need to get married and spend some time with her new man. Then she'll come back fer ya with a new Pa and a new sister Don't that sound nice?"
Rayellen continued to cry. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Sure am. Yer Ma will be back. I promise!"
For some reason, that didn't really comfort Rayellen. Yet, there was something else that was bothering her. She had read the letter before she had came home and knew it said something about her hitting Mrs. Williams. Arnold had read the letter, but never mentioned that to her mother. Instead, he had focused on the fact she was expelled. She couldn't help but wonder why he had done that. It just didn't make sense. If she ever saw him and her mother again, she would have to ask him.
Well, there's Chapter 8. Chapter 9 will be done soon (I actually have a lot of written) and chapter 9 contains first Rayellen's first shapeshifting experience. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this story so far.