Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Seven: Forget-Me-Not
Ms Reed breathed in the scent of the flowers that she had just placed in a vase on her desk.
"Are those from Mr McCoy?"
Ms Reed looked up from the flowers. "Yes, Amara. They are."
"What kind of flowers are they?"
Ms Reed smiled. "Forget-Me-Nots. I don't think you have them where you are from. Am I right, Amara?"
Amara nodded her head. "They're such a pretty shade of blue."
"Do you think Mr McCoy's trying to send you a message there, Ms R.?" asked Tabitha, poking her head around the door. "I mean, they're blue, he's blue. . ."
"Kurt is also blue," Ms Reed reminded the girls. "Now, I think it is nearly time for class, and for you two to be off."
"Oh. . . Ms Reed. . ."
"Off!" said Ms Reed, her voice firm.
The girls went, but they were quickly replaced by Kitty, who, as luck would have it, happened to have Chemistry.
"Hi, Ms Reed!" she chirped. "How was your weekend?"
"You know how it went, Kitty," replied Ms Reed. She looked around the classroom. When she saw that no one was around, she added, her voice quiet, "I know you like the idea of. . . you know what, Kitty, but I would prefer it that it did not become public knowledge just yet, is that all right?"
"Why, Ms Reed? Are you worried about what people might say?"
Ms Reed looked around again. "Yes and no. This has only just begun, and so it, like anything new, is very fragile. Besides, as the playwright and poet Aphra Behn once said, 'Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret'. Is that a good enough answer for you?"
Kitty was about to answer, but Principal Kelly chose that precise moment to walk into the room. "Hello, Ms Reed," he said. Then he saw Kitty. "Hello, Ms Pryde," he added, his voice less cheerful and polite than it had been for Ms Reed.
"What can I do for you, Principal Kelly?" asked Ms Reed.
"You asked my secretary to pass on a message to me concerning Evan Daniels, the mutant-" Kelly glared at Kitty "- who has not been at school for the past few days, with no explanation."
"Ah, yes," replied Ms Reed. "I went to the Xavier Institute a few days ago to enquire about Mr Daniels' whereabouts, having received no answer from some of the other students at the Institute."
"Mutants," corrected Kelly.
"Yes. Anyway, I was told that Evan is not returning to Bayville High, because of extenuating circumstances."
"You went up to that mutant place alone?" asked Kelly. "That is hard to believe."
Ms Reed ignored Kitty's indignation. "Yes, I did. It was not as terrible as you might have thought, Principal Kelly."
"Well, then, Ms Reed. I suppose I will have to leave such matters up to you, if that proves to be the case," said Kelly. "But I warn you, be careful," he added, with a glance at Kitty. "Mutants are dangerous, no matter how nice they may seem on the surface."
With that, he left, and the vibe in the classroom was noticeably lighter with his absence.
"Sorry about that, Kitty," said Ms Reed sadly.
"No need to worry about it, Ms Reed," replied Kitty. "We're all used to it." Her tone lightened as she asked, "Did you see the look on his face when you told him that you went up to the Institute alone? It was classic!"
"Yes, it was. But that does not change the fact that people will look on my relationship - any relation ship I have - with Hank will be construed as being a -"
"Freak show?" interrupted Kitty.
"I was going to say a little unorthodox," replied Ms Reed. Then she smiled. "But that also works."
"But are you going to let people know about," Kitty looked around, "the you- know-what?"
"All in due time, Kitty. All in due time."
*
Being the one standing next to the phone, Bobby answered it when it rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Bobby. It's Jennifer Reed here. May I speak to Hank?"
"Sure." With that, Bobby took the cordless phone with him as he wandered around the Institute. Looking into the kitchen, and finding only Jean and Scott there, he asked, "Is Mr McCoy around?"
"No, sorry," said Jean. "Is that Ms Reed?"
Bobby nodded. "Want to say hello?"
"I think we might pass on that, if she wants to speak to Mr McCoy," replied Scott.
The sound of mild laughter crackled through the phone.
"Ms Reed, you there?" asked Bobby.
"Yes, I am."
"He's not in the kitchen," he told Ms Reed. "I'm still looking for him."
"Might I suggest the library?"
"Good idea," said Bobby, slapping his forehead. "I'm on my way."
More laughter filtered down through the phone.
*
Hank was indeed in the library, and Bobby handed the phone to him.
"You can go now, Bobby."
Bobby went.
"Hello, Jennifer. What can I do for you?"
"I'm just calling to say thank you for the wonderful flowers. They were beautiful," said Ms Reed. "And you have no cause for concern, Hank. I won't forget that evening."
"Neither will I."
"Nor, will I think, the students," added Jennifer. "It was all the girls wanted to talk to me about, even if I didn't have them for a class. Tabitha in particular seemed to think that there was a hidden message in those flowers. I recall that she said, 'Do you think Mr McCoy's trying to send you a message there? I mean, they're blue, he's blue. . .' I had to stop her there, as class was about to begin."
"Yes, Tabitha can be a bit. . . uncontrollable, at times."
"Yes, but that was not the worst part. Not long after Kitty arrived, Edward Kelly showed up, wanting to know about Evan."
"You did not tell him about us, did you?" asked Hank, concerned. "He would make life very difficult for you if he knew about the ballet."
"No, I did not tell him," replied Jennifer, laughing slightly. "And I did ask my students not to make the fact that we went on a date public."
"A wise move."
"Yes, but I did not call to discuss that with you."
"Then why did you call, Jennifer?" asked Hank, smiling.
"I enjoyed myself so much on Saturday, I wish to repeat the experience. Does that appeal to you?"
"It does," replied Hank, smiling even more.
Chapter Seven: Forget-Me-Not
Ms Reed breathed in the scent of the flowers that she had just placed in a vase on her desk.
"Are those from Mr McCoy?"
Ms Reed looked up from the flowers. "Yes, Amara. They are."
"What kind of flowers are they?"
Ms Reed smiled. "Forget-Me-Nots. I don't think you have them where you are from. Am I right, Amara?"
Amara nodded her head. "They're such a pretty shade of blue."
"Do you think Mr McCoy's trying to send you a message there, Ms R.?" asked Tabitha, poking her head around the door. "I mean, they're blue, he's blue. . ."
"Kurt is also blue," Ms Reed reminded the girls. "Now, I think it is nearly time for class, and for you two to be off."
"Oh. . . Ms Reed. . ."
"Off!" said Ms Reed, her voice firm.
The girls went, but they were quickly replaced by Kitty, who, as luck would have it, happened to have Chemistry.
"Hi, Ms Reed!" she chirped. "How was your weekend?"
"You know how it went, Kitty," replied Ms Reed. She looked around the classroom. When she saw that no one was around, she added, her voice quiet, "I know you like the idea of. . . you know what, Kitty, but I would prefer it that it did not become public knowledge just yet, is that all right?"
"Why, Ms Reed? Are you worried about what people might say?"
Ms Reed looked around again. "Yes and no. This has only just begun, and so it, like anything new, is very fragile. Besides, as the playwright and poet Aphra Behn once said, 'Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret'. Is that a good enough answer for you?"
Kitty was about to answer, but Principal Kelly chose that precise moment to walk into the room. "Hello, Ms Reed," he said. Then he saw Kitty. "Hello, Ms Pryde," he added, his voice less cheerful and polite than it had been for Ms Reed.
"What can I do for you, Principal Kelly?" asked Ms Reed.
"You asked my secretary to pass on a message to me concerning Evan Daniels, the mutant-" Kelly glared at Kitty "- who has not been at school for the past few days, with no explanation."
"Ah, yes," replied Ms Reed. "I went to the Xavier Institute a few days ago to enquire about Mr Daniels' whereabouts, having received no answer from some of the other students at the Institute."
"Mutants," corrected Kelly.
"Yes. Anyway, I was told that Evan is not returning to Bayville High, because of extenuating circumstances."
"You went up to that mutant place alone?" asked Kelly. "That is hard to believe."
Ms Reed ignored Kitty's indignation. "Yes, I did. It was not as terrible as you might have thought, Principal Kelly."
"Well, then, Ms Reed. I suppose I will have to leave such matters up to you, if that proves to be the case," said Kelly. "But I warn you, be careful," he added, with a glance at Kitty. "Mutants are dangerous, no matter how nice they may seem on the surface."
With that, he left, and the vibe in the classroom was noticeably lighter with his absence.
"Sorry about that, Kitty," said Ms Reed sadly.
"No need to worry about it, Ms Reed," replied Kitty. "We're all used to it." Her tone lightened as she asked, "Did you see the look on his face when you told him that you went up to the Institute alone? It was classic!"
"Yes, it was. But that does not change the fact that people will look on my relationship - any relation ship I have - with Hank will be construed as being a -"
"Freak show?" interrupted Kitty.
"I was going to say a little unorthodox," replied Ms Reed. Then she smiled. "But that also works."
"But are you going to let people know about," Kitty looked around, "the you- know-what?"
"All in due time, Kitty. All in due time."
*
Being the one standing next to the phone, Bobby answered it when it rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Bobby. It's Jennifer Reed here. May I speak to Hank?"
"Sure." With that, Bobby took the cordless phone with him as he wandered around the Institute. Looking into the kitchen, and finding only Jean and Scott there, he asked, "Is Mr McCoy around?"
"No, sorry," said Jean. "Is that Ms Reed?"
Bobby nodded. "Want to say hello?"
"I think we might pass on that, if she wants to speak to Mr McCoy," replied Scott.
The sound of mild laughter crackled through the phone.
"Ms Reed, you there?" asked Bobby.
"Yes, I am."
"He's not in the kitchen," he told Ms Reed. "I'm still looking for him."
"Might I suggest the library?"
"Good idea," said Bobby, slapping his forehead. "I'm on my way."
More laughter filtered down through the phone.
*
Hank was indeed in the library, and Bobby handed the phone to him.
"You can go now, Bobby."
Bobby went.
"Hello, Jennifer. What can I do for you?"
"I'm just calling to say thank you for the wonderful flowers. They were beautiful," said Ms Reed. "And you have no cause for concern, Hank. I won't forget that evening."
"Neither will I."
"Nor, will I think, the students," added Jennifer. "It was all the girls wanted to talk to me about, even if I didn't have them for a class. Tabitha in particular seemed to think that there was a hidden message in those flowers. I recall that she said, 'Do you think Mr McCoy's trying to send you a message there? I mean, they're blue, he's blue. . .' I had to stop her there, as class was about to begin."
"Yes, Tabitha can be a bit. . . uncontrollable, at times."
"Yes, but that was not the worst part. Not long after Kitty arrived, Edward Kelly showed up, wanting to know about Evan."
"You did not tell him about us, did you?" asked Hank, concerned. "He would make life very difficult for you if he knew about the ballet."
"No, I did not tell him," replied Jennifer, laughing slightly. "And I did ask my students not to make the fact that we went on a date public."
"A wise move."
"Yes, but I did not call to discuss that with you."
"Then why did you call, Jennifer?" asked Hank, smiling.
"I enjoyed myself so much on Saturday, I wish to repeat the experience. Does that appeal to you?"
"It does," replied Hank, smiling even more.