Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Ten: Nerve and Consequences
Ms Reed bit her lip as she paced across the width of her classroom. It was Monday morning, and she had not heard anything from Principal Kelly about what had happened on Saturday evening. Nor had Hank, for that matter. Ms Reed felt completely alone.
"Ms Reed?"
Ms Reed whirled around, tense, although she knew the voice was that of a friend. "Oh, Kitty. It's just you. I thought it might have been Principal Kelly." She sank into her chair. Kitty placed a hand on her teacher's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ms Reed. You've got all our support. All of us."
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me."
Kitty looked up as the door swung open. "Good luck, Ms Reed."
"Thank you, Kitty," she whispered.
As she stood up, a steely resolve clutched Ms Reed. Her back straightened, and she showed no sign of panic or worry as students filed into her classroom. Once they were all seated an settled, she cleared her throat, and began to speak.
"Now, class, I know some of you -" began Ms Reed, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door. It opened, and revealed Principal Kelly.
"Ms Reed," he said, his voice cold. "I wish to speak to you. Alone."
Kitty's eyes showed a flicker of panic, but Ms Reed's, however, did not. "Principal Kelly," she said, smiling. "How can I help you?"
"Speak with me, out in the hallway."
"Of course, Principal Kelly."
As the door closed behind Ms Reed, the entire class ran over to the door. Kitty got there first, and pressed an ear to the door. She could hear every word.
"I have spoken to the board about your behaviour."
"And?" came Ms Reed's voice.
"Your behaviour regarding the mutants at this school is unacceptable," said Kelly.
"You mean my private life, and my relationship with Hank McCoy."
"Yes," said Kelly angrily. "Your relationship with that monster."
"How dare you!" came Ms Reed's angry voice. Then came a slapping sound, and a shout of pain from Kelly. "Don't you dare speak of Hank that way! Or any other mutant for that matter!"
"I will report that assault you just made on me to the board, and maybe even the police, Ms Reed."
"I am not afraid of your threats, nor anything else you throw at me."
"Are you quite confident about that? Then I have something to tell you."
A hand grabbed Kitty's shoulder, pulling her away from the door. "Susan! Why did you have to go and do that?"
Susan shrugged. "Sorry," she said, obviously not meaning it.
"Oh, man!" said a guy. "I wanted to hear what was going on."
"Shh! She's coming back!"
The door swung open, and Ms Reed walked in. Anger seemed to be emanating from her, and everyone except for Kitty leapt out of her way.
"What happened?"
"Nothing much, Kitty. That pompous, self-assured, mutant-hating, pratty, up- himself prick called the man I was dating a monster."
"And?"
"So I slapped him. He was not too happy about it."
"I'll bet," said Kitty.
"What is going on?" asked another student. "Why did he call the man you were dating a monster?"
"Bit slow on the uptake, it seems," replied Ms Reed. "I guess it would be better if I told you now, rather than you hear it, blown out of proportion, later on." Ms Reed cleared her throat. "Recently, I have started dating a very nice man, understanding, handsome, intelligent - everything I could ask for, really."
"So? Why should we care?"
"The man's name is Hank McCoy."
"Hank McCoy? Our old Chemistry teacher?"
"The very same," said Ms Reed.
"But he disappeared, didn't he?"
"You need to keep up with the times," said Kitty. "He now works at the Xavier Institute."
"The mutant school?! But that would make him a -"
"Mutant," finished Ms Reed.
"You're dating a mutant?" asked Susan. "A freak?"
"I will tell you what I have told Principal Kelly several times. Mutants are not monsters. Before you found out Kitty was one, or Jean, or Scott, or anyone else at the Institute was a mutant, did you think them to be freaks? No. Did you treat them any differently? No."
"But how can you date a mutant?"
"I am a scientist. I studied the process of human evolution at University. I know how we have come to be what we are today. I have always suspected that our next evolution was just around the corner. Ofd course, I did not expect it to be the way it has occurred."
"But, are you a mutant?" asked another student.
Ms Reed shook her head. "No. I am human. But I have accepted the fact that my offspring may possess the X-Gene." She narrowed her eyes. "Even if the father was human. The very first mutants were sired by humans. I'm sure Kitty can testify to that."
Kitty nodded. 'My parents are human. I'm not. Simple as that."
"But you did not answer my question: How can you date a mutant?"
"How can you date a human? You are making it sound as if we are living in South Africa in the time of Apartheid, and I have violated laws that prohibit relationships between the races. You are making it sound as though I am an Afrikaner, and Hank is an African, confined to his small section of land under the Group Areas Act, also known to him as the Xavier Institute. Think about that, about how Apartheid hurt so many people, but was abolished."
The class was silent for the moment, as they took that information in.
Finally, Kitty spoke. "Is that all that happened, Ms Reed? I don't think Principal Kelly would let you off that easily."
Ms Reed smiled sadly. "You are right. My contract with this school has been terminated."
"What?" asked Susan.
"I have been fired. I must leave this school, take all my things, and never come back."
Chapter Ten: Nerve and Consequences
Ms Reed bit her lip as she paced across the width of her classroom. It was Monday morning, and she had not heard anything from Principal Kelly about what had happened on Saturday evening. Nor had Hank, for that matter. Ms Reed felt completely alone.
"Ms Reed?"
Ms Reed whirled around, tense, although she knew the voice was that of a friend. "Oh, Kitty. It's just you. I thought it might have been Principal Kelly." She sank into her chair. Kitty placed a hand on her teacher's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ms Reed. You've got all our support. All of us."
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me."
Kitty looked up as the door swung open. "Good luck, Ms Reed."
"Thank you, Kitty," she whispered.
As she stood up, a steely resolve clutched Ms Reed. Her back straightened, and she showed no sign of panic or worry as students filed into her classroom. Once they were all seated an settled, she cleared her throat, and began to speak.
"Now, class, I know some of you -" began Ms Reed, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door. It opened, and revealed Principal Kelly.
"Ms Reed," he said, his voice cold. "I wish to speak to you. Alone."
Kitty's eyes showed a flicker of panic, but Ms Reed's, however, did not. "Principal Kelly," she said, smiling. "How can I help you?"
"Speak with me, out in the hallway."
"Of course, Principal Kelly."
As the door closed behind Ms Reed, the entire class ran over to the door. Kitty got there first, and pressed an ear to the door. She could hear every word.
"I have spoken to the board about your behaviour."
"And?" came Ms Reed's voice.
"Your behaviour regarding the mutants at this school is unacceptable," said Kelly.
"You mean my private life, and my relationship with Hank McCoy."
"Yes," said Kelly angrily. "Your relationship with that monster."
"How dare you!" came Ms Reed's angry voice. Then came a slapping sound, and a shout of pain from Kelly. "Don't you dare speak of Hank that way! Or any other mutant for that matter!"
"I will report that assault you just made on me to the board, and maybe even the police, Ms Reed."
"I am not afraid of your threats, nor anything else you throw at me."
"Are you quite confident about that? Then I have something to tell you."
A hand grabbed Kitty's shoulder, pulling her away from the door. "Susan! Why did you have to go and do that?"
Susan shrugged. "Sorry," she said, obviously not meaning it.
"Oh, man!" said a guy. "I wanted to hear what was going on."
"Shh! She's coming back!"
The door swung open, and Ms Reed walked in. Anger seemed to be emanating from her, and everyone except for Kitty leapt out of her way.
"What happened?"
"Nothing much, Kitty. That pompous, self-assured, mutant-hating, pratty, up- himself prick called the man I was dating a monster."
"And?"
"So I slapped him. He was not too happy about it."
"I'll bet," said Kitty.
"What is going on?" asked another student. "Why did he call the man you were dating a monster?"
"Bit slow on the uptake, it seems," replied Ms Reed. "I guess it would be better if I told you now, rather than you hear it, blown out of proportion, later on." Ms Reed cleared her throat. "Recently, I have started dating a very nice man, understanding, handsome, intelligent - everything I could ask for, really."
"So? Why should we care?"
"The man's name is Hank McCoy."
"Hank McCoy? Our old Chemistry teacher?"
"The very same," said Ms Reed.
"But he disappeared, didn't he?"
"You need to keep up with the times," said Kitty. "He now works at the Xavier Institute."
"The mutant school?! But that would make him a -"
"Mutant," finished Ms Reed.
"You're dating a mutant?" asked Susan. "A freak?"
"I will tell you what I have told Principal Kelly several times. Mutants are not monsters. Before you found out Kitty was one, or Jean, or Scott, or anyone else at the Institute was a mutant, did you think them to be freaks? No. Did you treat them any differently? No."
"But how can you date a mutant?"
"I am a scientist. I studied the process of human evolution at University. I know how we have come to be what we are today. I have always suspected that our next evolution was just around the corner. Ofd course, I did not expect it to be the way it has occurred."
"But, are you a mutant?" asked another student.
Ms Reed shook her head. "No. I am human. But I have accepted the fact that my offspring may possess the X-Gene." She narrowed her eyes. "Even if the father was human. The very first mutants were sired by humans. I'm sure Kitty can testify to that."
Kitty nodded. 'My parents are human. I'm not. Simple as that."
"But you did not answer my question: How can you date a mutant?"
"How can you date a human? You are making it sound as if we are living in South Africa in the time of Apartheid, and I have violated laws that prohibit relationships between the races. You are making it sound as though I am an Afrikaner, and Hank is an African, confined to his small section of land under the Group Areas Act, also known to him as the Xavier Institute. Think about that, about how Apartheid hurt so many people, but was abolished."
The class was silent for the moment, as they took that information in.
Finally, Kitty spoke. "Is that all that happened, Ms Reed? I don't think Principal Kelly would let you off that easily."
Ms Reed smiled sadly. "You are right. My contract with this school has been terminated."
"What?" asked Susan.
"I have been fired. I must leave this school, take all my things, and never come back."