"Minerva! Would you come down here, please?"
Minerva immediately left her room in her father's closet and went down to his office. She saw him sitting behind his desk, his arms open wide to accept her. She went to him and got into his lap.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said, stroking her long black hair. "Thank you for obeying me."
Minerva nodded, comfortable in her perch upon his knee. For as long as she could remember, every time she did something her father wanted, he would thank her for it. She felt like he did not need to. When he simply requested something, she was just as happy to do it as she was when she felt forced to, like when his voice was inside her head urging her toward something.
Minerva reached toward the plaque on her father's desk. Her father handed it to her. She ran her fingers over the shiny surface, saying "Headmaster."
He looked at her in astonishment. "How did you know that was what it said?"
She smiled. "I just know. Are you the 'Headmaster'?"
"Yes, I am."
"What does it mean?"
He kissed the top of her head. "It means that I am the ruler of this school, beautiful."
Minerva turned the plaque over and over in her hands. "Are you the ruler of anything else?" She did not notice the bitterness in his voice when he replied.
"No."
"Do you think I can ever be the ruler of anything?" she asked, not really understanding what it meant to be a ruler, but wanting to be just like her father.
He tightened his hold around her. "Maybe someday."