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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mary Poppins or the actors/actresses.
Part Two:
Mary avoided the mirror as she changed from her soaking dress to a dry one. She had a mind to take it down and put it away in the drawers she soon discovered afterwards. Finished, she brushed her hair absentmindedly and looked around with curious eyes. Everything seemed to be ready for Mary and her things, for each item she brought out there was a place for it. There was even a tiny compartment in the small side table by the bed for her to place her new white gloves in.
The only thing that seemed lacking was a clock. She didn't carry a pocket watch, and the school was much too far from Big Ben for the giant clockwork chimes to be heard. She would have to wait and depend on the maid to come back. The girl glared at the pins she had removed from her head, not enjoying the thought that they would have to go back. But of course it wasn't proper for a young lady such as her to have her hair all the way down as she once had. Some girls did, but Mrs. Poppins had strictly forbid it for her daughter. No one needed to see her long waves of rich dark brown. It was too vain.
With everything she could possibly think of or remember put away, Mary returned to her seat on the bed. It creaked under her light weight and she cringed at the thought of having to sleep on such a noisy bed. It did not pay well to be a light sleeper. With another sigh, she turned towards the window. Now she had nothing to do but wait.
The rain had not stopped and Mary reflected on the morning, feeling the misery she had suppressed. This school would be no different from home. Except for her parents not being present, Mary doubted her life could ever change even just a little. Everything was planned out for her at home, and so it had begun to be here at the school. She remembered the catalogue about the school with bitterness. It seemed like a different start than her average life, a new setting.
Her father had first said no on the spot when her mother suggested it: he never said yes without saying no first. Mrs. Poppins had to keep at it by leaving the bright little pamphlet on her husband's dresser, his writing desk, and on his plate each morning, never saying a word herself as her husband glared down at it. Mary, of course, had had no say in the discussion. Any school Mary would have chosen wouldn't be right. Nothing she chose could be correct; there was too much she hadn't learned, her parents said.
On the cover of the pamphlet was the school itself, but much more cheerful looking, with poppies in the gardens and the sun shining on the white and grey stone charmingly. Above this picture in cursive golden writing stated "Mistress Hemmington's School for Gifted Girls". It was quite an elegant advertisement. Mrs. Poppins had gotten it from a friend at a tea party. The other lady had said her own daughter was quite proper and wonderful, now. The school was the best thing, just the right thing, for troublesome girls who couldn't be taken care of by a governess anymore. Apparently the 'Gifted' part of the name was really a code for 'Troublesome'.
Mary wished she could have said no. It didn't please her at all that her mother was so captivated by the school, or so ambitious to have her 'troublesome girl' grow up to be accomplished with no help from herself. The girl had depended on her father's pride to make all the decisions to save her. But it seemed that even Mr. Poppins considered Mary to be a 'troublesome girl' and had finally bent that iron will of his to let her apply for the school. It had hurt to leave. It hurt Mary to watch the servants load her things into bags and up on the carriage. Her father hadn't even been home to say goodbye.
"Not that they will write," Mary sighed to herself, letting self-pity wallow over her.
A knock at the door made her conscious of a rare tear that had leaked out of her eye. Quickly she brushed it away and rushed to the door, not wanting to have a bad impression on whoever was knocking. What if it was awful Mistress Hemmington? Mary wouldn't be able to bear that superior stare she had. Even worse, Mary would not be able to handle it if that woman saw that she had been crying. Gritting her teeth, she pulled open the door and peered out, expecting someone important. But to her surprise, it was not the maid or Mistress Hemmington, but another girl her own age.
"Hello there!" the girl said cheerily when Mary said nothing. "It's lunchtime now, and I'm to get you. So here I am!"
The girl spread her hands out and looked so pleased, one would have thought she had won an award. Mary struggled for words but failed. Instead she looked over her messenger with some skepticism.
The smiling face that so pried into the doorway was round but not fat, plain but certainly not ugly. A sprinkling of unfashionable freckles covered the bridge of a small button nose and the mouth was much too wide to be pretty. Fortunately, the teeth inside the big mouth were mostly straight and white as well. A shock of carrot colored hair was plaited on either side of her head in pigtails, giving her a rural, child-like look.
"Thank you…" Mary said finally, not sure whether to curtsey to this girl or not.
The girl beamed again. Mary noticed that the girl's light brown eyes half closed when she smiled. It gave her a sleepy look.
"You're very welcome!" the girl gushed, happy to have thanks, "You're new here, aren't you? Of course you are… you don't have the uniform!"
"Uniform…?" Mary looked appalled.
Her mother never said anything about the uniforms. She looked quickly down at the girl's clothes. Sure enough, the dress was grey and dark blue, crisp and ironed like a uniform. White stockings and plain black shoes tapped the stone floor energetically. A collar with a blue ridge and matching bow clashed with the girl's red pigtails. With a sympathetic smile, the student seemed to notice Mary's discomfort.
"Ooh, don't you go worrying about the uniform," she assured her with a familiar pat on the arm Mary wasn't sure she liked, "Matron and Mistress will forgive you since it's your first day. Your dress is nice enough. You'll get the uniform later."
Mary nodded uncertainly. The girl stepped away from the door, allowing Mary room to get out. Her head spun from the quickness of it all.
"Come on, then!" the girl waved to her, already ahead.
Mary had to almost run to catch up, feeling silly. Her skirts nearly tripped her and once she came to the girl's side, she suddenly groaned aloud. She had forgotten to pin up her hair! As she grasped her locks with a look of disgust her companion smiled her sleepy smile again.
"Don't worry about you hair," she said almost seriously, "we don't have rules about our hair, really."
Mary stared at her, again at a loss of what to say to such a character. Did everyone learn to act this way? If that was so, Mary doubted her mother would enjoy that fact. She decided not to mention anything of it if she ever wrote home. Still, she would have to keep close to this new girl. The school had not lost its confusing twists and turns in the short time Mary was in her room. Again she wondered how on earth she was to manage.
"My name is Janet," the girl said, looking sheepish that she forgot to introduce herself. "Janet Fenton. And you're Mary Poppins, of course. Matron told me."
"Pleasure," Mary said, with a wry grin. "Does everyone know me by now?"
"Oh, most likely!" Janet seemed eager to share her expanse of knowledge as they walked down another light hallway. "We don't get many new students, so anyone who's accepted is known throughout the dorms! I knew you first since I'm the one who'll be helping you around."
"I see," Mary sighed.
She wasn't quite sure how she felt about Janet. She seemed kind enough, and a good deal willing to help, but Mary could not tell if she wanted any help. She mused silently to herself as Janet prattled away, filling the silence with conversation that was more gabble than actual discussion. However, Mary was grateful for this for it required very little work on her part. All she had to do was nod and agree or disagree at the right times. It gave Mary time to think to herself.
"…and my door is the caterpillar." Janet finished, "And here is the dining room!"
Mary shook herself more alert and looked up…and up at the large door before them. Carvings of two plum trees decorated the heavy wood while two brass handles served to pull them open. This Janet did to Mary's surprise. It didn't seem like someone as thin as her would be able to do such a feat, but pull open the doors she did. Mary looked about almost eagerly, expecting a greater extravagance.
However, it was a normal dining room. The only difference was this room had carpeting, and it was very long. In the dead center was an equally long table with a lace tablecloth. Girls sat on each side of the table and far away at the head sat an older woman. She was neither a maid, nor Mistress Hemmington. To Mary's subconscious relief, she looked kinder than everyone she had met today besides Pappy.
She wasn't pretty, thin lady but more of a stout, motherly woman with a kindly face. Black hair was pulled back into the bun all the elder ladies had in the school and she wore the strict black dress but also with a bright white collar.
Janet nudged her and nodded at the woman before they were noticed.
"That's Matron," Janet said, "She's nice enough, but don't make her mad. This here room is only for the first years."
Mary looked at her, startled at this new arrangement. Janet gave her a wry grin.
"I'm a second year, so I have to sit with Mistress Kent, the music teacher," the girl said apologetically. "I'll get you after lunch so just wait around for me! Good luck!"
With that and a flounce of her pigtails, Janet turned and scurried out, shutting the great doors behind her. Now facing the room Mary was embarrassed to see that nearly every girl was now staring at her. Also, none of them had their hair down. Mary bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if Janet lied on purpose or if she just forgot. Matron was also looking at her, viewing her dress that certainly wasn't uniform and her hair that wasn't pulled back or pinned up.
"Miss Poppins," she started, her voice pleasantly low, "I trust that you were informed of our dress code."
Mary stiffened as the other students began to giggle but was quick to apologize to Matron, explaining that the girl that was with her mentioned uniforms but her and her mother did not know until now. Matron nodded and looked like she was going to say more. Mary flinched and resisted touching her hair, which now felt like it was bright blue and glowing with all the attention it was getting from the other girls. However Matron just smiled thinly at motioned at an empty seat near the end.
"You may sit there, Miss Poppins," she nodded. "We were just starting prayer. We will eat afterwards."
Mary went to the chair designated to her and sat down gingerly. To her shock and mortification the chair creaked loudly, causing more giggles down the table. Matron glared at her pupils until the laughter died down while Mary's cheeks burned crimson. How typical for her to get the oldest, worst chair to sit in. Thankfully it was soon forgotten. One by one, each girl bent her head and hands were folded under the table. Mary quickly copied them, not wanting to cause anything to draw more attention to herself.
A small 'psst' made her look over to her left, startled. The girl beside her who had made the noise was peeking at her under thick lashes while Matron began giving thanks, giving a little smile Mary wasn't quick to trust. She was a very pretty girl, with lovely blonde hair twisted up elegantly and sloping, refined features with a full and sensitive mouth. The grey eyes under the lashes were complimented rather than stunted by her uniform. Mary took notice of a pink ribbon tied around her wrist, either for vanity's sake or poor memory she couldn't tell. Not sure on how to respond, for she was certain to get in trouble if she spoke now, she smiled back uncertainly.
The girl smiled wider and the eyes darted down, looking at something. Before Mary could understand what she was looking at, a loud bang shot off and suddenly she found herself on the floor, her chair collapsed beneath her! This was too much for the other girls, even during prayers. Each began to giggle and then laugh loudly while Matron rose to her feet, exasperated. Mary could only stare in aghast at the girl beside her from the floor, her mouth open in angry indignation. The girl was laughing with the rest of them, her eyes cold as she looked down at Mary.
"Miss Poppins, what in heaven's name did you do?" Matron said irritably, helping her up and looking disgustedly at the chair, which had not broken but had only fallen on its side.
Mary glared at the blonde girl who smirked and gazed serenely at her nails. Mary had not been in the room for five minutes and already she had an enemy. A tricky one at that, for how could she explain that the blonde girl was responsible for her humiliation? Mary herself did not know what she did! Sullenly she met Matron's angry gaze.
"I don't know, Matron." She said, keeping in her temper.
"You don't know how you fell out of your chair?" Matron asked, clearly unbelieving.
The girls giggled again, hiding their smiles behind their hands and napkins.
"No, Matron," Mary murmured, hating the blonde girl.
"I seem to doubt that, Miss Poppins," Matron said with a frown, "I will not have anyone be a disruption to others during any time of the day, do you understand?"
Mary could have been submissive and just said "Yes, Matron" or "I'm sorry, Matron". She could have said nothing and been able to fume quietly during her meal. She even might've been better if she explained how the blonde girl looked at her chair before she fell over. However, Mary was insulted and furious at the blame being put on her. This made her not think clearly or about consequences. White-faced and quiet she clearly told Matron:
"I'm not a disruption."
The older woman's eyebrows rose, in danger of disappearing into her hairline. All the young ladies had fallen silent, staring at Mary with many shocked eyes. Both women stared at each other, now both pale with emotion.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Poppins?" Matron asked, her low voice dangerously soft.
"I'm not a disruption," Mary stated firmly, her breath quick and labored. "And I don't think you should call someone that when they've done nothing wrong, Matron."
A small uproar at the table was created and Mary very soon found herself outside the dining room, being led by the ear by a very angry Matron. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as the pain of the woman's beefy grip on her delicate ear squeezed mercilessly. She tried not to cry as she stumbled along to keep up to the fast pace of her elder.
"How dare you," Matron said through gritted teeth, "how dare you disrespect me like that! You will be punished for your impertinence, Miss Poppins, see if you don't!"
Yanking Mary around a corner the woman's eyes flashed in fury. She was very good at ignoring the girl's small whimpers as they strode along. Where they were going, Mary didn't know. In the back of her mind, she was very frightened that she would be kicked out on the very first day. What would her mother say if she turned up on the doorstep?
Matron kept the pace hurried and her grip never relaxed. Mary freely hated upon her, the blonde girl, the school, and even poor Janet. It was their fault that she was in trouble! She didn't even want to be here. She never chose this school, or its rules. She wanted to have a normal life, with parents that paid attention to her and a wonderful school that wasn't filled with awful, hateful girls. Now she would be thrown out and made to go home. Mrs. Poppins would be sure to be very angry, and Mr. Poppins would talk to her even less, now.
"Get in," Matron said curtly, opening up another door flanked by two paintings of Bird-of-Paradise flowers.
Mary was shoved through and only when the door was closed did Matron release her ear. She stumbled away, wiping away a stray tear. It was an office of some kind, with a large oak desk and chair behind it at the back. Shelves of books lined the walls along with pictures of different, stern looking ladies. If Mary looked closer, she would have seen that they were past Mistresses of the school. An unlit fire with an accompanying armchair was the only thing that suggested comfort.
"You will talk to Mistress Hemmington about your behavior," Matron told her, an angry flush on her pale cheeks.
She was writing something down on a paper on the desk, leaning over it heavily. Mary rubbed her ear and sniffed. Matron wasn't moved in compassion, but gave her a very forbidding glance. She motioned for Mary to sit in one of the hard chairs that were in front of the desk. The girl obeyed. The large window behind the desk showed that the rain had not stopped, but had grown worse. It did not cheer her up at all.
"Wait here until she comes," Matron ordered her, "And don't move. Your punishment will be Mistress's choice."
With another etched sentence, the woman set down the pen she was using and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Mary clasped her hands together, quite frightened. She berated herself for her unbearable temper.
"Oh, Mary, couldn't you have kept your mouth shut?" she scolded herself, tearing up again. "Now what will they do with you?"
It would not surprise her at all if she was expelled. And all because of that terrible blonde girl! She wondered what had caused the sudden dislike. Certainly she did nothing of the sort to cause any sudden dislike. She didn't even know what her name was. Hatred and fear filled her to the brim and her faults pounded her shoulders. Nothing she did was right! Little sniffles escaped her even though she tried to stop, and when she thought of what her mother would say Mary couldn't contain her grief and she began to cry loudly.
She made so much noise, she didn't hear the strange scratching noises that came from the fireplace. Ash and soot was falling in little frequencies on the charcoaled wood, making it skitter softly. An exclamation of surprise from inside the flue made Mary jump to her feet, frightened. More soot fell heavily for a moment then stopped though the sounds did not. Filled with a morbid curiosity she approached the fireplace with caution, listening hard to the noises inside.
"Hello…?" she asked uncertainly, feeling slightly foolish as she looked up the flue into the chimney.
A heavy sliding noise and a figure coming down towards her made her jump back, making an exclamation of her own. Whatever was caught inside the flue soon fell to the ground with a yell and ash and soot was thrown into the air, creating a cloud of grey. Coughing, Mary waved a hand in front of her face and tried to peer through the haze with watering eyes. The lump at the bottom was unraveling itself and to her surprise stretched up until it was the figure of a person.
The person also coughed and tried patting themselves down but only succeeding in creating more ashy dust. They were coated in black soot, and even the face was unrecognizable save for the whites of startled eyes. Mary stared for a moment before the person seemed to notice her. Teeth flashed white in the blackened face.
"Good mornin'!" The person said in an uneducated dialect, "Beggin' your pardon, but do you happen to have a clean handkerchief…?"
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