"Theta-Sigma! Attention!"
I looked up from my desk. My eyes trailed towards a furious face framed by a bale of greyish frizzy hair. Ms Reprics glared and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Daydreaming again, weren't we?" she asked displeased and threw a pile of book at me while standing three rows away from me. The students in front of me ducked or got out of the way and I watched the books collapsing onto my desk, eyeing them up carefully one by one.
"Catalogue them after the lesson. And now start paying attention, 'alice'!"
I shrugged.
Ms Reprics had started calling me by girl's names after the incident in her office. I didn't know why. But I had stopped caring weeks ago.
And 'alice' was a human girl's name she had recently discovered in a book I had saved from being burnt up. Ms Reprics's part of the secret library was running over. And she had started burning books which were of minor interest to her. And only because the book had been in human language I had hid it from her and read it myself.
Ms Reprics thought that 'alice' fitted me. Not only because she believed that it had emerged from 'malice'; the 'alice' in the book was a curious and ignorant child, a dumb brat (how Ms Reprics designated her) and therefore it would be an adequate name for me.
Ms Reprics spun around and focused on Koschei who was staring out of the window, a behaviour which was provocative as well as inadequate, at least to her.
Ms Reprics picked up various books from a pile right beside her desk and threw them at Koschei, whom she hit in the face with them. He didn't even flinch but turned his head in her direction quietly. Ms Reprics pointed at me again.
"Catalogue them as well! You can start collecting those books right now."
"Yes Miss" I replied quietly and arose from my seat, one of my hands pressed against my abdomen. I tried to shield it from the other's views. I didn't want them to catch a glimpse of it.
I felt so ashamed of myself.
"And try not bumping your head against his groin again. Or at least not repetitively" snapped Ms Reprics "You disgusting little brat."
I wasn't sure if Ms Reprics was either referring to me or Koschei, but I didn't bother.
She had been crotchety for the past few weeks and you were well-advised not to answer back.
Her cane was in the mood for fracturing backs.
I crawled under Koschei's desk and gathered two big ponderous tomes as well as a small flat book which disintegrated in my hands. It was in human language and therefore I made the mistake of thumbing through it.
The cover sheet was missing but on the first pages it was repeated.
"The vacuum of infinite space decompressing" by a human reverend.
I pocketed it without giving it much thought.
Koschei chuckled above me as he ran a hand through my hair while I was still kneeling under his desk.
"Finished pleasing him?" hissed Ms Reprics between gritted teeth.
I blushed while crawling out and getting to my feet again.
"No Miss… I mean, yes, Miss… No, I…" I tried to defend myself by Ms Reprics silenced me with a thud of her walking stick.
"Have a seat" she snapped before adding in a lower voice "If you can sit."
Koschei burst out laughing.
Ms Reprics picked up some books and threw them at Koschei, scoring one or two hits. But that wouldn't stop Koschei from laughing.
"Quiet!" she bellowed before rushing towards him and hitting him on the back with her cane.
Koschei fell silent but wouldn't stop smiling.
"Disrespect is one of the first stages of abasement of morality" stated Ms Reprics and walked back to her piles of books before turning around and facing me again "and so is lewd conduct."
I stared at my desk but wouldn't stop blushing.
Koschei was bubbling over with laughter again.
"Would you be so kind as to explain your exhilaration?" asked Ms Reprics harshly.
"Certainly Miss" replied Koschei, imitating my voice "You know… you've got to know what you're talking about..."
"Impertinence!" Ms Reprics cut him off "You've got some nerves…"
"Erubeske Rubea."
Koschei had silenced Ms Reprics by two words and her abrupt hush made your ears buzz.
I wasn't the only one who turned his head to Koschei.
Ms Reprics stared at him in shocked silence and mouthed the words herself again. Koschei smiled at her confusion and leaned back in his chair. The others had become silent and stared at Ms Reprics irritated. I tried to evade her look but guessed that she'd caught a glimpse of me by now. Since Koschei had been impossible to unnerve or destroy she preferred to vent her spleen on me.
"Theta!" her voice was a mere but hateful whisper "Translate!" I tried to straighten up but didn't want to give her a clear view on my swollen abdomen. "Certainly Miss" I mumbled "It's Latin, Miss." I gave it a quick thought but thought it best not to continue. Koschei had mocked me because my Latin was a bit rusty, but it was still sufficient enough to understand what he'd called her. "I said translate!" repeated Ms Reprics, whose voice had stopped trailing off; it now was as cold as always. "I assume that it is a name, Miss" I went on and stared at my desk. The other students turned around and observed me carefully while I was searching for the right expressions. "And what would you assume does it mean?" she snapped. Ms Reprics spoke quietly which was something to be worried about; usually she talked unnecessary loud.
"Erubeske derives from erubscere, pronounced ērubēscere, which could be translated as "to blush" or "to blush with shame, Miss". "Conjugate!" commanded Ms Reprics. I struggled to recite the listed words in my mind correctly.
"That's enough" snapped Ms Reprics after "erubescunt".
"Tense?" she asked dictatorial. She moved closer and stopped as soon as she stood right in front of me. I slumped in my chair unintentionally.
"Tense?" she repeated. "Present tense, Miss..." I replied quietly.
"You have to speak up" interrupted Ms Reprics "otherwise the other children won't be able to hear it. And they can learn a lot from you. You're a refined person and very well read."
I didn't dare to meet her eyes.
I whispered "Thank you, Miss." and hoped that it would be over soon.
Ms Reprics smirked. "Which book did you steal and devour to know this, may I ask?" she went on.
"I didn't steal anything" I replied aghast. Ms Reprics smashed her cane down on my desk; the deafening sound echoed in the small room.
""I didn't steal anything, Miss"" corrected Ms Reprics; her furious glare seemed to burn everything within its reach. I nodded quietly and whispered "Please excuse me, Miss. It won't ever happen again, Miss."
Ms Reprics stepped aside and turned around, facing the other students who didn't dare to even breathe audibly. "I'd prefer you to respect other people's properties" she mumbled half to herself "there is a reason why you're not allowed to read those books."
"Certainly, Miss" I replied quietly.
Ms Reprics walked up and down between the desks.
"Finite verb form?" she asked. "Yes, Miss. Imperative." I replied.
"So... what do you think it is supposed to mean?" asked Ms Reprics snappy.
"I don't know Miss..."
"I didn't ask you for what you know" interrupted Ms Reprics "I asked you for what you think. So, once more, 'alice', in case you think what do you think?"
"I think it's a pejorative term, Miss" I replied quietly and stared at my desk.
"And what makes you think so?" she enquired.
"Because it's..."
"Why do you think someone would be called 'Erubeske Rubea', what do you suppose stands the 'Rubea' for?"
One or two uneasy students cleared their throats.
"It's Latin, Miss" I mumbled.
"Speak up!"
"It's Latin, Miss" I managed to get out as loud as I could, which was nothing but a barely audible murmur "It means redhead, Miss."
"Why 'Rubea'?" asked Ms Reprics.
"Because it was meant to designate someone who had red hair, Miss?" I asked uncertainly.
"No, why the 'a'?" she went on and rolled her eyes.
"It's a female name, Miss?"
"Was that an answer or a question?" snapped Ms Reprics.
"Both" chuckled Koschei beside me.
"You want to add something to your toy's explanation?" assumed Ms Reprics. I felt the heat in my face rising again.
"Pull- and push along toy, Madam" Koschei smiled "and yes."
"Miss!" yelled Ms Reprics.
"That wouldn't be quite sufficient, Madam" replied Koschei "for as far as I'm concerned that name was given you. And I don't suppose that Theta is ever going to speak up so I might as well translate it myself; it means "blush in shame before the redhead", but not the redheads in general. Freely translated it stands for "blush before the scarlet harlot"..."
"That's enough!" snapped Ms Reprics and Koschei fell silent and popped his head to one side.
Ms Reprics had neared him and raised her can to whack him over the head with it. The usual whistling noise could be heard as she whizzed it through the air but it never reached Koschei's head.
Koschei had grabbed her stick and held it imperiously before snatching it from her and breaking it in half.
Ms Reprics stared at him with disbelieving eyes; Koschei had arisen from his seat.
"Don't you ever dare to slander my toy, Madam" Koschei had stopped smiling and pushed Ms Reprics aside before grabbing me by the hand and hauling me out of the room.