Lilith finally arrived at school.
She parked her bike and then glanced at the watch on her wrist.
"8:30 a.m." On the dot.
She sighed and murmured to herself;
"Classes begin by 9:00 a.m, but I'm sure Miss Melinda will punish me for coming 'Late'. All students are supposed to be in school by 7:00 a.m., especially Privileged Students."
Lilith gritted her teeth and decided to brace herself for whatever punishment was coming.
She walked inside the school building, and, as usual, Miss Melinda was stationed at her classroom door.
"You're late, Lilith. Quite unusual," she said in a very stern voice.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I woke up really late."
"Hm. You've been slacking off recently."
Lilith's fingers twisted together, clearly anxious.
"Was this about the test all students took last week?"
Lilith had known she was going to fail. That day, her maladaptive daydreaming had been particularly intense and she couldn't think straight.
She'd begged the invigilator to excuse her, claiming she was sick and would take the test later, but the invigilator had refused outright, insisting she was faking it.
That had stung. But what truly infuriated her was when Belle made the same exact request and the invigilator didn't blink twice before granting it.
"So unfair," Lilith thought bitterly.
"Lilith, I'm talking to you." Miss Melinda's voice cut through her thoughts.
"I—I'm so sorry, Miss. I promise to work harder," Lilith said, looking down.
Miss Melinda smirked. "That's if you have the chance."
"Sorry?"
"You heard me. Also, the School Administrators have requested your presence, Lilith."
"Yes, Miss."
Lilith responded and began walking toward the administrators' office.
"Oh no. This is so bad," she thought.
The School Administrators were rarely ever on campus. They came only to oversee the school's progress, which meant a summons from them could only mean one of two things, something very good or something very bad. There was never any in-between.
Lilith stood in front of the Administrators' Office, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
The cool air hit her first.
"Good morning, School Administrators" Lilith said, bowing.
Discipline and elegance had always been the culture here.
Then the silence.
Seven people sat behind the long table, none of them looking at her. Papers shuffled. Pens clicked. One of them was on a phone call, voice low and clipped. Another was writing something with the kind of focus that made it clear Lilith's presence had been noted and deliberately set aside.
She stood at the door for a moment, then walked further in, stopping at a respectful distance from the table.
Nobody spoke to her.
She clasped her hands in front of her and waited.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. The phone call ended. More papers. A brief exchange between two of them in hushed voices she couldn't quite catch. The one at the centre looked up once, staring at her intently, and then looked down back and just kept reading, turning pages with calm, unhurried hands.
Lilith's arm throbbed. She shifted her weight slightly but kept her posture straight.
Twenty minutes. Thirty.
At some point she stopped counting.
Finally, the woman to the left set down her pen and looked up. The rest followed, one by one, until all seven pairs of eyes were on her.
"And you must be Lilith Schze," the woman said.
"Yes, ma'am."
"The reason you've been summoned today is because we've received a number of complaints about you."
Complaints?
"What kind of complaints, if I may ask?"
"We have five in total," the one at the centre said.
They each retrieved papers from beneath the table and began reading aloud, one by one, starting from the most recent.
"First—today you arrived at 8:30 a.m. As a privileged student, this is unacceptable. Reported by Miss Melinda."
"Second—you received an F on the latest test. You are a privileged student, Lilith. You know what this means. Also reported by Miss Melinda."
"Third—you were reported for physically striking a student named William Duzes and claiming self-defence. Witnesses present at the scene contradict your account."
"Fourth—you asked to be excused from the test, citing illness. Shortly after the test concluded, you were seen perfectly well."
"Suspicious, isn't it?" the centre administrator remarked.
"And fifth." A pause. "I must confess, this one surprised even us." Another pause, this one heavier. "Last week there was a party. It has been alleged that you attended, and while there, you drugged both Belle and her boyfriend William with a harmful substance."
Lilith, who had been silent through all of it, finally raised her head.
"That's not true. I was the one who was—"
Laughter. Soft, sarcastic, rippling through the room.
"As expected, Miss Lilith. That last complaint was filed by Miss Jasmine, and she noted, specifically, that you would say exactly what you just said."
"W—what? I'm sorry, I don't understand what's happening right now."
"You will need to understand quickly. You are on the verge of expulsion, or worse, a formal court proceeding." The woman at the centre folded her hands. "We will take our leave now, as we have other matters to attend to. Tomorrow, you are to come to school with your parents and any witnesses who can speak on your behalf and also a Lawyer. There will be a general assembly. The School's Founder will be present."
The administrators rose and filed out.
All except Principal Aryan.
When the last of them disappeared through the door, Mr Aryan stood slowly from his seat at the centre of the table. He walked toward the door, closed it, and locked it.
Then he turned and leaned against it, looking her over from head to toe. And then he laughed.
There were many things Lilith could have done in that moment. Would have done, under different circumstances. But she didn't want any more 'problems' that would turn into 'complaints.' So she kept very still.
"Mr Aryan," she said, keeping her voice formal and even. "May I ask what you need from me? I still have classes." She checked her watch as she said it.
He laughed a little longer, then finally strolled back to his seat and picked up his pen, clicking it against the desk.
"You know, Lilith," he began, "I thought you were a smart girl. Clearly, I overestimated you."
Coming from a man without a single atom of sense, she thought.
"With this pen, I have the power to sign your expulsion papers." He let that sit. "But I also have the power to help you. And you need help, don't you?"
He slid a finger lazily under his nose.
Disgusting.
What she really wanted to say: "You disgusting piece of shit. Yes, I do need help, but not from you. Not from a man who corners his students every chance he gets."
What she said instead, with a calm, unhurried smile:
"We'll see about that, Mr Aryan."
"I've always loved that fire in you," he said, laughing softly. "Let's see if you can keep it up without getting… wet."
Vulgar man.
He checked his watch. "10:55. Which means you've been here nearly two hours. Break starts at 11:00, use it wisely." He took a sip of water and waved her off with one hand.
"Yes, sir."
She bowed and walked out.