User: 8Umbra

I wake up few minutes after the sun has risen, is an habit really one I have not been able to rid off for years now but it serves, it gives me time to make my appearance pristine. I quick the cover off my body mechanically heading for the shower, by the time I come out it is barely six thirty plenty of time to choose my suit, it is one of the small pleasures I allow myself to have: choosing the suit I will wear that day, spending time finding the right tie (if it goes with what I am wearing at time) and the right pocket square. This time I pick a brown jacket and brown pants, the shirt is blue with stripped black and white lines, no tie today after all I do try to make a relaxed impression the first day but not as informal as to go without the suit, for the pocket square I pick two different fabrics: one sky blue and the other light brown pulling to golden, finally the last item is the small pin with the Carter Hollow emblem.

I check the clock one last time before heading towards my new classroom, it is not on the building I stay and the walk down the stair is slightly long but is the small price to stay high in the building besides I appreciate the exercise.

The building in which I will teach is exactly the same color as the one I am staying in only this one looks a little more large on the sides, probably due to the laboratories they host. I am not early enough to out pass my students, who should be in the classroom by now.

I walk down the long hall of the building in which my classroom resides, a heavy sigh leaves my lips. New year is always hard and the freshmen just make it worse, all so eager to make friends and run around the school as if they were kinder garden students, they could be for how they behave, hoping for their teachers to be as friendly as they dream.

The small heel my shoes have makes an echoing noise in the empty space, it brings me peace. Slowly I open the door to my classroom revealing in the expectant looks the students give me, they watch my step as I enter and sit with a low murmur as my briefcase falls on my desk. I rummage through it, looking for a piece of chalk, I find a white one giving my back to them as I write my name in the green space.

"Good morning class, my name is Arthur Knightgale and I am your literature teacher." I pause for effect almost groaning at the small giggles I hear somewhere in the room, "alright first of all rules. I will not tolerate indiscipline this means if I catch you texting, passing notes, eating or any other form of distraction you will be thrown out of my classroom with any form of discipline I find suitable. No speaking unless I ask you a question, you have a doubt or I instruct you to discuss something.

"You must know I am not your friend nor your tutor nor your psychiatrist, I am your teacher this means that if you do not come to my class the in-assistance will count in your grades unless you hold a document that says otherwise if you do not then don't insist, I do not care if your parents are getting divorced or if your pet died and you were too depressed to get out of bed, do not try to appeal to my human side, you will fail" I pause to look at their faces, I am the first professor they meet here and I just love to give them a rough welcome.

"Second are grades. I will grade you with the home works you give me and a special work I will leave you at the end of every month, I do not give extra credits nor opportunities if you are failing and no I do not care whose son or daughter are you of you will all get the same treatment. If you hold too many in-assistances but have them justified we will talk about a different work to cover the year. Finally what I grade in home works is creativity and dedication, you are welcome to give me a three letter work but do not expect an A. Brevity is the soul of wit but if you decide to be short with your words they better be spectacular. You will be reading a book per week and no I do not care if you have other though classes." I smirk at their angry faces, enjoying the moment, they always say I am too rough with my students, I know not if this is true but I like teaching this way, it has better results.

"Questions?" no hand comes up and I am glad for that, most of the questions they make force me to repeat myself.

"Today I will give you the first book of the year and the first homework." They all groan and my smile widens. "First you must know that reading doesn't have to be a punishment, and I will never leave you a book I personally didn't enjoy in my youth but if you suggest one I am open to new ideas.  The first book is called "a wrinkle in time" written by Madeline L'Engle. The book is about the adventures of a girl that is only special in the way a normal person can no powers, no abilities just...herself." I remember the book, I read it when I was in elementary school and I enjoyed it greatly, I am not lying I would never leave them a book I personally didn't like. "Read the book and next Monday I will make questions about it, I also want you to write a review and yes I read them all so no copying, I will know."

"Now this book "a wrinkle in time" was the winner of the Newbery medal in 1962, has any of you heard of the Newbery medal?" Again silence, well that and they stare at me as if I had grown another head. "This award was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery who is known for his book "a little pretty pocket book" considered the first children's book, this one consists in a series of simply rhymes for all letters of the alphabet." Some of them yawn and others just stop paying attention to me, a few are still out of dreamland, "lately this medal has caused quite the struggle within the society of writers for a subject called "books we like to read and books we should read" in truth there is no right book to read even classics are not t0 be forcefully read, however as its obvious from the education we get at home there are book in which apparently we learn quite a bit more from than others, this is not true for even in fantasy, horror, crime or any other gender you can think of, we learn something even if we do not realize it. The problem with the medal is that many people are in disagreement as to which books should be granted an award of said importance choosing to classify books of a fantastic nature as those useless and picking others with a more "educational" theme as an example."

I stop talking for a time rummaging inside my case and taking out two different copies of two different books, "now, I would explain more but time is upon us, your homework for tomorrow is take a peek to the classic "Alice in wonderland" look at the pictures and prepare your thoughts for tomorrow's class. As you go out there are two piles, the one at my left is "a wrinkle in time" and the one at my right is "Alice in wonderland" you may go." They stare at me for a second and finally the first one stands in excited hurry being followed by the rest. I watch them take the copies but I do not request they pay for them, I want no excuse as to why they didn't read the book.

It takes ten minutes for the next group to arrive, the sophomores, they look much less curious but equally excited no doubt enjoying the talk about their summer and the thrill of the new students, eager to make new alliances, it makes me smirk as they walk to their sits.

"Good morning class I am sure you are already familiar with me but for those of you that are new my name is Arthur Knightgale your literature teacher. I am sure you already know the rules but I will repeat them just so no confusion issues. No talking unless you are being addressed, no eating and no distractions. This year I will grade you with home works, a review of the book you liked most at the end of the month, a test every month of the subjects seen in class and finally an end of the year project which I will tell you about on the middle of the year." They look at me with bored expressions but then I hoped for nothing less, "as every year I will not tolerate indiscipline and I will not have sympathy for those of you that refuse to work so I advise you do not try to make an appeal to me. I do not give extra credits and I will not put your grade up no matter whose daughter or son are you of. If you arrive ten minutes late to my class you may as well not enter, if you cause troubles in my class you will be thrown out with a punishment of my devising, is this clear?" Again blank looks, oh the future of the country!

I am about to continue with the lesson but my eyes trail on their own accord to the window that give to the hallway, there Miss Arabella Blackwell walks with a slightly preoccupied expression on her face, I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting her of course I have heard about Miss Blackwell and by her look yesterday I can tell she is not here by her own volition but she and director Bennett know each other probably from way back if their familiarity in the ceremony is anything to go by.

"I fear I must ask you excuse me for a moment, please behave while I am gone." I say to my class taking two long strides to cross the room.

Once in the hallway I follow the pat I saw miss Blackwell take, she stands looking at the portraits of the founder and his daughter, her eyes seemed lonely as she stares at the pictures, perhaps recalling her own connection to the school. I do wonder why would she choose her maiden name instead of the proud one that Sparrow is?

"The founder right?" I cut the silence delighting in her erratic motion to turn and see the intruder.

"Yeah, Carter Sparrow." I place my hands in my jacket pockets staring at the same picture she looks before smirking, "despicable man." I say out loud, looking at her with a small twist of my head, she blinks back at me but I know what I said bothers her not.

Miss Blackwell seems truly surprised at the frankness of my words, it is true that not many would say them out loud and less to her but I fear not for her reaction, I already know she agrees.

"Yes he was." I continue seeming as her shock has still to fade "Poor Daianara, her life was miserable." I shrug one of my shoulders schooling my expression to indifference once more.

"Not all of it." She catches her lower lip between her teeth reminiscing of years past, it makes me wonder what her relationship in all this was.

"Ah, yes. That's true, it got better." Is that jealousy what flashes through her eyes? My, my, who would have thought? I extend one of my hands to her "Arthur Knightgale, English professor." She smiles at me but she seems nervous "Arabella Blackwell." The corner of my lips twitches upward in amusement, perhaps she will be interesting.

"Would you care to walk with me to my classroom? I fear, if I leave them any longer they might start disrupting the other classes." Even though so far they had all behaved but I will not risk that.

"Only if you'll let me sit and observe." Her eyes are diverted or else she would have seen the real smile that pulls at my lips.

Her eyes wander around the walls and the paintings taking it all with a kind of familiar awe, like is she was looking at it all for the first time in years, she probably is.

I stop before the door holding it open for Miss Blackwell, instantly students fall silent as we enter, all their eyes falling on me as I step. I have been told I have a certain...air around me but I have never really understood what people mean with that, I know my posture is much more straight and stiff than other but that is just out of costume, I also know that my voice is deep and demanding but...well that is the voice you end up having after teaching for so many years. My step is light making almost no sound but I do not need to make one for my students to understand playtime is over.

I come to stand next to my next motioning for Miss Blackwell to follow my steps "I trust that you all know who it is, Arabella Blackwell. She will be observing the rest of today's class." The student's eyes all bore into her for a brief moment but I notice her discomfort, "Arabella, sit or stand wherever you like." I instruct her gesturing to the entire room, she walks to the far side of the room near a windowsill.

"Alright class, as I was saying..." I continue my lecture my eyes drifting towards Miss Blackwell from time to time, in one occasion she seems to jump getting closer to the window and completely ignoring her surroundings not long after she dashes down the hall interrupting my lecture so rude.

After that the day went fast but then that night a new body is found Beth Rose the girl was called, she had her throat cut open if my ears do not deceive me. I am one of the first persons to arrive at the scene mainly because I have trouble sleeping and for that I spend most of my time reading.

Miss Blackwell and director Bennett are already there and another student um...Lily McCalley, I lied when I said I didn't learn the names of my students, truth be told sometimes I even request pictures before classes start, I like knowing my students.

Two students seem particularly affected so I take charge to take them back inside the dorms, I feel eyes burning a hole into my back "Hey!" I turn around at the word, a normal human reaction. I raise one of my eyebrows at Miss Blackwell's furious expression, "Yes?" I see director Bennett attempting to stop her but she is already stalking towards me making me back away from my students, her eyes are alight with fire and I admit they unnerve me a bit and not for the first time I give thanks for my stoic expression.

"Arabella?" Oh bless it if my voice doesn't sound smaller! I frown growling a little under my breath at my softness but she doesn't seem to notice instead she is still intent on backing me as much as possible against one of the walls.

"Despicable man? Were you talking about Carter or yourself? Did you kill her?" I blink twice at her words making a considerable effort not to offend her right then and there.