Second meeting

"Well, if you two have finished with your mano a mano performance, can we discuss the scandalous quality of these beignets," Holly says as she turns her attention back to the two of you. Diana shakes her head and smiles as though despairing of a precocious child, then looks at you with a smile.

"We shall have to talk. But later. Now we should terrify the young maidens from N to Z. Ready Dean?"

"Always," you answer with a grin. "Let's go get them."

The three of you drain your cups and leave the dining hall, walking back across the quad to the main building. You notice Luisa standing in the door of the kitchen, her hands on her hips, glowering at you as you leave.

The second meeting starts quietly. As she did this morning, Diana runs over coming events and some administrative details, introducing you and the other new teachers before turning the meeting over to you.

Every eye is upon you, but if these young women were expecting another show they are disappointed. When you get to the part about the dress code you see several glances at a pair of obvious Arab sisters with headscarves and gauzy leggings and you wonder if some of them think you're going to strip the poor girls clothes right off them. Pushing the erotic image of slicing silk from the golden flesh of these smooth skinned legs into the dark corners of your mind you continue without missing a beat. You explain the consequences of major infractions and end by directing students to pick up a copy of the Code of Conduct before they leave.

Before you and Diana have finished handing Code of Conduct books to the departing students you are joined by Mr. Sharp, the social studies teacher.

"Not anywhere near as exciting as this morning." He says with an easy grin.

"I think word got around," you reply. "That was the point of the exercise this morning, so I'm satisfied."

"From what I've seen so far, the students seem to be impressed. Good job." Darnell doesn't seem to notice your attempt to sidestep him. With a sigh you meet the man's gaze and give him the attention he seems to want.

"We'll see how impressed the parents are, once they hear about it," you shrug in an attempt to sound modest even as you notice Mason Carter leave the hall surrounded by a small group of students. "If I was taking bets on me still having a job by the end of the week I'd want pretty good odds." Darnell seems eager to make a good impression, and you appreciate his endorsement.

"You have a good chunk of the faculty on board," Darnell says as the two of you leave the library and head downstairs. "And you don't look like a guy who's afraid to take a stand, or a guy who counts the odds when he does." Something about this man is starting to annoy you; as a student of history he, more than anyone else, should know that people who ignored the odds didn't win many fights.

"Someone who doesn't count the odds is a damn fool Mr. Sharp," you say with a tight mouth. "As a student of history, you should know that. But the point is, I believe in going by the book, whether I wrote the book or not. I don't expect to make this a career, but while I'm here I'll do the job the way I see fit."

"I don't doubt it, and don't think I was criticizing." Darnell backs off a little, "I'm impressed with what you're doing. Especially since it seems to be working."

The walk across the quad continues in silence and you see Darnell's sharp eyes taking in everything from the ivory covered buildings to the small groups of students who watch you like kids in a candy shop.

"We'll see," You break the silence before it becomes awkward, nodding towards the students. "I suspect some of these young ladies are going to be pushing the edge of the envelope. Testing to see if there are holes." Darnell chuckles softly.

"My guess is that if they do, they'll find they're fucking with the wrong guy." You glance at him quickly wondering what he knew, or thought he knew. He seems to sense your displeasure. "So to speak, of course," he adds quickly, and you realize you are probably oversensitive about this. You enter the Mellon building together, still chatting as you walk towards his office.

That's when you hear the screaming begin.