Under the Same Sky [BOYXBOY]

CHAPTER 17

A/N: An aesthetic of Francesca's office in the image above.
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The sound of the clock ticking echoed solemnly in the dark carpeted hallway. The five boys were a mess as they sat there with their clothes soiled and dripping with all kinds of food. Their faces were smeared with pastries and their hair filled with all sorts of meat.

They had been sitting quietly in the solemn silence for close to five hours with no visitors whatsoever.

Charles' mother was the first to arrive. She strode in with her anger barely concealed.

'Mum, I-,' Charles began but she cut him off sharply.

'Save it.'

She levelled him with a furious glare. 'I had to drop everything and fly here from Morocco where I had been entertaining the Sultan of Brunei. What would your father say when he hears about it?'

Charles bowed his head, not saying another word.

Paul's mother was the next to arrive. Her Royal Highness, the Lady Sylvia strode in with an expressionless face. She fixed her son with an unreadable gaze but kept her silence. The only sign of her displeasure was the slight downturn of her lips.

Paul met his mother's gaze for a while before turning away. He could feel her disappointment in waves.

Victoria Mills followed soon after with her usual grace and elegance. She cast one look around the odd gathering before resting her gaze on her son.

'What could you possibly have done that was urgent enough for me to fly from Egypt?'

Her voice did not betray her emotions. Jayden shrugged and turned his attention away. She continued to stare at him with an indiscernible expression before finally turning away.

The last to arrive was Samuel's mother, who rushed in asking, 'I'm not late, am I?'

She appeared to have been in the middle of surgery when the call came because she still donned her surgical coat and her hair was tousled from wearing a surgery cap.

She sighed in relief when she saw that she wasn't and moved to sit by her son. 'Sammy, are you alright? What did you do this time, and what is in your hair?'

She licked her hands and began cleaning his face which caused Samuel to shift away.

'Mum,' he mumbled embarrassedly. 'Stop it, you're embarrassing me.'

She huffed and continued to clean him up, ignoring his weak struggle and sounds of protest.

A moment later, a secretary appeared and cleared her throat. 'The headmistress is ready to see you now.'

They stood and made their way into the large stately office. The office was grandiose with plush carpeting that sunk the feet to the ankle. A grand fireplace stood in the corner and standing along the walls, were suits of armour emblazoned with the school crest.

Portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses lined the walls and hanging pride of place directly opposite the room was a larger, far grander portrait of the current headmistress.

Francesca Fontaine sat beneath her likeness and gestured to them to take a seat. She waited patiently until they had taken their seats around, the large oak desk and the secretary closed the door softly before she began.

She peered down her glasses at Samuel's mother. 'I had hoped that after your graduation, I wouldn't see you in my office again Sandra. Apparently, this apple has not fallen far from the tree.'