Cursed Blood | Chaelisa

Chapter 35.

I could have asked Joy why the Headmistress had called her. I could have been sure that Mom and Lisa had handled everything. But when suddenly, the rest of us, including Jennie, were asked to present ourselves at the office, I didn't know what to expect. So we just walked silently with our feet echoing on the cold floor of the hall.

As soon as we reached the Headmistress's office, I could hear that their conversation was still going on. And I heard their last sentence before we reached the door.

"I'm sorry, we can't do that."

I felt my chest tighten, and I sort of dreaded walking inside when Joy knocked. Did the Headmistress refuse to let me stay? When we entered the room, I saw Lisa was standing at one corner with her back to the bookshelves. Her expression was a grim mask. Mom and the Headmistress were sitting face-to-face on the sofa. But when they saw us entering the room, everyone stopped talking.

"Mom?" I said. Mom rose to her feet and walked up to me. I looked at her face, she seemed like she had been crying. "What's going on?"

"It's okay, honey," she said in a scratchy tone. Did the Headmistress refuse to let me stay? I just wanted to ask her, but didn't.

"What is it, Mom?" Joy turned to her mother. She probably got the same feeling I had.

"Don't use that kind of tone with me, Joy," the Headmistress said, rising out of the cushion and walked towards the four of us. Something about her voice told me she was resuming the power of a mother rather than a school headmistress, and that was even scarier. "How dare you break something as important as the rules?"

"Break what, Mom?" Joy said, playing an innocent card.

"I'm your mother," the Headmistress said. "You think I don't know you've been sneaking out?"

"Mrs. Park, don't blame Joy, it was my fault," I said hurriedly.

"No," Jisoo stepped in. "It was my idea."

"This is the mistake that can't be forgiven," the Headmistress uttered in a harsh voice, we all flinched.

"Mom!"

"I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my school," the Headmistress went on. "You each have to be punished by writing me a report of what you did, but for my daughter," she turned to Joy. "You write six reports in different languages."

"Awww!" Joy cried in protest, but also didn't dare to complain further. I found myself breathing again. In fact, I thought I was going to get expelled from the school, but writing a report was like a reward in this case.

"Honey," my mom said, "What you did was wrong. You shouldn't have hidden all these from the adults."

"I'm sorry," I said again.

"Anyway, I decided to keep you here as part of the punishment," the Headmistress said, looking at me.

"Oh Rachel, I couldn't thank you enough," Mom said to our Headmistress.

"It's my duty, Doc," the Headmistress said with a laugh, "We are protecting every Ultara genius. I won't let any evil force interrupt the harmony of my school."

I blinked so hard at that. I must have misunderstood the words.

"Mom, does she know? I mean really really know?" I whispered to my mom.

"Of course, I do, young lady," the Headmistress answered my question. "I've known everything about you since you were still a butt naked baby."

My cheeks reddened. I guess some adults really know how to keep their secrets way better than we do.