PUPPY

CHAPTER 1

Year 2018

"Good morning, Ms Taylor!"

"Good morning, pupils. Please take your seats." I gave them a wide bright smile.

"Let's check who came to school today." I scanned the classroom full of wandering eyes. One in the back raised his hand, and I permitted him to speak: "London is missing. His mother told me that he has the flu."

I gave him a slight nod while marking down London's absence. "Then everyone's here except London, right?" Everyone nodded in approval.

"Take out your textbooks and open them to page ten. Today we're going to learn about the letter K," I said while scrolling through the pages of the small notebook.

"Ms Taylor, please come to the principal's office. Ms Taylor, please come to the principal's office," the speaker suddenly said.

I gave everyone a warm smile and said: "I'm going to make a short trip to the principal's office. Meanwhile, you'll fill in this revised paper for the letters I and J that we've learned last week with the help of Mr Stone. Put the finished paper on my desk and wait for Ms Bianchi to pick you up for lunch. Did everyone understand?" As I started to distribute the papers around the classroom, all the pupils said in one voice: "Yes, Ms Taylor!"

"Don't leave the classroom for lunch until Ms Bianchi comes," I said, and left the classroom full of kids behind me.

I walked through the hallway engulfed in drawings made by pupils. Down four marbled stairs and through another hallway decorated with group photos from, as our principal likes to say, the old days. I stopped in front of the door that had: 'Principal Michael Williams' written on it and knocked as if I didn't want to. I heard a muffled approval from the other side. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"Good morning, Ms Taylor. How are those little troublemakers doing?" the principal said as he gave me a wide smile.

I faked a smile and closed the door behind me. "Morning, Mr Wiliams. The pupils are doing brilliantly."

He always asks the same question when he sees me. It's funny how things in a small town like this never change. When I got a job here with the help of Laura, or as I should professionally call her 'Ms Bianchi', I never expected that I would like this monotonous life. The same routine: wake up, go to work, come home, have some free time, do something for work and go to sleep. I find it weirdly relaxing.

"We're making quite some progress in learning the alphabet," I added.

"Glad to hear. Take a seat," the principal said. He pointed at the chair in front of his table with his sausage-like finger. I sat on the squawking chair and asked: "Why did you call for me, Mr Wiliams?"

He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his well-grown grey beard. Slowly he turned toward me. "As you may have heard from my personal assistant Katrina, some new staff members will be coming in tomorrow," he said before picking a towel from the dresser on his left.

This town really is small, and information travels quickly. The rumour about the "new staff members" has been travelling around the staff room for about a month now. So, I can consider this new-old news. In this town, privacy is something overrated.

"Yes, I heard," I said and wiggled in the small, uncomfortable chair.

He took a step closer to his desk and pulled the chair closer to him while speaking. "Well, one of our new staff members is a renowned psychologist. He'll take a closer look at the first five grades in our school. And he'll start with your class."

"Could you please explain why we need a new psychologist?" I said in annoyance before crossing my arms in front of my chest. "Excuse me. I shouldn't have asked," I quickly said, hopefully fixing what I said before thinking.