carpe diem ⊶ joseph descamps

07 | choosing

—
[seven]
a series of unfortunate events
—

"Now, who can give me the dates of the Battle of the Marne?"

Sadie sighed while she twiddled with her pen, watching as Annick raised her hand, only for Felbec to get chosen once again.

"September fifth to the twelfth of 1914," he answered, glancing at Annick after Mrs. Giraud confirmed.

"And who were the opposing armies?"

Whether it was because she was determined to not be ignored, or because she really liked the answer, Annick practically jumped out of her seat.

"Miss Sabiani, are you going to jump on the desk for me to see you?" Mrs. Giraud taunted. "Don't you think you draw enough attention as it is?"

Just about everyone glanced at each other in disbelief, awkwardness coating the room as Annick slowly put her hand down.

"Who were the opposing forces?" Mrs. Giraud asked impatiently.

"The French and the Germans."

Annick stared down the teacher, but Mrs. Giraud sighed. "And the British Expeditionary armies," she corrected. "Don't raise your hand if you only know half the answer. And tie your hair back, this isn't a party."

The teacher strutted back to the front of the classroom, her blue dress swaying while Annick slowly sat down, looking a little embarrassed. It was when she started to pull her hair back into a low ponytail that Sadie sighed again, feeling awful for the blonde. It was no secret that Mrs. Giraud didn't like having the girls at the school. But it seemed she explicitly hated Annick, with the way that Annick was not only beautiful, but incredibly intelligent. Apparently, women weren't supposed to be both.

"And there's Bluebeard," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Molly whispered back, "More like Blue Bitch."

Taken completely off guard, Sadie let out a loud snort, to which she quickly lowered her head and covered her mouth.

"Miss Devereaux!" Mrs. Giraud exclaimed.

Sadie instantly looked up, wiping the smile off her face as she stared at the teacher with faux innocence.

"Just where do you get off causing such a disruption in my classroom?" she demanded.

Sadie stood up, clearing her throat, "Oh, I'm sorry, Madame! I just, uh, s-sneezed..."

"Bless you," baited Descamps.

Immediately, others in the class laughed, while Sadie glanced in his direction, feeling horrified at the way the solemn boy made her situation even worse. She muttered a reluctant "thank you" to him, as he merely stared up at her, before she turned back to the front.