Umber In Level 8

+Chapter Eighteen+

"I can't believe you're making me do this," I groaned, scrubbing the floor of the boys' restroom.

Dame Alina smirked. "Well detention proved to be insufficient, and I figured that you loved the boy's bathroom. So, the punishment was obvious."

"It's late. I need to sleep."

"Please." Dame Alina rolled her eyes. "It's barely dark. And everyone knows you don't do your homework. You've got nowhere to be for hours."

I groaned again. There was no way Dame Alina was being serious. Right?

"Who told you to stop cleaning?" Dame Alina asked. "There's still plenty of dirt where you're scrubbing."

Scowling, I got back to work, thinking about how terrible my life was.

+++

I walked to class with my head down. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself.

"You're on time," Lady Galvin asked with some surprise. "What happened?"

I was too solemn to say something snarky in return.

Lady Galvin's eyes lit up. "Oh? Who is it?"

"What made you think it's a 'who'?" I asked.

"Well, usually when you're so distracted it means—"

"Well, you're wrong. Can we get to work now?"

Lady Galvin stared at me. "You've changed, Umber. I'm still not sure if it's for the better." [A/N: Sorry, was that cheesy?]

+++

"I think you know why I've decided to talk to you all today." Dame Alina's face spoke from every wall. "The amount of arguments on this campus has gotten out of control. It must be reigned in."

Dame Alina paused dramatically before continuing. "This must be stopped. This is a noble school. We must act like the Elite. The last thing we need is the Council finding out about our issues and taking action. Please keep this in mind as we continue the school year. And don't forget, be thankful for your place at Foxfire. Only the best get a place at this school. Thank you for listening."

Dame Alina's face faded away, replaced by nervous whispering between the students. I just kept my head down and hoped it wasn't obvious that I was walking the halls alone.

I was about to walk to the cafeteria when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around and found myself facing Gisela.

"What do you want?" I grumbled.

Gisela didn't answer. She leaned forward and kissed me.