Zuriel Elspeth Ryle
"You are mistaken. This child is EVIL. All she does is look at me with--with her strange eyes! They're... Pink! And her hair?! Blue?! Obviously the trait of a delinquent! And you want to honestly tell me she has done NOTHING wrong?!"
The principal sighed. This was the fifth time this month. And that was only for the girl, not even counting all the other students. It was enough to make an old woman mad. She wished she could fire the teacher once and for all, but he was one of the best teachers in the school. The schools reputation needed him, or it would be over for sure. And she couldn't risk that. The school... It was all they had. She needed the check, she needed something to make them USEFUL again. She needed it. It was all she had.
Then she looked at the child. The pink-eyed, blue-haired child.
She looked back. However, her eyes weren't the eyes of a child. No. They were eyes of someone who was much older. Maybe a depressed teen, maybe a hardened soldier in their eighties. It carried the air of someone who believed their life was over. Useless. That their life was not worth the effort. It carried into their eyes of carelessness and ineptness to do anything for themselves, their only purpose to look into the horizon and contemplate a quick death to end their misery.
The principal had only seen a few people with these eyes. One, was a sprite young teen whose eyes were big and bright, but turned small and polite overnight. Another was a man who came back from the war, and his depression was reaching medical lengths. The other one was the parents of a few kids, though not as bad. The last few... Were of the kids themselves. Who eventually found different families and justice was served upon their homes.
However, this one didn't have a family. Or a guardian. The principal couldn't do anything to ease her pain or to find her a way out of abuse. No, she was an orphan. But, why did she go to school? You might've asked. No one really knows, and when the principal tries to think of as why, she couldn't really remember, she just knew they had to.
"Mr. Fregger, please, Ms. Ryle has done nothing wrong."
Mr. Fregger glared at the principal, grasping the student's hand tighter.
The principal held his stare, not flinching. Who knew staring contests would be a daily routine in this job?
Finally, Mr. Freggers eyes twitched, and he gave a sneeze. The principal barely moved, and gave no sign of victory of the childish game.
But before they could send Mr. Fregger off and keep Ms.Ryle for a few moments as 'punishment, the principal gasped as Mr. Fregger grasped the child's light blue hair.
The principal's eyes widened, and she stood up immediately.
"Mr. Fregger! Let go of Ms. Ryle this instant! Or I swear I wil--!"
Mr. Fregger stared at the principal, squinting with his already scrunched up face. "Or what? You will do what? What do you swear upon? Tell me Dylan, tell. Me."
The principal flinched. She hadn't heard her real name in years... Always going by "principal" or Sage-- and all other variations.
The principal remembered that name. Even back then, it sounded female. Now looking back, it was almost fate.
The principal shook her head. No. She won't remember that time. It was a long time. She needed to do something now.
The principal had enough of Fregger's nonsense. Constantly coming in with students to complain about. Like a child.
She crossed her arms, looking straight into Fregger's eyes. "Or I swear, I will fire you."
Fregger's eyes widened slightly, then returned back to his squint. He sneered.
"I've gave you fifteen years of my life Dylan. I'm the best teacher you have in this run down pathetic place. You know just as well that without me, you'd be obsolete."
The principal flinched. He was right.
"You are correct. Without you, this school would be dead. I will have lost everything. But--"
Fregger smiled. "And of course, you can't just fire me now, can you?"
"--But, you know just as well as I do that you can't leave this job. You dropped out of school, your income is in shambles-- heck even your husband left you! You think anyone will let such a pathetic child like you into their workplace? Or even minimum wage? After all, I'm only doing this out of pity and relation. I have plenty of other teachers, even if they're too far away to come straight away, they will come."
She wasn't completely lying, after all, she did have ONE teacher. It was just very unlikely that they would work here. Even with her pleading...
Mr Freggers eyes twitched, as he let go of the child hair.
"Fine." he replied, giving one last sideways glare. "Do what you will."
The principal sighed as Freggers stomped out. Just like a child./ she thought.
The principal waited for Freggers to leave, and as he gave one final glare, the door shut with a strong slam.
Then the principal turned to the girl. The girl with icy blue hair and dull pink eyes. She simply stared. The principal tried to commence another staring contest, almost subconsciously, but for some reason... Found it hard to hold her stare. Blinking, the principal gave a warm smile.
"So, Zuriel is it?" She said kindly. The girl nodded, not saying a word.
The principal nodded, having been used to many students like this.
"I'm very sorry about Mr. Freggers, you know how he is."
The girl nodded again, giving a half smile, obviously knowing what she meant. She then returned to her default expression, as if her smile was never there.
The principal smiled wider, pleased with her ability to make the girl smile-- even if it was just a bit.
"So, Zuriel, if you don't mind me calling you that, how was your day? Any pleasantries you'd like to share?"
The principal inwardly cringed, that didn't sound natural at all. It didn't even make sense!
The girl didn't waver, even with the strange question and shook her head.
The principal smiled, somehow this awkward child made her relax, as if the awkwardness was comforting.
However, after a few moments, the awkwardness became deafening, and slightly uncomfortable. Coughing, the principal nodded and grinned. "Well, as before, please come to me if you have any problems or worries I'll be glad to hear them. You may leave."
The girl nodded and left the office, the door creaking behind her, not fully closed.
The principal didn't want to get up and close it, so she just left it, as she began shuffling through her papers.
