It was morning break and Claire was kneeling on the classroom floor trying to fix a ceramic flowerpot that one of the children had accidentally knocked off the windowsill.
She carefully glued the broken pieces back together ignoring the strong smell of the adhesive.
“Mrs.
Anderson?” a voice called from the doorway.
Claire looked up to see one of the third-grade teachers standing by the door with her arms crossed.
“Yes?”
“The principal requests to see you in her office.”
Claire went a little still.
“Is everything alright?”
“She didn’t say,” The woman said with a casual shrug.
“Just that she needed to see you immediately.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.
I just need to finish this.”
The teacher nodded and disappeared down the hallway.
Claire returned her attention to the broken flowerpot but her mind was already wandering.
She bit her lip, wondering what this could be about.
After finishing the repairs, she found the teacher next door and asked her to watch her class for a few minutes.
As Claire walked down the hallway toward the principal’s office, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread building in her stomach.
The last time she’d gone to her office was when she went to report Sophie’s behavior.
The Principal was finishing a conversation with another teacher when Claire arrived.
“Have a seat, Miss Anderson,” she said gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.
“I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Claire sat with her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
She couldn’t help but notice how the other teachers who left the office gave her sympathetic looks as they passed by.
After what felt like an eternity, the principal turned her full attention to Claire.
“What happened in your class yesterday?” She asked with an unreadable expression.
Claire pursed her lips, staring at the polished surface of the desk.
She knew exactly what the principal was referring to.
“It was just a little argument between students.”
“A little argument?” the principal repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Claire sighed.
“Sophie Valerius, the girl I reported last week pushed one of her classmates because he accidentally knocked over her pencil case.
I corrected her behavior.”
The Principal leaned back in her chair, her hands folded on her desk.
“Miss Anderson, you’ve really gotten yourself into trouble this time.”
Claire frowned.
She wasn’t sure what she had done that was so serious.
She knew she had been a little strict with Sophie but she hadn’t expected it to become such a big issue.
She opened her mouth to explain, but the principal continued before she could speak.
“Do you know how many teachers have left this school before you?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Claire shook her head, her hands fidgeting nervously on her thighs.
“Six.
In less than two years Sophie has been here,” the principal said, taking a deep breath.
She pulled a handkerchief from her desk drawer and wiped her forehead.
“Most of them didn’t leave because they wanted to.
Their contracts were terminated after complaints were made about how they handled Sophie.”
“I tried to warn you because I don’t want you to lose your job.
You’re doing well with the other children and frankly, we need teachers who actually care about them.
But Mr.
Valerius doesn’t take kindly to people upsetting Sophie.”
Claire guessed this Mr.
Valerius was Sophie’s father.
She parted her lips to speak.
“So…
what happens now?
Did he want to…” She couldn’t finish the thought.
The possibility of being fired was too terrifying to contemplate.
“He hasn’t said anything definite,” the principal said as if reading her mind.
“His assistant called this morning that Mr.
Valerius wants to meet Sophie’s class teacher.”
“He wants to meet me?” Claire asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
The principal nodded.
“Listen, don’t worry too much.
If Mr.
Valerius decides you should leave, I’ll try to speak to him.
But I can’t guarantee anything.”
Claire forced an appreciative nod, though fear was creeping up her spine.
She wasn’t feeling guilty, though.
What kind of parents got teachers fired for properly disciplining their spoiled child?
“Wait until after closing time today,” the principal said.
“Sophie’s driver will pick you up then.”
Claire nodded reluctantly and stood to leave.
“Thank you.”
When she told Ruby about it during lunch, the latter became immediately worried.
“Can I go with you?
I don’t like the sound of this at all.”
“No,” Claire said firmly.
“It’s probably just a meeting to clear the air.
I’ll be fine.”
Claire spent the rest of the day paying more attention to Sophie than usual.
The girl was in a surprisingly good mood and several times, Claire caught her looking at her with a strange little smile that made her feel uneasy.
At three o’clock, the final bell rang and Claire waited as her students moved out of the classroom.
Once the last student had left, she gathered her things and headed outside.
A black sedan was waiting by the curb and Sophie was already walking toward it with her backpack.
Claire followed her toward the car.
Sophie suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
“Why are you following me?”
“Your father asked me to come with you,” Claire explained.
Sophie frowned but said nothing.
She turned around and continued walking.
Inside the car, she immediately placed her backpack between them as a barrier and pulled out a tablet, beginning to play a game without acknowledging Claire’s presence.
Claire didn’t mind.
She turned to look out the window watching as the familiar neighborhood streets gave way to the business district.
The car drove deeper into the city’s financial district where most of the buildings were large and modern.
Claire had never been to this part of town before.
After a few more minutes, they finally pulled into the premises of a towering structure that seemed to pierce the clouds.
When the engine turned off, Sophie jumped out of the car and hurried into the building, leaving her backpack on the seat.
Claire got out a moment later.
The driver waited for her before leading her toward the entrance.
Once inside the building, Claire felt a wave of agoraphobia wash over her.
The lobby was large with marble floors and many people in expensive suits walking around.
The school was impressive enough but this place was on another level entirely.
The way some of the people stared at her made her uncomfortable though she told herself she was overthinking it.
Did these people even have time to notice someone like her?
They entered an elevator and a few moments later, the doors opened on another floor.
The driver led Claire down the hallway to a door at the end.
He then nodded to her respectfully before walking away without saying anything.
Claire watched him leave, slightly puzzled.
She was alone now, standing before a large wooden door with a simple brass plaque that read “Valerius Group.” Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to knock, her heart pounding in her chest…