Teacher, Teacher, Winifred was being mean to me! (or something like that)

Posted on Sun Feb 9th, 2025 @ 1:23 by Penny Gardner & Claire Cavendish

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Claire's office
Timeline: Morning, Friday, February 5, 1993
1506 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

At the first break in her lessons, Penny grabbed her notebook and hustled over to Miss Cavendish's office. She had about an hour before her next class and she wanted to talk to Claire about the student files while the issue was still fresh.

Halfway to her destination, she was hit with a sudden stab of doubt. It was such a small thing, with a hundred different perfectly reasonable explanations. And yet...

Her gut told her something wasn't right, and she took her role as a custodian of young minds seriously. Many might say her job was to give the children a good education, and a few, including no doubt Mr. Pocklington himself, would say her job was to educate them in a subject that mattered little. Penny saw it as something slightly different. She was there to create a space which was safe to learn in above anything else. If the children were safe then she had faith that they would learn, because that's what children did naturally.

So she pressed her courage to the sticking place and proceeded. Best case this would just be a passing misunderstanding. Worst case it would be part of a wider pattern of behaviour which may be cause for concern. If it was the latter she would never forgive herself for sitting on the information.

She approached the door and gave a sharp rap with her knuckles, and waited to see if Claire was available.

"Come in." The response was almost instant and when the doors opened Claire sat behind her desk looking up at the person entering, there was a moment of pause, a look of confusion before she reset. "Oh. Penelope, hello. Please, have a seat." She motioned for the chair across from her desk and quickly got back to signing the papers she had in front of her in the time it took the drama teacher to take her seat. She looked up from her work and put the pen down for a moment. "What can I do for you?"

Penny internally winced when Miss Cavendish used her full name, it never failed to make her feel like she had done something wrong, but she wasn't about to correct her boss. "I'm sorry to bother you, I know you have a lot on your plate." She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Her long stride ate up the distance between the door and the chair opposite from Claire's desk. "I just wanted to raise a small concern I had about the student's files if I may?" She sat with a woosh of air and gave Claire an apologetic smile. "It might be nothing, but it just didn't sit right so I wanted to raise it in case anyone else had noticed something."

Due to the outside circumstances it was indeed a very busy time for Claire, and as such her mind kept wandering to all the paperwork that was still on her desk that she wanted to sort out before she'd have to leave Liana in charge. "Of course, it's what I'm here for. Though I will say, if it's something to do with the filing system, Jahnvi assured me it's the most effective and efficient way to file and retrieve." They had reccently gone through all of it, when the man known to the world as Robin Hood had stormed through there in search of the most helpful powers for him to collect. It had taken the better part of two days to get everything back to how the secretarial lead wanted it, complicated by the fact that their other half was emerging more frequently and prominently following that same incident.

“Oh no! Not a criticism of the filing system, wouldn’t dream it.” Frankly Penny was slightly intimidated by the efficiency of the schools lead secretary. “Uhm it was actually. I’m wondering if with the current… upheaval. We should consider improved security around the students files. I know the teachers are kept under lock and key as it were, and I think it might be prudent to do the same with the students.” She winced and then decided to bite the bullet.

“I caught one of the teachers, the new English teacher, looking through the files this morning. Not just one either. I’m sure he had good reason to be there but… well he was… I’m no empath or psychic Miss Cavendish, but something about his demeanour wasn’t right. He was quick to get defensive when I arrived, and seemed to want to distract me from what he was doing.” Penny rubbed the back of her neck and slumped in her chair.

“Maybe I am being paranoid but I learnt long ago when it comes to children’s safety to follow one’s instincts when it feels wrong and err on the side of caution.”

Claire frowned slightly at that, this wasn't the first time Winifred was mentioned in relation to funny business, and this time it seemed to be more malicious than before. "When was this?" Her mind was playing a moment of catch up as it turned out this particular conversation might be slightly more pressing than she had first anticipated. Especially since following the events of Halloween they had done as Penelope had suggested. The records were only unlocked if someone of the secretariat was present. Had someone forgotten? Or had Winifred accessed it in a different fashion?

"Early this morning, most people were either asleep or at breakfast. I think he was surprised to see me there at all." That had been another thing that had niggled at Penny. Their days were busy but there were plenty of other times Winifred could have chosen to get access to the files where a secretary could have helped him. The fact Claire had not immediately dismissed her concerns settled the rock in her stomach. It was heavy but she was now certain that she had done the right thing coming to the Head.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Penelope." Claire made a note of this in her handover document for Liana, who after this afternoon would be in control of the institute. "Please inform us immediately if you come across anything else out of the ordinary. We all have to be vigilant in times like these." She took a moment to set down her pen and looked across at the drama teacher. "How are you holding up?"

“It’s no trouble at all, thank you for listening to my concerns.” She had been about to stand and leave when Clair’s question catches her by surprise. “Ah… well… honestly? Tired and a little hungry and scared. My powers take a lot of fuel so I’m trying not to use them until I might need them. Then the kids ask questions about why I won’t light them up in class for fun and…” Penny shrugs. “But it’s a good time to show them the lighting rigs, and I’m trying not to add to their fear. More than anything I just want them to feel safe.”

Claire stopped at the mention of wanting the students to feel safe. It was everything she had set the institute up to be. And now all the events and all the press conferences and all the stances she had taken on moral high grounds were catching up. The enemy was at the gates. Avalon was no longer a sanctuary, it was a Bastion. Within its walls lie a dream, a hope too fragile to be spoken out loud, teetering on the brink of being broken. "Right." It came as a whisper. She had vowed never to give up, never to give in. But if it hadn't been clear before this point hammered it home. The only way through this was to play by their rules. "I hope there's still plenty of ways you can brighten their days." The confidence with which Claire normally spoke only returned to her halfway through the sentence.

“Sweet are the uses of adversity.” Penny said with a kind smile. The words from As You Like It, and the meaning that there would yet be better days to come. “Whatever happens Miss Cavendish, these children are better for this place you have built.” She then clapped her hands and went to stand. “Is there anything else you need from me? If not I should return to my lesson planning.”

Claire her focus had turned inward, so when the question came for other things to consider she simply shook her head. Then as Penelope was making her way towards the exit she roused from her inner contemplations. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention." It felt like she should add something to that, "Carry on." She shook her head at that before turning her focus back to the documents spread about her desk. There was too much to do still, and not enough time left to do it in.