Page 15 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“What?!” Kalen exclaims, looking at me with eyes as wide as saucers.
“Amelie, please explain,” Monty says calmly.
“When I got sent out of Mrs Knox’s class you said…” I begin but I’m sharply cut off by Monty. I also know that the SELF class teacher isn’t called Mrs Knox, but it will piss the incubator off to hear me call her that.
“I know what I said,” he says tightly. I can tell he doesn’t want me to reveal the credit card and our little deal to his new squeeze.
“Mrs Knox?” the incubator hisses. “Does she mean Maggie’s class? Why the hell is she inherclass? And why was she sent out?”
I wait for the mother figure to start chewing me out, acting the part of a good parent who actually gives a fuck, but she doesn’t. She’s glaring at Monty, waiting for an answer.
“Maggie is down to teach SELF this term, and all pupils have to take it. I’m sorry honey, but Maggie is a professional. Amelie will be treated exactly the same as any other pupil.”
“Some professional,” I mutter under my breath, only not quietly enough.
“Shut the fuck up, slut!” one of the twins hisses at me. Maybe Onyx? Didn’t Elsie say he was the more hostile of the two?
“Monty!” Incubator gasps, her hand flying to her chest in mock-horror. “Are you going to allow them to talk to my daughter like that?”
“Absolutely not! Onyx, be quiet.” He glares at his son and suddenly the tension in the room is so thick you could cut it with a blunt rusty spoon. “Amelie, I’m sorry about Ms Davis’ outburstthe other day. We have had words, and she has been reminded to remain professional at all times. However, your detention wasn’t issued for being sent out of that class, was it?”
“Hang on,” the incubator cries before I can answer. “What the hell did that woman do to my daughter?”
“It was a simple misunderstanding, honey, wasn’t it, Amelie?” Monty turns to me and I feel the weight of the credit card bribe burning a hole in my pocket. I could deny it, and cause trouble, or I can agree and bide my time. I choose option two; I’ve already decided to play the long game.
“It was…” I pause and swallow the bitter words in my mouth, once, twice, before forcing them out with a fake tight smile, “mother.”
The incubator smiles and relaxes a little at the almost term of endearment that I just used.
“Can we eat now? I’m starving,” Kalen grumbles.
“Hang on. We’ll say grace first. But before that, I need to know why Amelie really missed her detention,” Monty insists. “Amelie? Your detention was for sloppy uniform, was it not?”
“It was, but it was Kalen who gave it to me! I thought he was joking! I didn’t know pupils could give out detentions,” I sulk.
“Not all can. But Kalen is a prefect. All my boys are,” he adds proudly.
“Perks of being the principal’s son,” I grumble.
“Not at all. My boys are model citizens within the academy, though they haven’t always been, and they’ve worked hard to earn the honour of being prefects.”
That’s total bullshit. From what I’ve seen so far, the twins are a law unto themselves and Kalen does whatever the fuck he likes. And whomever he likes. The twins assaulted me for fuck’s sake!
“I didn’t know,” I say, looking down at my plate and feigning contrition. I have to pick my battles, and right now I need them eating out of the palm of my hand, not spanking it.
“Okay, but didn’t your tablet remind you to go? It’s automatic.”
“I lost Susan.”
“Who’s Susan?” he frowns.
“My tablet.”
“You named your tablet?” he asks, aghast.
“I needed a friend,” I say sadly, looking up with crocodile tears in my eyes. My huge brown eyes are doe-like at the best of times, and it’s my party trick to be able to turn on the water works at will.
“Where’s your tablet now, Amelie? I will get tech support to look at her - I mean, it.”
