Just short of nine o’clock, she arrived at school and met up with Miss April in the parking area for faculty, located conveniently outside the administration building of Gracewill. Under a forest of domestic trees, the cars of teachers and staff lined up in all colors.
“Good morning, Dr. Gould,” the shrill voice chimed like a bad hangover through Nina’s skull, but she kept her poker face on.
“Hey, good morning,” Nina sang back, praying for the day to fly by. “I hope I am not too late with these suggestions for a project?” She handed Miss April a dossier with some sites the teacher could suggest during lessons for the children to augment their history education.
“Why, that is wonderful of you, Nina, thanks!” Miss April wailed happily. She looked sincere in her cheer as she flicked through the copies and recommendations. There was not a sign of the ever so slight tone of secrecy from the day before, which both confused and relieved the historian. Nina rubbed her hands together.
“Oh, yes, let’s go into the staff lounge for some warm cocoa, hey?” Miss April proposed, pointing to the two-story brown brick building with the folder Nina had given her.
“Aye, sounds good,” Nina agreed. “Might catch my death out here in the sun, if the irony of that does not kill me first.”
“Ha!” Miss April cackled. “It is rather odd, right? First day of sun and ten bloody degrees colder. Go figure.”
The two ladies made some small talk with the faculty members in the lounge, enjoying the toasty atmosphere. Nina tried to look interested, but she was bored shitless. To her surprise, she found that she could not wait for the class to start so that she could get out of this circle of hens, talking recipes, education and tennis. It dawned on Nina that time spent with Purdue and Sam, along with other masculine parties most of the time, was beginning to wean her from female conversation. In fact, being in the company of normal women, average women, downright irritated her.
There was no sign of Principal Willard, she realized. She would have preferred making small talk with him far more than the clucking women. Finally, the bell went and Nina’s spirits lifted instantly.
“Ooh, thank God,” she sighed, rolling her eyes back.
She was met with some disapproving looks, but she did not care. Nina scoffed awkwardly and walked toward Miss April, who was in another clique.
‘Think what you will, wenches,’ Nina growled inside her mind as she left the stunned onlookers behind. ‘This might be your school, but I am the only one here with a doctorate. Cows.’
“You ready?” Miss April smiled as she gathered up her stuff.
“Aye,” Nina sighed, trying to hide her impatience. “How many students will be doing show and tell today?”
“All of them,” Miss April replied as they started down the corridor. “I have set aside today just for the oral presentations, just as I set aside the field trip day, see?”
Nina nodded, but she kept her answers short and her thoughts ripe. ‘Jesus, I’d kill for a fag now.’
Again, as they neared the classroom, Nina could not help but count the hooks lined against the wall, even though they were obscured by articles of clothing hanging from them. Ahead in the shadowed corridor, the children were chatting while waiting for Miss April.
“Go in, you all,” she ordered while Nina finished counting the hooks.
“Morning, Dr. Gould,” some of the kids greeted Nina.
“Hey there,” she winked. “I cannot wait to see what things you guys brought in.”
One by one, they passed Nina in the doorway. She studied the features of each child, waiting for the familiar boy she memorized at the chapel. He was second to last in the queue passing her, but he did not say hello. To her dismay, he did not even look up at her.
“Now, settle down!” Miss April clapped her hands, giving her class a few seconds to calm down. “I want you all to take out your items and I will call you alphabetically to come to the front. Now, listen up! We are going to pretend that we are all back from a relic hunt.”
The bony teacher turned to Nina and pointed. “Just like Dr. Gould here.”
Nina’s eyebrow shot upward. That was unexpected, she thought, as Miss April continued. “We are going to pretend that we are reporting to Dr. Gould and try to impress her with the historical items we have robbed from ruins and graves and caves.”
‘Okay, you can stop now,’ Nina’s thoughts raved. ‘Passing over that boundary line now.’
“Do you think you have what it takes to impress Dr. Gould?” Miss April asked them. Behind her smile, Nina felt that same borderline malice she felt after the outing. The class all murmured in response, shrugging, while here and there Nina heard a timorous ‘yes’ from the group. Brian was seated at his desk with nothing upon it. ‘How come he did not bring anything?’ she thought. ‘Surely all families have heirlooms, unless he is adopted or something.’
“Attwood,” Miss April announced. “Belinda, you are first.”
The plain little brunette came to the front and delivered a teapot, claiming that it belonged to her great grandmother, that it was handmade by a silver smith and that it came from Sussex. Her presentation did not lend much insight other than those details, but it was acceptable. After she sat down, Miss April checked her class list and called the next surname.
“Callany, you’re up,” Miss April said. She wore glasses Nina always referred to as catty eyes, which was pretty close to their name — cat eye vintage mod glasses — and it made her emaciated face look even more retro.
Young Brian stood up, looking quite resolute. He had nothing in his hands. By the way the light fell short in the design of the classroom, he would soon be fully illuminated when he took his place in front of the class. He came walking down from where his desk was, and it was then that Nina noticed something large around his waist. Chuckles and mutters from the children mocked him as he moved.
“Sir Fartsalot,” Jimmy Leonard teased. The class erupted in laughter.
“Looks more like the Fae of Tamriel,” Percy Klein hissed, pushing the frail Brian forward. He tripped over the item he dragged with him, but did not fall.
“Hey! Stop it!” Miss April warned sharply over the curved frame of her glasses. At once Brian Callany locked eyes with Nina. He looked reassured, even proud as he stepped down from the slanted shadow into the light. Miss April adjusted her glasses. “What on earth do you have there, Brian?”
“A scabbard, Miss,” he answered boldly, again, placing his gaze on Nina as if to say something. She could almost hear his voice in her head.
‘Do you see this, Dr. Gould? Do you see what I have?’
The boy oozed confidence as he took his designated place. Around his waist, he had pulled taut a belt. It wrinkled up his shirt to be tight enough to hold the enormous scabbard fixed.
“What is a scabbard, Brian?” Miss April asked.
Without hesitation, his voice and tone revealed another side of young Brian. “A scabbard is a sheath, Miss, that holds a sword.”
Nina stood in wonderment, her arms folded as she watched in silence. Now and then, Brian’s gaze would find her, but Miss April’s questions kept pulling them away.
“And where did you find this scabbard? Has it been in your family for a long time? It looks very old,” Miss April pried. It was part of her display of interest, but Nina guessed that the teacher was genuinely fascinated. She turned to Nina. “Dr. Gould, could you come and have a look at this, please?”