FicWad

4
Over the weekend, Josh had finished his book. He had lots of time before seventh period, so he went to the library to get a new book.
Josh asked the librarian, Mrs. FB, where he could find Artemis Fowl: the Atlantis Complex. She knew that she had one in, but she didn’t know where it was. Mrs. FB went in search of the book. Either it took It took longer than she would have thought, or Mrs. FB didn’t have any clue where it was. Then the bell rang; he was late! He went to find Mrs. FB in the maze of the library. She couldn’t have gone far.
The West Orient Library was huge. It used to be a Gym for PE, but there had been a new, better one built. The old Gym had become a library. The floor had been carpeted, and book cases had been placed at random places. It was usually impossible to find the book you were looking for, because the computers were said to be at the center of the maze. No one, except for Mrs. FB, had visited the center of the maze.
Josh gave up the search a couple of shelves into the library. He turned around and headed back to class.
~
Sorry I’m late Mrs. Machiavelli. Mrs. Machiavelli was the best Language Arts and Literacy teacher anyone had ever had. Josh came around the corner into sight of the teacher.
“You’re late,” drawled a familiar voice. It wasn’t Mrs. Machiavelli talking; it was Miss Sterling the Science teacher from last year. “You can be late to my class only when you have gone to college, WHICH YOU WON’T, for five years. You were terrible last year, and now, you disrupt my class. Detention!”
Josh was upset. Mrs. Machiavelli wouldn’t have treated any of her students this way. Even the ones she didn’t like. He wondered where Mrs. Machiavelli was. “Where is Mrs. Machiavelli?”
“Never you mind,” shot back Miss Sterling.
“But I do mind.”
Mrs. Sterling knew she would have to manipulate the class to see things through her eyes, to win this argument. She was good at this. “We don’t have time for your little melodramatic stunts right now. I have gone to college, you have not. If you don’t keep behavior up, you might get in yourself. Probably not, though. It doesn’t matter where Mrs. Machiavelli is. Isn’t that right class?”
Indeed, Miss Sterling had gotten the class to believe her and side with her.
“Now, for our lesson.” Miss Sterling looked and Mrs. Machiavelli’s lessons plan. “Ah, well that’s too bad; we’re not going to read this stupid little story about a stupid little girl. I have a much better story for—” she paused to look down at the lesson plan again. “—ah, internal and external conflict. Here’s my story. Make sure to take notes. I’m not going to repeat any of it.
“One day a man went to Germany. He was a spy from the CIA. He was on a trip to gather research on a very advanced type of Science—one that, even I, know nothing about. The end.
“The work sheet I haven’t given you is due tomorrow. Make sure you have it in.”
Josh Spoke up, “Miss Sterling, I have a question—”
“Listen here. I’ve had enough of you and your questions to last me a lifetime. We might have to give you a week of detention to get your behavior correct.”
~
After school, Josh went to serve his first detention. He walked into Miss Sterling’s classroom, only to find that she wasn’t there. He turned to leave, just as he was almost out the door, Miss Sterling grabbed his shoulder. Her grip was a vice.
“Ah, so the little trouble maker came after all.” Then, more to herself to anyone else, she said, “I didn’t think you would come. But you made your wrong decisions, so it’s too late now.
“We’ll be working in Mrs. Machiavelli’s old—I mean, Mrs. Machiavelli’s classroom.”
Josh wondered why they wouldn’t be doing there detention Miss Sterling’s room. He concluded it was better this way; it wasn’t like Miss Sterling’s room held so many happy memories.
When they got to Mrs. Machiavelli’s room, Miss Sterling was ready with her speech. “You are about to pay for all those questions you asked me last year. Teachers don’t like to admit they don’t know something. I’ve always looked good to my students. But after I met you, I’ve always looked stupid. Teachers are paid to teach the curriculum. That’s all. You have no right just coming in here and asking whatever questions you feel like. You are now about to pay.
“You will complete everything I ask of you. If not, I will expel you for insubordination. Goodie-two-shoes Josh, expelled! Imagine that. If I have to, I will use my wonderful powers of persuasion to get the teachers to see things from my point of view. Of course everything will be completely made up.*Except for the fact that you either talk too little, or too much. You talk way too much toward me, and it’s time to pay. **Now you will be the enemy of all schools. I will see to it that history will remember you as the person who cheated your way through all the state tests. You will be—”
But exactly what he was going to be, Josh never found out; he interrupted.
“I will never lay down my life for an evil crazy person like you. What do you want from me? I’m sorry for asking you questions you didn’t know the answers to. I can’t undo that—”
“Oh yes you can. If you are embarrassed enough, I will forgive you. You must purify yourself of all that evil inside you. That desire to be better than your teachers.”
“I don’t think I’m better than any of my teachers. It’s a sad story, but I don’t even put myself over you.”
“How dare you insult me….”
But Josh wasn’t listening. MsIzall’s face had appeared. It was an insubstantial hologram. Josh figured that she must have been manipulating the atoms in the air to change to the color of her face.
“Josh, use magic,” she said.
For the rest of his life, Josh would never be able recap how he did this. It just happened. He somehow conjured up a fire of emerald flames. He stepped into them, leaving Miss Sterling looking shocked, in his wake.
“Oh well,” she sighed, pulling off a wig of brunet hair, to revel the blondish white, beneath. Tomorrow, she could be her old German self again. No need for this American disguise. She would soon turn this school around. Soon, she would have magic, and Science, at her disposal. Then, world domination!