Jozua Sparks
April 08, 2018 1:36 PM
Fearing the worst by Jozua Sparks
He had gone through his afternoon classes following the quarantine announcement at lunch in a daze. He flinched every time something even a little bit weird happened in one of his classes. His fault. He'd brought this here.He contemplated turning himself in. It wouldn't really be hard for them to figure out - he'd told Professor Wright he'd sparked out at home, too - and maybe it would go better for him if he confessed instead of making them track this mess down to its origin. He wasn't sure what the punishment was for getting the whole school quarantined, but maybe if he confessed first they'd take mercy and wouldn't expel him for endangering everybody?
But when the letter from the Deputy Headmistress arrived that evening, requesting his presence in her office, he swallowed hard and knew it was too late. They already figured him out. It was time to face the music and plead guilty. He tromped over to her office with heavy reluctant steps. At least if they expelled him - but no, they couldn't even do that, because the school was under quarantine. Detention then, until that was lifted, and then quarantine probably. If he was lucky, in school suspension, so then he wouldn't have to face his classmates knowing he was the one making them miss their Christmas plans.
He opened the door when she answered his knock and stepped inside like he was about to face a firing squad.
He blinked with incomprehension at her sympathetic words. No, that was the wrong script. But maybe she really hadn't figured it out? Maybe there was still time for mercy? Maybe it was a test and she was seeing if he would confess before she threw the book at him?
It was a test he wouldn't fail. "I'm sorry!" he wailed, and hoped he wasn't actually crying, because he thought he might be. His cheeks felt wet. "I was sick when I came here. I sparked out at a store back home, just before coming back, just like I did in Charms. It's all my fault! I'm the one who brought it here. I didn't mean to, but I did. I got Joe and Lily and maybe even Georgia sick, and it must have spread from there. Now everyone is sick, people I don't even know, and it's all my fault!" He took a deep, calming, albeit shuddering breath, and a made himself calmly ask the important questions, "Do you have to expel me now for endangering everybody? I mean, after people can leave again?" It wouldn't do to beg for mercy. He was guilty. He had done this to Sonora. It had to be her idea to be lenient, if she was so inclined. Which, being Professor Skies, she probably wasn't. But she wasn't Headmaster Brockert, so he wasn't entirely giving up hope yet.
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Jozua Sparks
Fearing the worst
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