Dawson gave him a cold stare; she didn't say a word for a second. He could hear the squeaking of her chair in the period of silence.
"Do you have any idea why you are here?" She asked coldly
"I have done so many things lately," He started, "I don't know which I'm here for."
Her blunt look made it creepier; she then gave a fake smirk and pointed to the frames of honor hanging just above him by the right side of the office "do you know how they got there?" She asked, "Those students"
He didn't reply to her; he kept muted knowing it was about to get hard for him. He had poor grades, and he was about to lose his scholarship. Being scolded would not help to get his grades up.
"They earned it with hard work"
"You on the other hand are not making it easy, you are ruining my reputation"
Alex looked down in shame, not ready to catch a stern gaze. He could hear her fingers tapping the table. What came next after she tells her victims the problem is to spell out the consequences.
Before she could spell out the consequences, he said in a low voice "I am trying my best"
"Of course, you are and we have a system to help you meet the goal" She started, "Should I read it to you, or you want to see for yourself?"
Alex stretched his hand and took the Consequential Manual from Principal Dawson free gripped hand "I will save you the energy"
Her face lit up mischievously as she said something unnecessary at that moment "I added one more rule last month for effective personal development."
His eyes scanned through the most humiliating experience he was about to experience as he mumbled the annoying parts.
"Lesser quantity meal"
"My picture in the hall?" He startled, "Is that really needed?"
"What is the special librarian?"
Principal Dawson's face brightened as he asked the question, she quickly responded, "A new plan to give you the attention you need by doing what you hate," She smirked, "Till you love it."
"You start tomorrow," She added with a tone of finality.
He was no longer feeling the urge to continue school. He asked one last hurtful question "If you don't mind, do you want me to get better or you want to make me worse?"
***
The last thing he remembered after asking the question was an old grumpy man carrying his framed to the hall and the door shutting behind them in a bang. Once one is declared dumb by principal Dawson, it means the elite students could get the person traumatized; she believed it was a catalyst for growth.
He had hardly made his way to the hall when he saw the grumpy old man surrounded by the elites, one of the elite students; a blue-eyed girl called Ivvy looked away from the crowd and got her eyes locked on his. The others turned in slow motion facing him silent before a voice from the crowd shouted, "Dumb soul!"
Repeated cheers of dumb soul filled the air as his portrait made it way to the hall alongside another person, a girl about his age. He was not the only person with the special librarian treatment, but the main question popped in his mind, if anyone had ever made the best out of the special librarian program.
He was not going to have a pleasant school experience, nor was she. He shut his mind to ignore the cheering then noticed someone wasn't chanting as others were, she just stared at him like she searching his soul. He felt uneasy at her weird stare then he realized it was the girl in the portrait but darker in thought.
He really needed to get away from there; the scene was becoming unsettling. He knew what ever happened to her started like the exact moment he was being treated, and he was wondering if he would end up like her. She varnished in the crowd; he became relieved at least he could handle mockery than endless staring.
***
The chanting stopped abruptly as locked the bathroom door behind him. Catching his breath, he backed the white wall. He felt calmer as he took every single breath. When he felt better, he went on to open a tap letting the water run freely down the zinc hole.
He stared at the mirror in front of him looking ridiculously at his reflection in shame "You are smart," he told himself "You need a little help."
After he reassured himself, he washed his face with his palm. He did it repeatedly. The third time he felt uneasy like he was not alone, he felt a hot breath down his neck. He turned back sharply and to his horror he was face to face with the girl having a weird stare.
He moved back a few steps hitting his spine on the zinc which sent sharp piercing pain to his back. She stood there motionless; her cold eyes fixed on him not like a surprise but an expectation.
"Are you okay?" He asked still scared
Her motionless cold stared face formed a wide smile almost looking inhuman. She whispered, "It is coming."