Moonlight Nocturne

The look on Nick's face is... well. He is not enough of a grown-up for this.

He hugs her tighter, pulling her face to his neck. "H... hey, calm down, I'm here. I... oh hell, you brought a knife to school?" He asks, squeaking. "I..."

He looks at the principal. "I. Yeah. He is. If you call, I... I think he has paperwork? I. Heck. Yeah. Okay. Uh. Is... is there..."

He looks back at Elena, panicking.

 

She starts sobbing hysterically again.

 

"She didn't manage to stab anyone, but she did break two boys' noses, and kick another in the, ah." The principal sighs.

He looks through the file. "What number should I be calling?"

 

"The actual sheriff's office. He should be there, Just. Uh, tell them his brother in law needs to talk to him?" He pulls Elena into his lap, sinking onto the floor and petting her hair. "Uh. Do... you know what happened?"

 

She buries her face in his neck, still sobbing. "They were saying things about... about you. And me. And Mom."

 

The principal sighs and picks up the phone, dialing slowly as he watches the two of them.

"She got into a fight with five boys. They say she just went berserk and attacked, but..." He sighs. "The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Which does not excuse violence, especially not bringing an illegally concealed deadly weapon to school."

 

"H-hey, hey, you're okay." He hugs her, rubbing circles on her shoulderblades, he grimaces. "...Uh. Is she. Suspended?" He winces.

 

"... son, we have a zero-tolerance policy for violence at this school. And she sent three boys to the hospital, and threatened two more with a knife. Which she had illegally concealed. And which wasn't legal to be carrying openly in this state. In the middle of the schoolday, on school property."

"I'm afraid she's very expelled, and I hope the sheriff is looking into mental health resources for her. We know she comes from a, ah... troubled background, but the safety of the other students is at stake here."

 

".....oh boy." Nick winces. "I. Okay. Uh. I... guess... uh. Do... do we need. Papers? For homeschooling?"

 

"... I'm sure the sheriff can help you with-- Ah, hello? Sheriff's office? This is Principal Danvers, I have a young man here who says he's the sheriff's brother-in-law, needs to speak to him urgently..."

 

A voice come from the other end, honeyed in a southern drawl and spiced with panic "Sheriff Wilkins speaking, what the sitch?"

 

"Are you responsible for a, ah, Elena Yakir, in the seventh grade?"

 

"Yes, yes, what's going on? Is she alive?"

 

"That's the first thing you-- Of course she's alive. This, ah. This is the principal at Morey Middle School, she's gotten into a... major fight, and we're starting expulsion paperwork. We need an authorized adult to pick her up."

 

Gabriel sighs over the phone. "Sorry. this kind of work don't do much for one's optimism principal. I uh, I ain't too sure but can I just deputi-er, ah, authorize any adult to pick her up?"

 

"Ah, as... as the sheriff... Yes. That should be... within standard policy."

 

"Anything they need to bring to you? Or anything else you need from me in general?" he asks, swallowing one or two vowels of each word as customary.

 

"I, ah... verbal authorization should do in this case, I believe." He sounds more than a little flustered by talking to the sheriff. "Are you authorizing Mister, ah, Nicholas Pierce to take her home?"

 

"Yes, yes of course. He's of age and in the very least can be trusted to take notes and bring her home. Anything you want to tell me right now?"

 

The principal sighs. "She got into a... fairly major fistfight. Then pulled a knife."