I AM BEYOND HUMAN

A DAY AT THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE

We went, no, more like I was pulled in the opposite direction from the one the other kids who Mildred had sent to class walked off through and we made it close to the entrance doors. 

*TURN*

At that point we then took a left turn and went up the flight of stairs and then we took yet another left turn once we got to the top of the stairs because that was the only path to go through and about halfway through the corridor there was a door waiting for us with the reading PRINCIPAL on it.

*STOP*

We stopped moving when we got there.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

Standing outside the Principal's office, Mildred fixed her dress and hair a bit before she tightened her grip of my hand as she knocked on the door two times with a pause between the two knocks. She was nervous it seemed. Her grip was too tight that I flinched and pulled myself to the side and immediately after she realised that she had been holding my hand too tight and for too long, which was also against the school rule, Mildred Stacy finally let go. Talk about ironic.

Internally, I was infuriated because just like why I erupted in anger before, I didn't like my hand being held let alone for as long as she did but I couldn't do anything but stand still as I awaited the punishment headed my way and all the while thinking if someone was actually plotting against me as my circumstances kept getting worse.

"Who's there?" someone from behind the door inquired in a rather calming voice. Most likely the principal as we were indeed standing outside his office.

"Its Mildred Sir, Mildred Stacy, can I enter?"

"Yes" The principal replied with the door between them.

*CLICK*

Mildred twisted the knob and opened the door but only slightly and just enough for her head to pass through to make her physical identity recognized then she opened it fully putting me in full display. 

*BLINK*

The principal looked at me, wondering why I was brought to him and from his expression I knew that Amanda being taken to his office wasn't a normal scenario. It didn't look like he thought there was any bad reason that I was standing outside his office and maybe I just came to do something entirely different for the class being that I was the class President.

"Is anything the matter Miss Mildred?" he asked wondering why a kid was brought to his office 10 minutes after the school day  started.

"Yes sir, actually there is a bit of an issue." Mildred said before she entered into the office and stood by the black leather guest chair directly opposite the principal seat at the other side of his desk.

"Earlier today this young lady which you know very well was caught using a foul word towards another student in the hallway." She gestured at me with a slight head movement in my direction.

The principal took a look at me then he netted his fingers together and rested his arms on his desk "So you brought her to me, for what exactly, for punishment?" 

He was an easy going man who found it difficult to deliver punishment for offenses which aren't that serious to him and that was one of the cases brought up against him during his posting as Principal. The oppositions were on the notion that he wasn't fit for the position because of his lenient nature.

"FWOOO!" The principal circled his lips and exhaled then he lowered his head a little letting escape a half smile afterwards. He raised it back up with a sharp inhale "What word did she use anyway?" he asked.

"The umm, the F-word sir" Mildred replied

"Sigh.... Okay don't worry about it, i'll handle this. You can go back to class now Miss Mildred" He nodded in the direction of the door and Mildred exited the office giving me the stink eye as she passed me by the door leaving me to wonder if her problem was with Amanda specifically or the offense I made or kids in general and I was asked to enter into the office. 

I walked in wearing an expression of disdain at first which I left at the door because I still had to maintain the appearance of an innocent 10 year old girl. I walked over to the desk and was asked to sit which I did and while sitting opposite the Principal I felt extremely uncomfortable. Was it my height decrease? The emotions of Amanda slipping through to me? The guilt from being caught or fear of my mission being a burst? I couldn't tell but all I knew was that I felt extremely uncomfortable. My thoughts sounded really loud and clear in my head. 

*TICK* *TOCK*

The ticking of the clock behind me really echoed in the entire office. It had been thirty seconds since I first stepped my feet into the office and twenty seconds of awkward silence after I sat down and as the Principal looked through some documents on his desk it felt like that was my real punishment. 

I hated when the hosts emotions floods and influenced me but this was the strongest of such experience I had ever gotten being how emotional little girls are.

*FLAP*

"Amanda..." the silence was finally broken by the principal as he closed his last document

'Oh thank God, another second and I would have gone insane' I thought

"I already knew this information but I just had to confirm it but here in your records it states that you are the president of your class and also a member of the disciplinary team so as such I expected you to know about the school's strict rules on the usage of vulgar slangs"

With both palms on my lap "I do" i replied 

"Okay, so you know that I have no other choice than to punish for your actions even if you have been an examplanary student up until now"

"Okay, seems fai—Yes!"

"Good, well because of the day being a half school day and all because of the Bring your daughter to work day celebration I can't really suggest detention after school and postponing the detention to tomorrow doesn't really make any sense for something you did today so with no other options I guess that i'm going to have to call your father to come pick you up. That should be the appropriate punishment" The principal said and gently pushed the files he had in front of him to the side.

He picked up the landline on his desk next to a stapler and made the call. He had gotten the number from Amanda's file and written it down elsewhere.

*RING* *BEEP* 

It didn't go through for the first and second tries but thirds time's the charm because Brian picked up.

"Hello?" said Brian

"Hello, is this Mr Brian Nevel, father to a young Miss Amanda Nevel?" Asked the principle

"Yes, this is he"

"Alright... I am Paul Constantine, the Principal at Frenzy Prime Primary School" he changed his grip of the telephone from his right hand to his left the same with the side of his ear the earpiece was on.

"Okay? Is Amanda hurt?!" Brian panicked

*CHUCKLE*

Paul laughed a little to calm Brian down and ease the tension.

"No Mr Nevel, your daughter is fine. Well, the thing is Amanda was actually involved in an incident with one of the other students here in school today so we would like if you could come pick her up as she has been sent home for the day"

"Wait, Mr Paul, why is she being sent home? Did she do something wrong?" Brian's tone hinted that he found the idea hard to believe and was going to suggest that the other kid, Michael, was instead the one at fault but was stopping himself from saying anything about it.

"Actually Mr Nevel, it appears that one of her teachers caught her using a vulgar slang earlier today in the hall which is against the rules and Incase you're wondering the word in particular was the F-word. So Mr Nevel, as for my earlier request, we would like it if you could come pick her up. We know that you're a very busy man but regardless..."

"Oh! Okay, i'll be on my way immediately"

"Thank you and as for Amanda, she'll be outside my office waiting for you by the chairs, thank you" Paul ended the call then looked over at me and told me to wait for Brian by one of the chairs outside his office. 

I got up and went outside then I sat on the first chairs next to the door which was also conjoined with two others. After fifteen minutes and the boredom from waiting by myself I rested my head on lap and couple of minutes later I heard heavy footsteps to which I woke up amd raised my head to.

My sleepiness wasn't my fault but was one of Amanda's quirks coming through to me. She usually feels sleepy when she's done something she feels guilty about especially when it involved her father Brian.

"Huh?" I raised my head from my lap a bit and opened my eyes to see a pair of expensive black Italian boots in front of me and attacked to them were blue trouser pants.

I raised my head even higher with my body following as well and it was a familiar image but blurred because my eyes were still trying to adjust to the light which they did with time. It was Brian standing right in front of me.

"Bri— Oh, umm Dad"

"Come on Amanda let's go" He looked disappointed.

Brian went into Paul's office to first off apologize on my behalf and then inform him of our leaving then he came back out and we headed out with him in front and me behind with a five feet distance between us.

"I'm sorry Bri—dad, because of me you had to leave work early. I don't know what came over me but I promise i'll never say such a word ever again" I tried to kill the tension in hopes of still being taken to Brian's workplace, the GHA first ever headquarters which I was still hoping to infiltrate even as a kid I am now.

"Don't worry about it, I was almost done with what I was doing anyway" he was clearly lying.

Brian had this philosophy that no one can truly give you the scolding you deserve more than yourself. That when a mistake is made and you realised the part you played in it then the guilt felt afterwards if you are a person with morals was more punishment than anyone else could ever give you.

We got outside and stood by the car.

"Are we still going to your work place, hunh dad?" I asked feeling optimistic for some reason even if all the hopes were against me.

With the driver's door half way opened Brian looked at me, at the top of my head because that was the only part of my body that was visible to him from where he stood "Of course, we still have our Bring your daughter to work day to get to right? Common, get in" He smiled.