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Nightfall

   3-In a Name-

I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. It was hot but I passed out with all my covers over me, so no one could see me hugging my blanket underneath. Morning seemed to come a few seconds later as someone gingerly knocked on our room door. I jolted awake, heart thundering. Where I was from, a knock this early usually meant someone was going away, ready to be placed in a ‘loving’ new home like puppies from the newspaper classifieds. Slipping out of bed I tip-toed over to the door, careful not to wake Alice and Jenny, and peered through the peep hole to find Professor Peabody standing brightly on the other side. I slowly opened the door a few inches, looking through the gap and half-expecting Principal Kroll to be standing behind her with my expulsion papers. I swallowed.

“Y-yeah?” She grinned.

“Good morning! It’s Professor Peabody! I have some things for you.” She brandished a tan leather messenger bag with the schools logo on it and I released the breath I’d been holding, fully opening the door.

“If you’d just come with me downstairs so we won’t disturb your roommates…” I followed her down the hall and stairway, the early gray light of a morning not quite come seeping into the windows and stripping the first floor of all its color. She beckoned me to take a seat as soon as we hit the common room and I did so gingerly, back on edge as she shuffled some important looking documents, spreading them out on the coffee table cheerily.

“These are just some signature requirements, like school rules, the sexual harassment policy et cetera et cetera. Once you have read and understood each one you can sign off on them and if you have any questions I’d be glad to answer them for you.” Handing me a pen she got up and started for the coffee machine, leaving me with the papers. I skimmed each one then quickly scribbled my name across the lines adorned with bright red x’s, Professor
Peabody reappearing as soon as I was done.