Principal Jeremy Luong prided himself on running one of the best Public Schools on this side of the Mississippi. That might not have been entirely true, but the Board did tell him he operated one of the highest rated institutions in Kentucky, and striving towards a higher goal was always a positive in Luong’s mind. Usually this kept portly man in a good mood as he strode down the halls, a stern smile on his lips as he passed the thronging students. Today however a frown furrowed his brow and he strode along swiftly, his hands full of files. Turning a corner Luong stopped just outside his office where five motley children sat in a row next to his door. They were watched over by his secretary, the eagle-eyed Miss Carrington, who never once shifted her gaze off the shamefaced miscreants. Sighing Luong scanned over the files he held, reading the names and reports on the interesting phone calls the school had both received and sent in regards to four of them. An unamused smile twitched at the corners of Luong’s lips.

	“Well, Mr. Braouts, today you aren’t the school’s highest offender. Congratulations are in order I suppose.” The fifth child, a regular to the office gave a halfhearted shrug in typical delinquent fashion. In the background massing students were opening their lockers and snatchings sneak peeks at this unusually large assemblage gathered at the Principal’s Office; already rumors were forming about their misdeeds. Principal Luong opened the door, ushering the five students inside. “Everyone take your seat from here, I’m afraid my Office is ill equipped to house the lot of you.” Waiting until all five had gathered their plastic hall chairs and lugged them into position Luong closed and locked his door, rolling down the blinds so that no one would be able to spy on them. Ensured of their continued privacy Luong stepped around his desk, plopping down on his comfy black executive and swiveling the seat about. Setting the files down Luong peered at each student over his glasses as he read their names aloud.

	“Mr. Erickson, third visit. You took it upon yourself to leave school and get involved in… Well we’ll come to that. Miss Frazier, first visit, and you’re a model student. Young lady I am very disappointed. I really did not wish to see you in here for something so foolish as absence from school. Or at all for that matter. Miss Tabbet.” Here the Principal paused for a long while, scanning over the extensive list of charges brought up against this particular student. “Third visit. Miss Tabbet, you gave your father quite the scare this morning. I suppose running away from detention was a preferable avenue to you then facing your punishment?”

	Tonya shook her head. Her eyes were puffy from crying all the way back during the car ride. Her father, disappointed and stern had tried to garner some understanding as to why she’d played hookie today, and to all of his questions she’d lied or remained in obstinate silence, unable to explain what she’d been really doing. She tried to hide this painfully obvious fact by turning her face downwards, as if hoping to find some answer etched upon the dull grey carpeting. She wished dearly Principal Luong had taken them separately, so that Eddie wouldn’t see her like this.

	Receiving no reply Luong slid forward the fourth file grimacing down at the papers. “Mr. Braouts, twelfth visit. Honestly son, what did you hope to gain by doodling offense images on the cafeteria tables? Please just think for once.” Sighing his picked up the final file. “And lastly Miss McAllister, first visit. I thought you would have been old enough to know better than to run off with your younger, more impressionable friends here. I imagine you should have been the voice of reason when the idea was first presented. You kids are very lucky indeed to not have been injured worse. As fortune would have it Rouge-Bat was there to save you from what I’ve been told was a terrorist gas attack. Similar to yesterday’s incident in fact.”

	Tonya made a small noise of disgust but it quickly died in her throat as Luong turned his disapproving gaze towards her. “Have you something to say Miss Tabbet?”

	[color=ed145b]“No sir.”[/color] She stuttered, returning to staring at the floor.

	“I did not think so.” Principal Luong folded his hands together, laying them on his desk as he addressed the four who’d been absent. “The school does not implement its rules for no reason. When students aren’t where they are supposed to be it could mean anything, including a wide range of dangerous possibilities. I hope your recent visit to the hospital provides substantial evidence towards this fact. Indeed the police were notified and alerts were sent out for four missing children, as patrol cars were scrambled and a county wide alert was sounded. Although it was not necessarily a waste of resources this time due to the attack, however I am certain the police officers all over the city did not appreciate being deployed for an emergency only to be told it was a couple of students causing trouble.

	“I can only hope that you take this little talk of ours to heart, and that I have impressed upon you the seriousness of your actions. And in order to ensure they are carved in stone Miss McAllister, Miss Frazier, and Mr. Braouts, you shall each have a three day detention and calls shall be made to all of your parents. Mr. Erickson, Miss Tabbet. A seven day detention, including Monday and Tuesday of next week. Also every one of you shall bring your parents with you to discuss this incident independently, excluding you Mr. Braouts. I shall send out times and dates for this meeting to your parents myself.” Snapping his files together into an organized pile Principal Luong stood up, motioning for the door.

	“As for your detention today, Mr. Braouts has highlighted a rather pressing issue in the lunchroom and kitchen involving a significant amount of vandalism. Not to mention dishes that need scrubbing, floors that need sweeping, and so on and so forth. I expect the place to be satisfactorily cleaned when I come and check on you in an hour or two. Oh, and you three who went to the hospital. If you start feeling nauseous or sick, or strange in any way run straight away to the nurse’s office. Right, well off you chop.”