Secret Santa Fic for Eris - Proof

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Proof*
(For Eris)

Yvette settled into her office with a cup of coffee and a stack of reports. Hammel was technically in the midst of winter recess, but she found the otherwise empty atmosphere to be the opportune setting for completing additional paperwork without interruption. Otherwise, there was always something for her to do or someone who needed to speak with her.

Never-ending calls from the Board of Trustees. Having to settle faculty disputes. Meetings with parents who had concerns about their children. Meeting with government officials regarding grant money. Meeting with Lenore and Moira about the news from Operation Patriot. Constant meetings with the accounting department about going over-budget. Meetings with security to discuss the perimeter and to schedule drills. Discussions about paychecks.

The constant ebb and flow of the faculty between new hires, transfers, returning students, retirements, leaves of absence, and staff simply moving on to other opportunities.

Or being fired for gross misconduct. Squelching rumors about the same. Discussing Hammel’s reputation with the technopaths to make sure that there was no repeat incident like what had happened when she first replaced Claude Harris.

What a miserable welcome to Hammel in the capacity of Headmistress.

Paperwork, however, was calming. Even when the subject of the paperwork was less than pleasant, it was easier to manage on her own time. The flow was methodical, she could break whenever she wanted, and, with nobody else at Hammel, there was no reason to bind her wings.

She appreciated that freedom and the serenity with which it went hand-in-hand.

Even though that serenity was short-lived.

Requisition for replacement fire extinguishers and a new desk chair. Reason: Sam Rixon.

Sighing to herself, Yvette stamped Approved at the bottom of the page, followed by her initials and today’s date.

She looked forward to his graduation and hoped she’d live long enough to see that day. At least he would graduate one day, unlike Vincent Verax. And to think that she used to believed that Claude exaggerated these matters. If anything, he had been too generous with his descriptions.

Incident Report. Subject: Leiken Chu.

Yvette scanned the report and sighed again. Yet another fight between the boy and another student, this time with Amos Freeman. Digging through the papers, she found an identical paper from Amos’s trainer, describing the incident that began with verbal harassment over a speech impediment and ended with the exsanguination of a pigeon.

Winter recess would end early for Vincent Meian and Amos’s trainer, since Yvette planned to haul both of them into her office to discuss just what was going on with their students.

“...fake blood...”

Vincent Meian would have the first appointment. She might have to clear the entire morning for him.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Vincent Verax. Assessment: Vincent remains in complete control of his cellular regeneration, primarily because it is an unconscious ability. He passed his evaluation with flying colors, although he did lose three fingers in the process. Missing digits have subsequently regenerated. Recommendation: Vincent is fit for mainstreaming and is approved for graduation if he meets the academic requirements for the year.

Yvette snorted; fortunately, she was alone and nobody witnessed the lack of decorum. The Verax boy had received the same training evaluation for years. He still couldn’t pass even remedial general education classes, and the headmistress knew that he would be here long after she had retired.

That was a problem for her eventual successor.

Incident Report. Subject: Harmony Mueller-Barton. Details: Harmony has been using her teleportation as a means of throwing objects at her classmates without being noticed. She was caught because her control over her control over her power is spotty at best.

Yvette wasn’t surprised. She had met the Mueller-Barton girl a sum total of one time, and that had been more than enough. Harmony’s name was ironic, since she had only one facial expression, which made Yvette wonder if she was constantly sucking on lemons to perfect that puckered scowl.

Digging through the pile for the same name, the Headmistress found Harmony’s other file.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Harmony Mueller-Barton. Assessment: Harmony failed the obstacle course. She then proceeded to throw a tantrum and stalk off, complaining about how I take delight in tormenting her. She didn’t listen when I tried to explain that only teleporters with very good control can pass the obstacle course. Despite that, her powers are at a good place for her age and level of experience.

God help them all when Harmony had enough control to pass the obstacle course. Keeping her on the premises and out of trouble would be impossible.

Fortunately, Yvette needn’t prepare for that this year.

Picking up the next paper, Yvette sighed to herself upon seeing the name. Chester Douglas.

She didn’t want to know.

“Chester’s control has improved to the point that he is now blackmailing other students in his training class.”

The Headmistress set that file aside, marking up a Post-it note to remind her to send Chester to Sean. She’d let him, as a telepath, try to work this out first. If he failed to do that, she would take matters into her own hands. There would be no more exploitation of other students’ private lives, not as long as she was at Hammel.

Incident Report. Subject: Odion Martins. Details: Odion has been tormenting several of his classmates and has stolen personal property...

Odion was a time manipulator, if memory served her correctly. Yvette searched through the record database, confirming that he was. That would be a pain. Conversations with time manipulators were always frustrating, particularly if they had any control over their abilities whatsoever. Maybe she would call in a power suppressor for the conversation.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Amber Krasenski. Assessment: Amber refused to shapeshift for her end-of-semester evaluation. She’s petrified of her powers, and she has been given an incomplete. Her makeup test is January 18th.

Yvette didn’t like spiders either, so she understood. Still, if the girl was ever going to graduate, she had to learn how to control her powers. Hammel didn’t need any more perpetual students.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Lani Hunter. Assessment: Lani continues to demonstrate fine control over his telekinesis. He is exceptionally gifted, and this semester he seemed less distracted than in previous ones.

Finally, some good news.

Incident Report. Subject: Odion Martins.

Hadn’t she just read one of these?

Shuffling through the pile, she found another three, all pertaining to Odion’s behavior in power training class and elsewhere. If he was better at his powers, then perhaps he wouldn’t get caught.

Odion’s files were sorted out and set aside for when classes were back in session.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Noah Washington. Assessment: Noah threw up immediately after completing his end-of-semester exam. But he passed. I didn’t even make him clean up after himself, since that would probably create a vicious cycle of power-induced vomiting.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Levi Xu. Assessment: Levi has been removed from training sessions with the other clairvoyant students. They gave each other false signals, and it’s in Levi’s best interest to train alone for a while. His shielding remains better-than-average. We’ll try to make actual progress with his power next semester.

Levi Xu had been a problem since he’d first arrived at Hammel, through no fault of his own. Yvette had read Claude’s notes about the boy, and he had been the victim of a kidnapping by a terrorist organization, intercepted on his way to the school. Then resentful of being at the school, because he didn’t believe he was supposed to be there at first. Then that brat Mia Keystone and had broadcast his personal life with the Brackett boy all over the school at Neville’s sex talk.

Plus, his powers made him completely delusional.

He would be another perpetual student. Yvette supposed it was only fitting that he’d made friends with Sam Rixon and Evan Brackett. She’d seen twelve-year-old new recruits with finer control than Evan had his senior year.

At least he had friends.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Avinea Jale. Assessment: Avinea’s control over her power remains strong as long as she isn’t agitated. There was only one cyclone this time, and that was after ten minutes of distraction. She’ll be fit to graduate on time as long as she makes grades and continues to practice.

That wasn’t surprising. In Yvette’s experience, the aerokinetics didn’t typically have problems. Fortunately, considering some of the students and the common pitfalls of certain powers.

Declyn O’Callahan

Well, this should be interesting.

“After last week’s incident, we will no longer use shadow puppets in training sessions...

It was her job as Headmistress to remain informed. At the same time, she didn’t want to know. Still, she read the report in its entirety and then had to ask who thought it was a good idea to try fear exposure therapy in the middle of a training session. They had a psychiatrist for a reason.

Once again, she toyed with the idea of mandatory sessions for the rest of the faculty, before dismissing the idea. As she had the last time. It would cause more harm than good.

Requisition for replastering of training room 3 ceiling. Reason: Deshi Butovski got stuck and couldn’t come down...had to be pried off with a chisel...

Yvette picked up her stamp again, pressing down firmly until approved covered the bottom of the requisition. She’d call about that first thing tomorrow, so that it was finished before classes resumed for the upcoming semester.

The next evaluation was written in green crayon.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Michael Arceneaux. Assessment: Michael took all of my pens with him after our last training session; I couldn’t pry them out of his orbit before he left the room...

Yvette made a note to herself to have all of the classrooms restocked with supplies next week.

Incident Report. Subject: Brea White. Details: Brea shrunk down and got stuck in a cabinet. When she tried to break out, she broke the cabinet and gave herself a concussion.

The requisition for a new cabinet was attached by paperclip to the back of the incident report. Yvette stamped that one approved as well.

She should talk to their accountant and see how much was left in the discretionary fund. They had to replace so many supplies, and the year was only half-over.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Mia Bell. Assessment: We can thank Mia for the unexpected sunny day last week. Unfortunately, she was supposed to make fog...

Yvette considered a sunny day in Vermont winter worthy of a pass, regardless of the assignment.

Incident Report. Subject: Kennedy Whitmore. Details: Kennedy’s power seems to be triggered by her emotions. Unfortunately, she transformed out of turn and without warning in our last class, ran out of class, broke into the teacher’s lounge, and ate all of the food that Kane made for the holiday party. She turned back human before she could get sick, thankfully.

Yvette didn’t have much to say about that. At least Kennedy made a cute dog and she wasn’t a pit bull. That was a small favor.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Romeo Buckland. Assessment: Did you know you can hit this kid with a two-by-four for up to an hour and he won’t go down?

Romeo’s trainer would also have a meeting with her before the beginning of the next semester. She could understand the temptation in taking out frustrations on some of the more aggravating students, but this was beyond the pale.

Semester Evaluation. Subject: Elina Harte. Assessment: While she has far better control of her abilities and can tune in and out of conversations, we have the potential for a horrible gossip on our hands.

At least she wasn’t blackmailing students, which put her ahead of Chester Douglas. Yvette wondered idly when her standards had slipped so much that she considered not engaging in extortion to be a plus factor. This was what she got for coming to work during vacation.

Reentrance Evaluation. Subject: Jesse Adams.

Yvette dropped the file to her desk without reading more. Maybe she’d give Charles a call to meet for lunch before tackling the rest of these. She needed to have a clear head for this next one.



*With apologies to everyone.