I headed out of the dormitory, running down the stairs. Choco chattered the whole time.
“That stupid, puffy haired rabbit! Did he really bully you? He deserved that! Did you really do the curse? If you did, I’m not coming- I don’t like evil people. Also, I-”
“Choco!” I shouted. He stopped talking.
I decided the side exit would be the best way to go. It was the nearest, and… if I didn’t go through there, then I had to use another exit which would take up a whole hour. Finch’s idea of keeping students safe was shutting them inside the school day and night until the summer. All the exits were magically made to be two miles farther than they seemed.
As I was passing the library… the library! I had to go in there and find out what Ms. El’fonte had tried to prohibit me from seeing.
“Not a sound, okay, Choco?” I muttered. I put him in a pocket of my backpack and snuck into the library. There were rustling sounds coming from an aisle that was far away from the door, so whoever was inside didn’t hear me come in. I crept towards the aisle, hiding behind shelves. I got close and suddenly I heard voices.
“Please, Principal. I need these books!” I heard Ms. El’fonte wail. Mr. Finch’s voice spoke up, mocking her. “Please, Professor.” He let out a cruel laugh. “Look, lady. You don’t need books. I don’t need books. The school doesn't need books. What they do need is a behavioral learning classroom! These children are so- so... immaturely immature! Do you realize this is the third night I found something sticky on my desk? My wand doesn’t even fix it!” He barked.
In a quiet voice that was only audible to me because I was right in the aisle behind her, listening through the gaps of the books, she replied, “Maybe because you don’t know how to do the charm.”
“What was that!?” Finch roared.
“W-what about Cora?”
I froze. Why was Ms. El’fonte mentioning me?
“Who?” Finch said.
“Coraline Rose. The brightest student this school has ever held. She learned everything she knows from these books.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
In a desperate manner, Ms. El’fonte threw at Finch what must have been her final attempt. “Please, Mr. Finch! My- my sister is ill. I use the little money you give me to treat her. If I lose my job, then she dies.”
“Ugh. I don’t have time for this,” Finch said without an ounce of empathy. “Are you gonna stay, or are you gonna leave?”
I peeked through a gap in the books and smiled as Ms. El’fonte folded her arms and nodded, resolute. “I’m staying.”
“Whatever. But your paycheck’s going down. Like, twenty bucks down,” Finch snarled. And with that unpleasant farewell, the principal marched out of the library.
Ms. El’fonte collapsed on the floor, trembling. I didn’t want to, but I had to go out there and make sure she was okay.
“M-Ms. El’fonte?”
She flipped around and looked at me with wide eyes. “No, no! Get out! I was angry! I can’t control it-” She abruptly stopped speaking, leaving me confused. But if she wanted me to leave, then fine, I would leave.
I gave a quick little wave, completely freaked out. As I turned around, she said, “Where are you going?” In a much more different, almost vibrating voice.
Okay, now I was really confused. “Y-you just told me to leave...” I said, turning back around.
Ms. El’fonte wasn’t sitting there anymore. She wasn’t even there.
In her place was a huge tiger.
The tiger that had taken Felix.