Chapter 6: Galahad

Headmaster Simon Alexander was by no means an intimidating man. He was tall, around five-eleven or six feet but he always had a smile on his face. His dark brown eyes always held some sort of mischief in them. He kept his dark hair in a buzz cut, which made me think he had been in the military.

His office was very personal. There were pictures all over the place, most of which were of his sister, niece and nephew. A couple of pictures were of his parents, but the rest were the senior pictures of the students who had graduated in the past five years that he had been headmaster. If I was correct, this was his sixth year here.

He looked up and smiled, motioning me to sit in front of him. I did, albeit nervously. Darren stood behind me, hands resting on the back of the chair. I was thankful he was there even if he did have something he was hiding. It eased my worries slightly.

Finally, Headmaster Alexander lifted his head and smiled even brighter than before. Now I was nervous.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. I know it's just before classes but this couldn't wait," he said.

I merely nodded because let's face it. I had no clue.

His smile fell then. "I've heard a very disturbing story this morning. It seems you've been having trouble with Casey MacDowell. Is this correct, Miss Bates?"

I sucked in my cheeks and looked over my shoulder at the guy I called my friend. Darren was looking down at me with apprehension in his eyes. Oh, boy, was he right about that. I was too angry to give him more than a lethal look.

"Miss Bates, is that true?" Alexander reiterated when I didn't answer.

"Yes, sir, it is," I replied through clenched teeth. Ooh, was I mad. I tamped down on that anger and looked back at the headmaster. "It's nothing I can't handle so there's no need for you to get involved."

"On the contrary, Miss Bates, I think I need to get involved."

Suddenly I was tired. This wasn't going well. "Please, headmaster, call me Maddie. Miss Bates is my stepmother whom I don't care for."

That caught Alexander off guard. It showed on his face as I looked at him. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Very well, Maddie. Do you want to tell me or should I just say what I've heard?"

"It's up to you sir," I replied with fake nonchalance. I really didn't want to hear anymore about this but there was no way I was getting out of it.

Alexander nodded, although I saw the tic in his jaw. "I've heard on two accounts that Casey kicked you in the face last Wednesday and then on Saturday she trashed not only your room but Mr. Starland's as well."

"I told you I'd handle it, Darren," I growled over my shoulder.

He snorted. "Killing her with kindness will not stop Casey, Maddie. Headmaster, after I left you this morning, I saw Casey being hauled away from Maddie and my sister when I walked into the cafeteria."

"Darren," I warned hotly. I was getting aggravated at him because his mouth was running too much.

"Is what he said true?" Alexander asked. He waited until I nodded. There was really no point in trying to hide it now. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "Darren, please leave."

I heard Darren suck in air between his teeth. "But, sir…"

"I will discuss this with Maddie alone. If she wants, she can fill you in. Otherwise, please leave."

Darren wanted to argue; I could feel it at my back. Instead, he squeezed my shoulder and left the room quickly and quietly. I looked over my shoulder when I was certain he was gone and made an ugly face at the door. He was on my hit list at the moment.

"How do you want to run this?" Alexander asked me.

When I looked at him, I noticed his was smiling knowingly. That irked me. "Sorry."

"Don't be, but for future reference, Darren is on your side, as are Beca and Drew. Don't lose their friendship over fighting how to deal with Casey. They will be your backbone through this."

"You say that as if you've been where I am."

"I have been. Like you, I was exceptionally smart in high school. People felt the need to pick on me because of it. I had a small group of friends that allowed me to survive."

Unfortunately he was right. Being smart meant I was picked on. I had always attested it to the fact that I had to explain homework assignments and that made them jealous.

In my old school, I never kept friends. New alliances were made every day and old ones discarded just as frequently. I hated it. There was no one I could trust so I kept to myself. My only reprise was when I had been in the stables. There was nothing like brushing a horse to calm the soul.

When I came here, I got a new group of friends. They cared so much about me it was an overwhelming experience. The only person that had ever done that was my father. They reminded me so much of him it was uncanny.

"Maddie?" I looked up when the headmaster spoke my name. He was looking at me knowingly again. That look was starting to bother me. "Are you okay? You zoned out there for bit."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about my old school and how it was nothing like this. Everyone was only out for themselves. It was rather sickening."

"I assume it's not like that here." I shook my head. "Good. Now back to the matter at hand. What do you want to do about Casey?"

"I don't want anything done at the moment. I haven't retaliated on her. I'm kinda hoping she gets the idea that I won't and will leave me alone."

Alexander sighed. "Unfortunately, Casey's not like that. She won't leave you alone until you strike back. Once you do, she will twist the story to make her look like the victim."

"I have enough people around me to set her straight."

"So does she. Not to mention she's been here longer. She has many more alliances than you do."

I sighed heavily and sat back. "What do you suppose I do? I can't quit classes. That's definitely giving up since I have Trig with her. She'll take it as a victory."

"Yes, but at least you will be safe."

"I'm not running, headmaster. I've never run from anything in my life and I won't start now." I was so flustered I forgot I was talking to the person in charge.

He didn't look mad, though, just slightly amused. "Is that your final word?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. You're dismissed."

I stood up rather forcefully. When I did, I knocked the bookend off his desk, sending his 18th Century First Edition books to the dirty floor. Immediately I bent to get them at the same time he did.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"I usually knock them off once a day. Don't worry about it," he replied.

I nodded distractedly as we cleaned up the mess and placed the books in correct order back on the desk. When I flipped my hair out of my face, I looked at the headmaster. He was staring at me; well, actually lower. I followed his gaze down where my sword was glinting in the light.

Well, crap.

I watched in slow motion as he fell to his knees before. Sheesh! What is with these

people and this necklace?

He bowed his head with his right fist over his heart. "From this day forward, I offer my services until death or you release me. I am bound by this oath."

For a few moments, I was so dumbfounded I just stared at him. I really had a teacher, and not just a teacher, I had a headmaster bowing before me, pledging his allegiance to me as if I were some sort of flag. Any other girl would be thrilled. Don't get me wrong. I didn't mind but I had no reason to explain why they were doing it. I really needed to get down to the bottom of this and fast before every guy in this school was bowing. To me

First and foremost I had to deal with the headmaster.

I touched the top of his head and then trailed my fingers down the side of his face, feeling as if I had done it before. After a moment, I hooked them under his chin and forced him to look up at me. His eyes were so dark they looked like chocolate.

"Don't kneel. Rise now, Sir Galahad," I said.

Alexander smiled then kissed the palm of my hand. "From now on, call me Simon when we're alone."

"Okay," I stuttered. This was going to be a pain to explain when people asked me why I was calling our headmaster by his first name.

I know he said in private but most times private means public and that could be bad. I mean what if someone thought he was having an affair with me, his student? That would be bad for both of us. He could lose his job and I would be the laughing stock of the school, more so than I was already. Actually I was probably the second most hated person at school, the first being Casey. No one was scared of me as they were her.

That unnerved me so much I simply walked away, not even paying attention when Headmaster, er… I mean Simon called out to me.

I was halfway down the hall in my funk when I realized I was being followed. I looked back briefly to see Darren following me. My mood turned from funk to anger. Why hadn't he left? I was still so very mad at him. He had no right to tell Simon what happened between me and Casey. I don't care that he was trying to protect me. It was between me and Casey.

He couldn't take a hint to leave me alone so I could figure all this out. I had to figure this out without his help. He couldn't hold my hand through it all. I hadn't even let my father help me out when I was going through a rough time.

So when he least expected it, I turned on him and cornered him in the hall.

"I thought you understood that I'm mad at you," I said slightly harshly. I wanted him to know it was the truth.

He looked down at me in utter shock. I had never spoken to him like that. It was only

recently that he had started to grate on my nerves.

"Classes have started but I didn't want you walking alone. Even if you're only going to Humanities, you need an escort. You'll never know who Casey's sent," he replied stoically. The mask had fallen into place after the initial shock.

I squinted up at him, trying to determine if that was the only reason. I whirled around and headed out the door. He followed me, not too far behind but definitely not close. I wished once more that I knew what was going on in his head.

We walked in silence across campus, obviously something on our minds. I wanted to know what was going on with this sword and why it was making people go insane. It had propelled me into something odd. I didn't know where this was going to go. That was simply a scary thought.

I stopped at the Humanities building and looked up at it. I really didn't want to go in, but I had to, since I had missed two days of class last week.

"I'll see you later, Maddie," I heard Darren say behind me.

"Okay," I replied, distracted.

"Maddie?" I turned around at the sound of his voice changing. He looked older now. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing that I know of."

"Meet me at the stables tonight at seven. I have some things to tell you."

I frowned. "Really?"

"Yes. Please don't be late." With that, he turned and walked towards the Science Building.

I stared up at the building again. "Don't be late my foot. Who does he think I am? Beca?"

I grumbled my way up the stairs.