Chapter 1

I was glad I persisted on my drive up the mountain this Friday morning in early August. I was at the point where I was almost certain that I must have driven past the turn off. I was about to turn my car around when straight in front of me appeared the wrought iron arched entrance sign to the campus. The sign hung over the road attached to two stone pillars on each side. The words on the sign said: Mountain Lake Academy.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I drove through. I was here.

I knew nothing about Mountain Lake Academy except that it was a private school. I was a 27-year old public high school science teacher with the emphasis on was. A public school teacher was a nice gig and I was one for the past three years at Drake High but not enough people were having kids in the city and not enough new people were moving in. They closed Elm High to save money. My three years of teaching experience were not enough to give me seniority over other science teachers in the district. The Elm High teacher bumped me out and took over at Drake. The asshole administration gave no one any warning. I had to scramble to find a job.

That was why I was at Mountain Lake. Private schools don't pay as much, but I needed to stay in a teaching position. Hopefully I could get back into the public school system next year.

The Mountain Lake campus was very small, so my hope and confidence waned even before I parked in front of the administration building and walked inside.

As I entered the foyer carrying my briefcase, it was a madhouse. Two old women stood in the middle sobbing and holding each other. The secretary's desk was on the right and its chair was empty. One of the criers was probably the secretary. Another old woman burst out of the open door from the office on the right. She also was in tears.

"Dorothy," called out one more old woman appearing from the office also. Her eyes showed that she had been crying too.

A third woman appeared from the office. She also looked like she had cried recently and she immediately received my attention because in contrast to the four old women she was a young brunette who was probably close to my age.

I knew I arrived at a bad time and maybe the right thing to do was to leave, but I didn't drive almost an hour to just turn around and not try. I had to find out if maybe, just maybe, there was a job opening. I would be patient. I sat down on the couch which was against the back wall and hoped the commotion would die out soon.

"It is too much, Barbara," Dorothy replied without looking back at her.

The two hugging and sobbing women broke apart.

"Oh, Shirley," said Dorothy and hugged who I presumed to be Shirley.

"The semester starts Monday," said Barbara desperately.

"I know that, but I can't teach one of Carolyn's classes too," Dorothy insisted.

"You need to do this," Barbara said strongly.

"If you try to make me do it, then I will retire right now!" angrily shouted Dorothy.

"Have a heart, Barbara," interjected Shirley. "We can't do this."

"Be reasonable, Dorothy," said Barbara.

"Reasonable?" yelled Dorothy. "Reasonable? Fuck you, Barbara! Fuck you!"

I was shocked to hear those words come out of the old woman's mouth.

Barbara stormed into the office. It was only then that I saw the sign proclaiming Ms. Barbara Brecker as Mountain Lake's principal. It was she I needed to talk to.

"Come on, Shirley, Janice." Dorothy said. The three old women left.

The current quietness of the room was pronounced after all the commotion.

"Who the hell are you?" said the only other person in the foyer. It was the young, attractive woman.

"I'm Christopher Cooper," I said, standing and putting out my hand to shake.

She ignored my hand. "Are you a curriculum salesman? We aren't buying."

"No. I'm looking for a job. I'm a teacher."

"A teacher?" she said, sounding surprised. I had no idea what was so surprising about it. "What do you teach?"

"Science."

"Science!" she shouted. She looked me up and down in a way that reminded me of how a guy scopes out a girl. It felt odd.

"Yes," I said nodding.

"I'm Catherine officially but you can call me Cat. Only you."

"Hello, Cat," I said. It was obvious I needed to go with the flow of whatever was going on.

"Come here," she said excitedly.

We walked to the principal's office.

"Stay right here," she said as I stood in the doorway.

She approached the principal who sat behind her desk with her head in her hands.

"Ms. Brecker?" softly said Cat.

Brecker looked up at Cat then past her at me. "Not now, Catherine."

"This is Christopher..." Cat looked blankly back at me.

"Chris Cooper," I filled in and walked up next to Cat.

"Ms. Williams," protested Brecker. "I do not have time for this."