Chapter 8: Nearly killed

My relationship with Paul improved slightly over the coming weeks but was never more than cordial. I refused to call him Mr. Manning as that would give him a degree of superiority and after the first week he stopped referring to me as Miss Lewis. He also stopped sending students to me for the strap but several times I reprimanded a student for lack of effort or some other minor misdeed without being told. I'm not sure if he appreciated it, but I wasn't castigated for it. However, an incident occurred that I didn't see and which he did indeed demand I use the strap although he knew I wouldn't. The incident led to a complete break up of our relationship and my nearly losing my life.

Kelly Semple was sent to the school about a month before me. I hadn't read her file but from what I'd heard, her father applied for the school to take her because she selling her body to pay for drugs for her boyfriend. It seemed that she occasionally did drugs too and the police picked her up while she was with a client and both were high on pot. At the time she was still only seventeen but only weeks from her eighteenth birthday. With the agreement of the police superintendent known to her father, she was never taken to court but enrolled in the reform school. Until now she'd more or less been a model student but on this particular morning, she hardly made any effort at all. She looked a bit under the weather but not really ill. Loudly Paul verbally chastised her for being lazy and, turning to me, he angrily growled, "If you don't do your duty with the strap for this blatant insolence, I'll take her to the principal myself and see that he does." Before he'd finished Kelly ran from the room and I knew something was seriously wrong. I found her being sick in the toilet.

"Are you pregnant Kell?" I asked when she stopped throwing up and had cleaned herself.

"I guess so."

"How? You're tested when you come here and on contraceptive injections while you're here and they are supposed to be reliable, at least I hope they are. You've missed your periods?"

"Two Miss."

"Let's go to my room and talk about it."

We sat on my bed and I asked her, "How?"

"I think it was my last night before they took me away. I wasn't on the pill or anything and relied on condoms as much to prevent disease as to prevent getting knocked up. After my arrest, daddy virtually kept me a prisoner but he had to go and see a client that evening and I was able to evade the 'babysitter' he brought in to keep and eye on me. I went to my boyfriend's flat and we fucked, the first time with a condom but his box was empty when we wanted to do it again so we didn't bother. Later I sneaked back home and my babysitter still sat in the lounge watching TV. I washed myself well enough for them not to notice when I had the medical but obviously not well enough to stop me having a baby. What am I going to do Sarah? The baby will come long before I'm due to leave here." Tears were flowing down her face and I hugged her to me.

David, Paul and a security guard burst in on us. "Look, she's taking the girl's side again. It's about time we got some proper discipline in the place again instead of molly-codling students who make no effort and then run away and cry on Miss Softy's shoulder when they are spoken to..."

"Shut up Paul!" I spoke louder than normal and momentarily shocked him into silence. "The problem is bigger than you know."

"Jacques, here will tell you her behaviour warrants a hiding..." Paul went on again and indicated the security man would confirm his accusation.

"Paul, for once put your brain in gear before opening your mouth. Shut up."

"Don't you talk to me like that bitch! This time I'm right and you need..." Paul was not only angry, he was flaming mad and might have hit either or both of us had not David been there.

"I want to hear what Sarah has to say before making any judgment, so let her speak." David wearily cut in stopping any further vitriolic outburst. We'd noticed his moodiness lately and I wondered which way his judgement would go.

"David, would you ask June to come in here and then make an appointment for Doctor Wilkinson to visit please?"

"Is this what I think it might be?" I nodded. "Jacques, please escort Mr. Manning to the dining room." Still fuming and threatening revenge, Paul left.

When June came we discussed the possibility of Kelly having a baby here or returning to her father's care. Kelly certainly didn't want that. "I'll only go back to my old ways, that is, if daddy ever lets me out of the house. I'm doing quite well with my schoolwork, better than when I was at school. I hate some of the things about this place but it has its good points."

Doctor Wilkinson confirmed Kelly's pregnancy the next day and also suggested there was still time for her to get an abortion. She didn't want that. Paul was furious when I told him Kelly could do a certain amount of PE but was not to be over taxed or to do some of the gymnastic moves. "Untrained fat slobs like you, don't tell qualified sports staff what to do!" he snarled, "David needed his mind tested when he put you in to oversee me. You're making him soft too. I'll treat her like everyone else."

"They're Doctor Wilkinson's instructions, not mine."

"Another soft woman!" he spat and turned away.

Two days later he tried to make Kelly do forward somersaults and she looked distressed so I stepped in and took her away without asking or informing Paul. Apparently he didn't take it kindly and fumed about me in front of the students and staff. "You need to watch yourself Sarah," Kate remarked when she came to my lesson, "He's building up so much hate in his mind against you that he'll harm you if he gets half a chance." Chris and then Theresa confirmed this and said the security staff would keep a special watch on me. I laughed it off but tried to avoid being anywhere where I was alone with him. Unfortunately they were right.