LINDA'S NEW SCHOOL

BY JOREYMAY

[ part 9 ]

Signed and Sealed

When the room was back in shape and the jammers were turned off, Linda held up her new cell. "Call me when you're done, or if you need me. I'll be off interviewing resources."

"Gossiping with the other girls?"

"I always said you were smart. Good hunting!" With that, she walked them to Miss James' office door and, as her father knocked firmly, walked off toward the common room.

When she walked into the room, the first thing she noticed was the posture. At her old school, half the girls would have been sprawled over and across the furniture and the floor. Here, they were all sitting up as straight and neatly as they did in class. A moment later, many of them sagged a little. They kept their general positions, however. At least they talked like girls she had known.

She turned to Victoria. "Let me guess. If I had been a teacher or staff member, anyone caught slouching would have been punished?"

"That's about it. We keep people near the door, listening for footsteps. Those wooden floors are good for something, anyhow. I hear that there used to be watchers, as well, but they were seen too often. They seem to know just when some of us are at our worst, too."

Linda responded, her voice too soft for anyone but Victoria to hear. "They do. They have a video camera and microphone in here." Then she spoke in a normal voice. "Are they really that good at it?"

Victoria looked startled, but quickly recovered. "Quite. And you don't quickly forget what they do, let me tell you."

"I can imagine. Well, some things may be changing very soon."

"How did the meeting with your folks go?"

"Kind of tense at first. But they had the reports and large amounts of background materials, and they liked my ideas. They're in a meeting now with the headmistress. Knowing how they work, I almost pity her." She gave a short laugh. "So, how about some introductions?"

Victoria introduced her to the other girls in the room, and she began to get a feel for the resources they represented. After answering and asking some questions, she asked about the teachers. Who were the worst of the lot, and who the best.

She was surprised to learn that Miss FitzGibbon was one of the better-liked teachers there. It seems that once you got past the first day, she wasn't all that bad. If you challenged her or the like, she could punish you as badly as the others. But if you behaved and gave your best effort in her class, she wasn't that bad. Unlike some of the others, she didn't routinely try to provoke confrontations with anyone after the first day. She was almost sorry she had chosen her to make an example of. Almost. Most of the girls assured Linda that they did not hold the attack against her, and many commented that they wished they had had the nerve their first day.

Just then, her cell chirped. The display showed her father's number.

"Hello. Getting ready to leave? Ok, be right there." She ended the call and turned to the other girls. "Gotta go. Time for the next step in my plan to take over the world!" She gave her best evil laugh as she left the room.

She hurried to Miss James' office. Once there, she knocked and waited for her invitation. It came immediately. As she entered, she noticed her parents' expressions. Her father was wearing his Lawyer face, but her mother was wearing her predator face, with the slight smile of a cartoon shark who has just eaten. They had won, substantially, and there were formalities to go through.

"We have been speaking with your headmistress," her father began, "and she has agreed to certain steps. You will be given an office, and full access to the files. You will be able to keep your toys, but they must remain in your office when you are not actively using them. The headmistress feels that they would be disruptive if kept in your dorm. You will be allowed to keep the cell with you at all times, but the ringer must be set to vibrate or silent when in class or meetings. You will receive calls or text messages at random intervals to verify your continued possession of the cell, and to exchange time critical information. Use of the cell during classes should be kept to a minimum, and be done in the least disruptive manner practical. Do you understand these conditions?"

She nodded, her face a battle between an attempt at seriousness and a grin of victory.

"Disciplinary actions involving nudity or corporal punishment will be suspended immediately, pending the outcome of these events. This is a practical step, given the likelihood of unscheduled visits by representatives of various agencies. Other disciplinary actions, including but not limited to suspension of privileges, physical exertion such as running laps or doing specified exercises, or restriction to certain parts of the building, will remain in effect. In your case, it is further stipulated that no such disciplinary action will be undertaken if it would have the effect of interfering with the project at hand. Do you understand?"

She nodded again.

"Until these matters are resolved, the school will not be accepting any new students on a routine basis. If exceptional circumstances arise, the school must obtain permission from you, your parents, and any other formal members of your negotiating team, before accepting such a student."

"In addition to your research and other duties as a party to these negotiations, you will be required to attend and participate in classes and other mandatory activities with your classmates. You will be expected to maintain the appropriate demeanour during these activities. Outside of the times of such activities, you will be able to summon people to your office or interview them in more convenient locations. You will be expected to limit the disruptions caused by these interviews. Your office will include a computer with read-only access to all electronic files. You will have full access to all physical files, but will be expected to avoid changing them in any way. You will also be expected to respect the confidential nature of the files. You will also be expected to respect the confidentiality of information gained in your interviews. To help protect that confidentiality, your office will be cleared of listening devices and cameras. Do you understand these provisions?"

"Yes." She wasn't best pleased with the limitations and participation requirements, but they didn't seem too bad.

"Then I will need you to initial here, and sign here." He indicated a short line by the part of the document dealing with confidentiality, and a longer line at the bottom. She glanced through the document, recognizing most of it as his standard boilerplate and the rest as the provisions of the agreement. She glanced at her parents, seeing brief glimpses of approval for the act of reading the document before signing it. There were a few provisions they hadn't discussed, but nothing she couldn't live with. She initialled and signed as indicated.

They moved on to her office, a few doors down the hall. Her father swept the room with his equipment and located the camera and microphones. He disabled those, then reswept the room. Finding nothing more, he nodded to Linda. She checked the desk, finding it stocked with supplies. She checked the window, and verified that she could open it and lock it. Depositing her animals on a file cabinet, she followed the others out.

She walked her parents to the front door, and there they said goodbye to Miss James. She walked them to their car. Their drivers had taken the larger one back to the city, and left the sports car. They said they were impressed with her preparation and perception, and expected things to work out well. They also cautioned her about overconfidence. She acknowledged the warning, and they said their farewells. As they started to drive away, she waved and then turned and walked back toward the door.

Once they were out of sight, she pulled out the cell and made a brief call. She didn't bother identifying herself, but gave the number for the cell and said that things were on schedule. She asked for news, listened for a moment, then ended the call. Things were well underway.