THETIS - AUGUST 12TH, 1941
"Two sugars, Headmaster?" I called, painting a false grin on my face.
We were inside his office, a hallowed space that belonged to the highest spire of the academy, one so tall that it pierced through the swirling storm clouds above us. There was the occasional crack of thunder, the ominously dark night illuminated by the jagged prong of lightning that reached us through the small window, bathing Headmaster Paxton's frail old face in a somber setting.
I was crouched by the kettle that boiled in the corner of the room, my high heels sinking into the hungry grip of thickly carpeted hardwood. I made a faint note to look into redecorating when the keys to Everway Academy came into my possession, where it rightfully belonged. The Headmaster was not informed of my plans, nor the many pieces of evidence that waited deviously inside my crocodile-leather purse that sat, trying to appear innocent, on the yellow bean bag in the corner. Yikes. I would definitely need to invest in new furniture, expensive pieces that could be bought with the school's generous budget that I would have access to as soon as I stole Paxton's position.
"That would be delightful, Miss Rodríguez."
I laughed at the formality. His rigid speech and the manner in which he addressed me were all evidence of a man who held this position for far longer than necessary. "Please, sir, call me Thetis."
"Alright, Thetis." He said begrudgingly, as though in mock respect.
His back was turned towards the window, watching the ministrations of the storm upon the grounds of the school. I used his distraction as an opportunity- hands sneaking inside my blouse to extract a bottle of carefully concocted chemicals, in which I placed three drops in the murky surface of his tea, one that, with the assistance of the dim lighting, reflected my wrongdoings. Two sugar cubes (brown, not white, the way that he enjoyed it) caused ripples as the sickly sweet grains sank to the bottom of the porcelain. A tarnished teaspoon mixed the chemicals and the sugar and the tea together, ensuring a fatal substance that would render the drinker dead. Just as I planned.
I carried the golden cup, rattling precariously on its fragile saucer, towards him. He accepted it, still standing as he watched over the storm, and I draped myself over his desk, stockinged legs against splintering wood. The man, shaking his head, made eye contact between sips of the poisoned tea.
"You're eager for me to see you as anything but a student, aren't you, Thetis? This is quite unbecoming."
"No, I just know it's difficult for a man to pay attention to a woman unless she isn't arranged in an undeniably unbecoming manner. What does that say about you, Paxton? I'm barely of age." I spat mirthlessly, crossing my ankles.
I shuddered at how his gaze fixated on the outlines of my figure through the tight-fitting dress I wore, colored a unique shade of vermillion that stood out against the grey stone walls- a borrowed garment from a friend. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed another throatful of scorching tea. His eyebrows twitched as his hands reached inside the depths of his pockets and withdrew a cigar, cocking his head as he did so.
"Would you want one, Thetis?"
"Cigars cause illnesses," I told him, dismissively.
"Knowing Everway, there are worse ways to die than in a hospital bed. Please, carry on the sentiment you were attempting to express. I was so…" His glance trailed up bare skin predatorily, as though telling me wordlessly that I was nothing to him but something to chew up and spit out. "Invested."
"Fine. You're right. I don't want you to see me as a student. I want you to see me as an applicant."
"To one of the post-graduate programs? Is that why you stayed so long after the rest of your peers left? So you could butter me up?" He seemed amused, purposely ignoring what I was really trying to apply for. No matter. The poison was slow-acting; I had time to make him understand. I muttered expletives to myself as he continued ranting.
"I believed you to be in denial that your education had ended, choosing to spend time that could have been used on productive pursuits such as chasing a stable position in our society on me, instead. Now, I understand your motive!"
"That isn't my motive, Headmaster," I said, forcing my tone to raise a few pitches. Girlish. Innocent. Helpless.
He wanted a woman on her knees, begging for him to be the mighty saviour radiating testosterone and bravado. That was the vision I was allowing him access to, becoming, for only a moment, his fantasies in exposed flesh he wasn't supposed to be looking at. I would let him believe me to be pathetic because I knew that it was, in fact, the opposite. I was powerful. And after I got what I wanted from this scum, I always would be.
"When I say I'm an applicant, I mean that I'm going to be the next headmistress of Everway Academy."
He stopped short.
"I'm afraid that there's an arduous selection process, practically, uh, cutthroat in its difficulty. Now that you've graduated, it would be difficult to complete. Usually, students presently attending the academy are the only ones to try to do so. Students who aren't as fragile."
I knew exactly what he was getting at. "I'm better than any meat-headed boy who tried to get this position. Particularly-" I grinned toothily, enjoying the sharp, shocked surprise on his face, and the growing fear that consumed him, beginning from the wispy edges of his beard to his disgusting, bleached eyes. "-because I've completed the application process already. Be a darling, and pass me my purse?"
He did so with shaking hands, and I dipped into its depths experimentally. Clawed nails extracted four, glossy photographs, as well as a small box that rattled. I organised them on the desk by chronological order, enjoying how perfect each shot was.
There was me, in the same position across every picture- glossy blonde hair, more layers of makeup than what other girls my age deemed inappropriate (really, just them asking for a tutorial, affected by the male-dominated industry that they believed they were born to struggle in), and a wide, movie-star smile. I was modelesque in the cheap, yet equally provocative, glamour of my features, ones I practised in the mirror each morning, each one radiating the utter confidence, the detached coldness, that lurked in a heart that had been educated not to feel. Educated in this very institution.
Then, past my perfect appearance, slumped in the background yet gloriously visible, was the decaying corpse of a fellow student, highlighted by the metallic pool of red slowly pooling underneath their bodies and dampening their impeccably arranged uniform. I smirked, flipping through the memories with a faint sense of accomplishment. Next to me, Paxton murmured unintelligibly.
"You'll have to speak up," I told him, handing him the evidence. The box, further proof of my sinful actions, was transferred to his palms alongside them, and he opened it with a stuttered gasp, surveying yellowed teeth yanked from the gums of the students I murdered. All incisors.
"I knew that there was an applicant this year. That's why I told the rest of the students that the others weren't dead, just expelled, when I found the corpses. It's what Asquith did for me. But we never conducted a formal meeting, and- and I certainly wouldn't have believed it to be a girl. There's never been a headmistress. Only headmasters."
"I'm more than happy to be the first, Paxton. The title practically belongs to me."
"You might've. But there are only four photographs, four teeth. You're missing a victim." His smile was insufferable. "Did you not read the instructions?"
"Well, you failed to monitor Philip! He tried stopping me, multiple times. You took too long to dispose of him."
"The past applicants wouldn't have needed authority to protect them from the suspicions of a prefect. They were more than capable of defending themselves."
"He was unhinged. You eliminated him because you were lucky, not because you were more powerful." I scoffed. "Anyways, I'm not missing a victim. I'm planning on snapping another picture as soon as you keel over."
"Natural causes do not count-"
"There's nothing natural about a vial of liquidized belladonna, of which three drops are in your tea." Paxton glanced down at the cup, emptied, and then up at me. I placed the glass tube in front of him to show that I was serious, and it took only moments for him to start begging. If his joints weren't wizened with his bitter age, I'm sure he would have kissed the patent leather of my boots.
"Thetis, p-please…"
"Luckily for you, you fool, I have the antidote right here." I patted the purse affectionately, taking the photographs and box of teeth from him, as well. "If you follow my exact instructions without disobedience, manage to do everything in a manner I deem acceptable, I'll give it to you. Do what you're told, and you won't die tonight. And if you don't? The poison comes into effect in an hour."
Ragged, panicked breathing enveloped the stagnant office. He squeezed his eyes shut as his lungs tried so desperately to process air, his mind occupied with the ultimatum he was given. "Okay. I'll do what you want. I don't want to die."
"There's a good boy." I crooned, reaching into his desk and fiddling with the drawers. I extracted a quill and parchment, placing both in front of him. "It would be lovely if you could write a will for me."
"A- a will?"
"Mm. And make sure to include that after you die, you're assigning me as your successor."
"Very well."
He scrawled a few elegant sentences in the same font that each member of this academy, past or present, was trained to use- a sweeping copperplate that displayed Everway's conservative manner of doing things, one I hated with all my heart. Part of the reason I was to become headmistress was so that I could fix the corrupted system I watched inject my fellow students (some of whom I murdered, but most, people I genuinely cared about) with destructive ideas. The belief that one sex was more powerful than the other was one I had a particular, passionate distaste for. This was meant to be the greatest institution in the world- we were better than outdated ideologies.
"Done!" Paxton exclaimed, pushing the sheet towards me for my approval. Dribbles of ink trickled down the page.
"Oh, that's perfect! Well done." I applauded. "Just don't forget to sign, so that people will think it's really you. Did you really think a detail that important would get past me?"
"Worth a shot." He stammered, nervously. "Okay, it's signed and genuine. After I die, you'll be in charge of Everway Academy. Now, may I please have the antidote? Headmistress Thetis?"
I chuckled wryly. "You know how to tell me exactly what I want to hear, Pax. 'Headmistress Thetis'. It sounds rather exciting, doesn't it?"
"Sounds magnificent." He breathed. His voice took an imploring tone, wild hopelessness that ignited a sinister excitement within me. "Please, headmistress, just- the antidote, if you could-"
I looked at the pathetic man. When I smiled, my incisors, clean white and unnaturally pointed, bared themselves viciously.
"No."
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THETIS - JULY 29TH, 1961
It had almost been two decades since that night, the same one that changed my life and gave me everything that I believed was what I wanted.
It was easy to dream, as a student, that the lavish school funds that I could spend without any judgement, or the complete control of an institution as sacred as Everway Academy, the most prestigious school in the world, would be enough to satisfy me. That I could be happy with bloodied hands and high status in the society that my life slowly grew to revolve around. It was easy to imagine that the keys to such a renowned kingdom were enough to make me feel regal.
Instead, it left me hollow, aching, and empty.
And I needed to run away.
Not that I would ever admit it, not to the snooty teachers who believed me to be a foolish wannabe incapable of doing simple addition, let alone managing Everway's reputation, nor to the students who had no real impression of me, because I was always travelling. I took advantage of how I was welcomed anywhere because of who I was, and how I could leave England as often as I wanted to, but that wouldn't quite cut the association I had towards it. I didn't want to be the headmistress anymore, but it was a title that stuck to me like the skin on my body.
I sacrificed everything for this. If I wasn't Everway's caretaker, I would be nothing.
I stretched underneath the wide canopy of the bed I slumbered in, yawning and shaking unbrushed hair off my face. It seemed as though the staff that serviced me in the guest room of an Italian heiress's estate (the woman's daughter attended the school, so, of course, she had insisted that I spend a few weeks here, an offer that, combined with the luxurious accommodations and the crystalline water of the pool, was impossible to reject) tracked my every movement, for it was the second that I sat up that a uniformed maid bustled in, carrying with her a ringing telephone on a polished tray.
"For you, madam." She said, vowels stiff and unfamiliar upon her lips.
I thanked her and stood up, jittery from a sleepless night as I paced around the room, trying to get ready for a day of doing absolutely nothing. Trusting in the maid's lack of fluency in English, I answered as she occupied herself with making the bed, arranging an expensive duvet in the symmetrical order I never seemed able to memorise. I was briefly entranced by her level of dedication before being distracted by the earpiece of the plastic that nestled against my neck as I stood in front of my wardrobe. I cleared my throat.
"Headmistress Thetis speaking, proprietrix of Everway Academy. How may I assist you?"
"Thetis, you stuck-up bitch, it's me!" A breathy woman laughed, tone softened by an American accent. I knew that voice, one located miles away from the soft resides of Europe.
"Faye Aleda? Darling, how I've missed you! How's Hollywood?"
"Boring, since you abandoned me for that crappy school. We could've made it together, you know."
My fingers danced across my clothes, selecting a pantsuit that was rather excruciating to wear, before returning it. Too stuffy for the breezy, carefree quality of the beaches I was currently lounging at.
"It was fun being in a few films, but I hardly had the patience for it. Unlike you, superstar. I've seen you on the covers of quite a few magazines."
"Especially the scandalous ones, I hope. I never thought I'd be dressing up for an audience, yet here I am! You really could've been big in the industry; they still run the copies that you posed for."
Perhaps I could go swimming today- I kneeled down and sorted through a wide collection of bikinis.
"Much to the indignation of the parents." I smiled, thankful that I was always alluring enough to distract them. "You sound as though you're doing well. I hope you're not getting yourself into the same trouble you used to, back when we were friends."
"God, I remember being a student there. I despised it, but I doubt my son will have that problem, thank god. He's twelve. Starting this year."
"Ah, I remember him from his interview. He's terrifyingly intelligent. Takes after his mother." I said loftily. I had no idea who her son was. I'd have to inspect the records when I returned to England. Of course, that wasn't anytime soon.
"Yes, I suppose he does, doesn't he?" She preened, basking in the glow of a compliment, showing me that she was still the same, narcissistic girl who'd slap her prom dates and smoke cigarettes in the balconies. "I'm dreadfully proud of him. How's your own son faring? Does he attend Everway, too?"
"Not a chance," I said, annoyed that she brought him up. "He's long gone, probably holed up with his father- and I'm glad. But let's not diverge. What did you call me to talk about? I'm sure it wasn't a spontaneous check-in."
"It isn't." She confessed as I pulled out a pastel swimsuit to wear, and a linen sundress that would compliment deeply tanned skin marvellously. I draped the clothes over the bed and focused on her. "When you said that my son takes after me, you probably mean brain power. But when I say it, I mean that he's got the same mindset."
"What are you trying to tell me?" Adrenaline hammered through me.
"This isn't something I've talked to him about, but it's something he will do, whether he wants it or not. He was born with corrupted parents that taught him to grow bloodlust in his bones, and now, he's enrolled in the one school that encourages those apathetic qualities. I think that he'll make the perfect headmaster." Her tone grew slightly beseeching. "That is if you'd be happy to encourage him."
"He's only twelve," I murmured, collapsing back onto the bed. "To become headmaster, he'd have to-"
"I'm aware of the selection process. I helped you with it if you don't remember." She reminded me. "Look, the younger he starts, the better. Is he going to have your help or not?"
I thought of the burden that came with the position, and how broken that getting it left me. Then, I thought of how much I needed to get rid of this awful situation, and how my best friend's son was a perfect method to do so.
"He will," I told her, the last dregs of my humanity melting in the rays of the morning sun. "I'll make sure that your son is the next headmaster."
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THETIS - JANUARY 8TH, 1967 (PRESENT-DAY)
I watched Everway disappear from view as the car drove me away, glad that I would be free of the goddamn place for a short vacation across a number of countries. I told the rest of the staff that it was a motivational trip to encourage more international students to attend the school and that I'd be speaking to members of high society in more foreign regions. In reality, I'd probably find a ski lodge and use school funds to do something irresponsible enough to forget about the fact that I didn't want to be here.
Despite what Faye and I had discussed during that phone call, quite a few years ago, the conversation that sparked relentless glee as I imagined a world in which I wouldn't be the headmistress anymore, had quickly dulled. I had anonymously given the twelve-year-old boy the equipment he needed to accomplish what he needed to, in line with the school's traditions, but utterly failed to monitor him as the years progressed. I doubted he would do anything, not when he would be graduating in the fleeting time of two years. I couldn't comprehend an escape from this bone-crushing responsibility
And even if I could, what did I do to deserve one?