Chereads / Ruinous Future / Chapter 48 - Terrarium (XXI) - Contract

Chapter 48 - Terrarium (XXI) - Contract

Bell soon found herself in a room with Principal David, who had a cheerful smile that failed to reach his eyes. 

"Please, take a seat." He waved a hand toward one of the cushioned seats. "I'm glad to talk to you so early in your Terrarium career."

Bell nervously took her seat and asked, "So, what's this about?"

Principal David's smile shifted into one that was genuine.

"Ah. I'm glad that you're one to get straight to the point, that saves me a bit of trouble." He said as his expression slowly turned deadpan and his eyes started scanning a few documents on his desk. "I know you went to the city jail a couple nights ago for a few issues regarding a shawarma shop."

Bell simply nodded in response, not wanting to say something that might upset her principal.

"Alrighty, so, the guy who fainted has accumulated quite a bit of money lost due to that incident, and the warden had been made a deal. By whom, you may ask? Teacher Brutus had talked to the warden and shopkeeper and had essentially sold you out to work for the man in exchange for your freedom."

Bell's eyes widened and her expression slightly twisted into one of worry.

"But you don't need to worry, you'll be fine. You just need to pick up a single shift at the shop on your weekends." Principal David smiled again, then continued, "If you worship a god or goddess that has mass on a Sunday, then arrangements can be made."

Bell calmed down; her nerves slightly calmed.

"For now, though." Principal David said. "You'll need to choose which shift suits you best."

He then grabbed a paper and handed it to Bell, who accepted it and oriented it around so that she could read it.

The paper was some sort of timetable with a few other names on it, as well as what days and hours they'll be working.

Bell wasn't unfamiliar with the timetable, and quickly found out some hours that she could work on a Saturday. The morning shift looked to be severely understaffed, and Bell was fine with waking up in the morning.

'I'll just head to bed a bit earlier on Friday's, I guess...'

That wouldn't prove to be an issue for Bell, as long as none of the others in the group decided that they needed or wanted Bell for any reason. Other than that, there was no reason for Bell to do much of anything outside of practicing her fragment abilities and other homework.

After a few more moments of deep thought, Bell passed the paper back to Principal David.

He looked up toward Bell and asked, "Have you chosen a time?"

"Yeah, mornings on Saturdays." Bell said, "It's pretty much the perfect shift for me."

Principal David then said with a smile, "Awesome! I'll just need you to sign this paper, and you'll be good to go." Afterward, he pulled a paper from another pile of sheets and handed it to Bell.

Bell flipped it and read the contents. It was a standard work contract with the rules of the establishment. She read the paper with a bit of intent and found its terms acceptable, in fact, they were more gratuitous than that of her previous workplace.

"Can I have a pen?" Bell asked. "I left mine out in the waiting room."

Principal David then handed her a pen and said, "Sure thing."

Bell placed the paper on her thigh and signed it with the letters "BF" under the portion requiring her signature. She looked towards the section requiring her name in simple print and wrote her name out there as well. Bell stood up and gave Principal David the signed paper, satiated of all wonder about the situation, she began to head towards the door.

"Ah. Bell." Principal David said from behind. "Could you inform Ishmael Rossi that she can enter?"

Bell turned her head and nodded, replying with, "Sure." Before heading out of the door.

She entered the waiting room and looked around for one of the three who she didn't know the names of. The boy that had wielded the flames was probably Gabriel, while she knew who Mars was at this point. She looked at the slender, shockingly beautiful one, and the one with the blindfold. 

On a guess, Bell looked towards the blindfolded one and said, "Ishmael, you can talk to Principal David now."

To which she simply stood up and headed towards the door. Bell stepped aside, and Ishmael whispered, "Thank you." To Bell before entering.

Bell simply headed towards her seat, where her notebook, journal, and pen were awaiting her. Then, she decided to return to class, after all, the Eriksons, as well as Mona, had left. Bell could have only assumed that they had returned to the General Class with Teacher Brutus after their talk to Principal David.

So, Bell would follow suit.

She reached the door and checked the time, feeling lucky that she had. 

Her pathfinder read the time as [09:45]

'Yeesh! Class is already over!?' Bell thought to herself with a look of surprise on her face.

She opened her umbrella, pocketed her pen, and exited the canopy protecting her against the rain. As she walked, Bell attempted to remember where the Hunting Class was, simply wandering around for a short while. After a couple minutes had passed by, the other students in class had been dismissed.

Bell was able to tell by the very subtle tolling of the clocktower that towered over somewhere. She had never been able to find the source of the tolling, but its effects were not invisible.

The ground shook slightly with each toll, and the air vibrated a slight bit as well. 

They all soon swarmed the various walkways between buildings. Most simply used umbrellas to avoid the rain while others used rain ponchos and Marbles that protected them from the rain.

After a few more minutes of walking about with no real direction, Bell gave up and tapped her pathfinder, asking where to go. The window pointed Bell in the direction of her Hunting Class.

'I'm going to memorize where I'm going.' Bell swore to herself, quickly finding where she needed to go.

Bell had gotten close a handful of times, but never made that final push into the building. Upon entering the building, she started down the hallways in the direction of the Hunting Class.

Bell then entered, finding that Aramine and Shota were already sitting and in wait for the class to start.

"Hi, Aramine, Shota!" Bell greeted with a smile and wave from the other side of the room.

A few of the other students spared Bell a glance before they returned to either their conversations or pathfinder windows.

Bell sat down while Aramine and Shota greeted Bell back. 

"You excited for the exam?" Bell asked her two acquaintances.

The two looked at one another before turning their heads back to Bell. 

"Not at all." They said in unison before breaking out in chuckles and stifled laughs.

Bell smiled as well, then the clocktower tolled once more, indicating the start of class. Just after it had tolled a third time, the door opened to allow Teacher Sofia into the classroom.

As she walked to her desk, suitcase in hand, she announced to the class.

"We'll be having our exam in another room, don't worry about your belongings, though, you can leave them in here. The exam shouldn't take long, and the second half of class will be examining any mistakes made during it."

Teacher Sofia then stood up from her chair and examined the room before sitting back down and announcing further.

"Good job on full attendance two days in a row."

Then, Teacher Sofia stood up, leaving behind her suitcase and headed towards the door.

At the door, she paused, turning toward the class.

"What are you waiting for?"