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“You do that,” Jane replies, unbothered. “For now, we are going to see the nurse.”
“But I’m not sick.”
“Perhaps not now, but you will be once those wear off and you don’t have any more to hand. Come along.”
Normally Jane would put a girl who left the corner right back in it with a good paddling for her troubles, but there is no point punishing someone so numb. She will wait until Kiera is at the mercy of her body’s natural receptors once more. Then there will be a proper reckoning, one she will very much feel.
Kiera follows, albeit sullenly. One might think the caning has had an impact, or perhaps the loss of her keys, but Jane suspects the mood shift is more related to a come down and will worsen significantly before it improves.
* * *
Nurse Warner is a tall woman in her fifties with short dark hair and a no-nonsense demeanor. Jane has not had much cause to interact with her besides a brief introduction when Frau Lotte introduced them during the relative whirlwind of her first week. She hopes she will find a more useful partner in the school nurse than in the headmistress.
She is to be found in the infirmary, as might be expected. She does not seem surprised to see Kiera, Jane notes. In fact, she greets her with significant familiarity.
“Nurse Warner, I’m afraid Kiera has been indulging in these,” Jane says, handing the bottle over. “I cannot punish girls who are near insensate, and I imagine it will be safer for her to come off them under your care.”
Nurse Warner glances at the pills before tucking them into her apron.
“Kiera, we’ve talked about this,” she says. “You have to be more careful. Anything could happen when you take these.”
“They make it easier to, you know,” Kiera says with a disturbing brow wiggle. “Ronald likes it… there.”
Kiera’s waywardness appears to be an open secret in the school, and as for the comment about Ronald, whoever he might be, and where he likesit, Jane only hopes she is misunderstanding the subtext.
“I take it this is not the first time she has indulged in such…”
“You can’t talk about that. That’s medical information. That’s private!” Kiera bursts out quickly.
“She’s right, I’m afraid, Miss Strict,” Nurse Warner says. “I am not able to comment on the medical status of students. I certainly could not tell you that I had seen Miss Marlin here on several occasions due to her tendency to ingest any substance a man gives her.”
Kiera’s expression is now thunderous.
“I don’t take just anything I’m given,” she argues. “I take what I want to take, and I do what I want to do, and no school disciplinarian is going to change that, so you may as well waste your time with the pathetic little things who still think you’re something to be afraid of.”
“We will see how you feel about that statement when you are sober,” Jane replies evenly.
“Yes. Let’s.” Kiera gives her the most aggressive of mean girl smiles.
Jane departs, thoroughly concerned about what is now emerging to be the underlying state of mismanagement in the school, and rather worried about her newest charge. Kiera seems like more than a challenge. She seems like a very troubled young lady indeed.
* * *
“Do you have a moment?”
Jane looks up and smiles as Laura walks into her office, feeling a rush of relief. It has already been a difficult day, but seeing Laura makes it better.
Laura slides up to the desk, half-sitting on it. It’s not the best protocol, but Jane barely thinks about telling Laura desks aren’t for perching on, as she would tell any student.
“How is your day going?”
“Challenging,” Jane says. “How about you? All quiet?”
Laura places four cigarettes and a lighter on Jane’s desk. “I confiscated these from a student,” she says.
“Which student?”
“A student who begged me not to tell you.”
