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With the earlier visual still stark in her mind’s eye, Magdalene did what she could to divest herself of it. So instead she used it. Inoculation was the best way of emancipation.
“As you all know, after years of burnings, persecutions, witch hunts and other atrocities perpetrated by the Puritans here in Massachusetts, some of them decided that controlling adult women was so much more difficult than molding the docile minds of young girls. Hence, Three Dragons Academy for Girls was founded for this illustrious purpose.”
And now the collective gasp was earsplitting, the bewilderment clear on everyone’s faces. Some of the trustees looked like they were shell-shocked because Magdalene was beyond irreverent. And yet, there wasn’t much they could say. She was honoring the true roots of Dragons, but she was also insulting pretty much every one of the nine people behind her, who had demanded and heralded the return of the old days. The old days which Magdalene was now very cavalierly exposing for what they truly were. But she wasn’t done. As she raised her hand, the crowd stopped breathing again.
“However, I have instructed the renovation managers to prioritize the restoration of the chapel, per instructions from the Board. Moreover, I have invited a pastor to live on the island and conduct services at Dragons Chapel. Please allow me to introduce the Honorable Reverend Emily Lavalle. Reverend Lavalle is one of the first women pastors serving in New England, and we are honored that she has agreed to join our school.”
She pressed her lips together, mindful of the lipstick, and a stray thought about how Sam would feel about the good Reverend crossed her mind. Magdalene knew religion was a sore spot for her for so many reasons, and she had chosen Emily Lavalle in no small part to somehow wipe away Sam’s lifelong impression of clergy. Because Reverend Lavalle was, simply put, quite something.
“Reverend Lavalle holds a Ph.D. in Gender Studies as well as her title as a clergywoman and, in addition to being our new chaplain, will conduct an elective class in her area of expertise and other related studies pertaining to Religion and Inclusivity, Religion and Feminism, as well as Religion and History of Women’s Rights. Please welcome Reverend Lavalle and her wife to Three Dragons.”
As the quad erupted in cheers and jeers and Emily Lavelle took a slight bow, Magdalene pursed her lips and stilled herself. Behind her, the silence was deafening. There would be hell to pay. She could already envision Joel and his broken, ugly nose seething.
“Now, let’s move on to some logistical decisions I had to make in regard to the functionality of the school. It was brought to my attention that my original plan to dissolve the three Houses would result in total revolt against my leadership. I see that some of you have made quite a trek to Dragons for today’s assembly, I’m sure to give me a piece of your mind if I were to even attempt such a sacrilege.”
She infused her smile with as much fake levity as possible and made it all venom this time around. She did not fear these people. And by god, they would fearherby the time it was all over.
The crowd returned to being wary. After all, this was the issue that had galvanized so many of them to gather here today. And this time, she could sense the restless vigilance from the Board behind her as well. The students fidgeted, the faculty whispered, and the trustees, despite being prominently on display, did both.
Magdalene was tempted to break character and do a little jig. That is, if she had a character to break and knew what a jig was or which steps it entailed. Plus, her shoes would likely not facilitate such an exertion. Still, it felt amazing pissing off absolutely every single one of these complete and utter jackasses. She felt like buffing her nails on her sleeve, very much like Candace.
“Before moving forward, I’d like to inform you I have not reached this decision lightly. I have looked at ten years’ worth of disciplinary actions taken for conflicts resulting from what should have been mundane interactions between members of different Houses. They range from petty squabbles to outright assault and battery. I understand the need, the deep-seated desire to belong to something.”
She tried exceedingly hard not to look at Sam, to not show how much she understood her lover. How much she sympathized. In the end, Magdalene stole a very quick glance, their eyes meeting for a heartbeat before she continued, wrapped in the warmth of that gaze.
“But what everyone attending Dragons should wish to belong to isDragons. Nothing and no one else. It’s not Amber versus Sky Blue. It’s not Sky Blue versus Viridescent. It’s Dragons against the world. Hence, I am canceling any and all inter-House competitions. But since some traditions are meant to endure, the Houses are staying.”
Magdalene had anticipated the reaction that was bubbling over just waiting for her to finish her speech, shouts already filtering in from the more remote parts of the crowd. And so without stopping, she lifted a hand, effectively putting an end to all interference.
“From now on, the Academy will compete against schools throughout New England. I have already arranged for our teams to be enrolled in the regional soccer, lacrosse, and chess tournaments, as well as academic and choir competitions.”
This time, the collective gasp sounded more like a moan of pleasure, an exhalation of angst released into the clear blue sky. Magdalene heard a distinct sigh of relief from behind her, signifying that even the trustees were appeased, as one of the massive hurdles that absolutely everyone had imposed was overcome with minimal bloodletting.
With the ambient noise growing in decibels, Magdalene extended a hand, and silence reigned once more. In the distance, she caught Sam smiling, the joyful, satisfied smile of someone whose trust had been rewarded and who was extremely proud of the person on center stage. Warmth spread through her chest, and somehow the wound at her sternum seemed even smaller, muscles and skin brand new, covering the old sinew. She could get used to the feeling of being supported, of being made whole, solely by being believed in, by being trusted.
But it was time to get back to business.
“Now, perhaps in your momentary elation, many of you may not ask yourselves the most important question. How is Dragons, which is already so deep in the red that it’s almost extinct, going to pay to keep its doors open?”
Before she lowered her eyes away from Sam, she saw Joanne clutching at her elbow in obvious distress, but Magdalene drew out the pause regardless, remaining silent, instead flicking through her notes and ratcheting up the tension.
“Now, since I am envisioning a growing number of out-of-state and regional trips for our sports and academic teams, the money does have to come from someplace. Unfortunately, we will be cutting several programs. You will all receive emails with further information on what exactly will no longer be offered. I can tell you that cutting some foreign languages and a selection of art-related studies will save the school about 10% of the total funding set aside for those faculty and curricula. That is obviously a small but not insignificant amount of savings.”
Some subdued murmurs were her only answer, and she chose to ignore those and forged on.
“The rest of the funding to put the school back into the black and sustain it for the next fifty years will come from Three Dragons Academy leasing the abandoned Astronomy Tower on Viridescent Cliff and the ground it stands on to the township, which has already approved the blueprints to turn the building into a state-of-the-art hotel.”
Shouts, boos, and cheers all rang together. Magdalene glanced at Sam once again. Now all her lover’s incessant questions about the commotion on the cliff farthest from the school were about to be answered. It also explained why the Mayor and some of the council members were here, alongside the town’s most prominent business people.
Magdalene’s heart was beating so fast, the enthusiasm overtaking her, she feared it would crush its way out of her newly healing chest. On her wrist the Vacheron once again felt like a shackle, but she knew she was doing the right thing. If only because the trustees’ whispers were now shouts of shock and dissatisfaction, and because Orla’s color was closer to that of a five-day bruise, a green and pus tinge of yellow on top of her already well set-in shade of purple.
For two centuries, the school had stood aloof and separate from the township–they never mingled, with the settlement’s population slowly outgrowing its smaller-sized part of the island. But having nowhere else to expand, the town’s economy was stifled by the lack of opportunities, and the school had resolutely refused to sell any of its vast and mostly vacant holdings.
The separation may have started out as casual, but it also kept the students and the faculty isolated and safe on the cliffs. Now that was about to change. Since the school’s occupants never went to the town, the town was about to come to the school. The mountain to the proverbial Mohammed.
With the cacophony rising around her, Magdalene reached out to ring the small bell again, but this time, silence took longer to settle over the crowd. Once it had descended to her satisfaction, she proceeded.
“As I mentioned, all of you will be receiving a very detailed breakdown of all the logistics, financial and educational changes that shall occur at Dragons in the coming year. But I can assure you that none of these decisions have been made lightly. I am fully aware that some things at Dragons are sacred, hence those things will endure. Others, while still cherished and respected for centuries, have to be sacrificed so that Dragons itself can live on. With this being said, I assure you that there will be a school here next year and for many years to come, which is more than anyone could have hoped for two months ago.”
