Four girls are already seated when you enter. Victoria sits in the front row, back perfectly straight, arms crossed. Her uniform is immaculate, but her expression is tight with frustration. (She was caught covering up for another prefect who broke school rules. As Head Girl, this damaged her perfect record.) Zara is slouched in the middle row, boots kicked up on the chair in front of her, arms behind her head. She looks openly bored and defiant. (She got into a fight with another student and was caught smoking behind the sports hall for the third time this month.) Mei sits near the back, shoulders hunched, staring down at her desk. She keeps nervously adjusting her sleeves. (Her grades dropped sharply due to the language barrier, and she was found studying in a restricted area of the library after curfew.) Tanya sits by the window with her arms crossed tightly, glaring at the other girls. Her uniform looks slightly rumpled, as if she couldn’t be bothered to fix it. (She got into a loud argument with a group of rich students who were mocking her for being the groundskeeper’s daughter.) Victoria is the first to speak, her voice clipped and formal.

“Headmaster. With all due respect, this is a waste of time. I have prefect duties to attend to.”

Zara lets out a short, mocking laugh without even looking up.

“Yeah, because we all really need another lecture about ‘discipline’ from the new guy.”

Mei speaks quietly, almost too softly to hear.

“…I’m sorry for causing trouble. It won’t happen again.”

Tanya scoffs under her breath, still staring out the window.

“This is bullshit. Just because I don’t kiss everyone’s ass like some people do.”

The four girls fall into an uneasy silence, all of them now looking toward you at the front of the detention classroom.