Madame's voice rose a notch. "But surely you can understand that their special circumstances require an element of privacy!"
"What exactly makes them so special, Madame?"
There was a moment of silence. Amanda wished she could see Madame's expression.
"You know I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of these children," she said finally.
Mr. Jackson made a grunting noise. "All I know is that two years ago you showed up here with a letter from the superintendent of schools, a mandate authorizing you to start a special class, with very little information as to what kind of special students would be invited to join the class. Obviously your students are not particularly brilliant, nor are they mentally challenged. All I can see is the fact that they have problems."
"Gifts."
"Yes, I know that's what you call them. Others might call them delusions. All I know is that someone believes these kids have-" he paused, as if he was searching for the right words "-unusual capabilities. Strange powers or something. Mind reading, fortunetelling. Am I correct?"
Amanda couldn't hear Madame's response. Maybe she didn't respond at all, because the next sound Amanda heard was the principal's long sigh.
"And I know that you are not required to share all the information with me. But whatever bizarre gifts these kids have, I think you're becoming overprotective of them, Madame. Perhaps a little… possessive?"
Madame replied to this. "I have to be possessive. They need to be protected."
"But protected from whom? From other students? From teachers? From me? Surely you're not suggesting that they're in danger here at Meadowbrook?"
"Danger can come in many forms, Mr. Jackson. My job is to prepare these students to defend themselves." Her voice rose again. "No, it's more than a job-it's a mission. I'm trying to teach these children how to cope. And you have no authority over me!"
"If you're going to yell, Madame, please shut the door." Madame obeyed quickly, and Amanda didn't have enough time to slip inside before the door closed. Too bad, because this was getting interesting. Madame certainly took her job seriously. And Amanda still wasn't completely sure what that job was.
She forgot about the library and roamed the halls looking for something else of interest to listen to or observe unnoticed. When she saw Katie and Britney with hall passes, she followed them to the restroom. At least she could catch up on the latest gossip.
She watched longingly as her two friends went through the ritual that they always performed after lunch. They emptied their makeup bags into sinks and then scrutinized their faces in the mirrors to see what elements were in need of repair. And, of course, they gossiped.
But it was a shock to hear what they were talking about today. "Amanda is really getting on my nerves lately," Britney said.
Amanda was stunned. Britney turned and looked around the restroom. "Is anyone in here?"
Katie moved over to the stalls and looked under the doors. "No one's here."
"I just had a feeling someone was listening to us." Britney resumed the conversation. "Amanda just thinks she's all that, you know? Okay, so she got some new red ballerina flats. Did she really have to keep telling us how much they cost?"
"She does that all the time," Katie said. "It's like she wants to make sure we know she's got more money than we do. That is so uncool."
Amanda was aghast, and completely bewildered. What was the point of getting new things if everyone didn't know they were expensive? She'd always thought her friends were impressed by the cost of her clothes.
"And the way she was making fun of Shannon's shirt, the one with the flowers on it, just because her mother embroidered the flowers herself," Britney continued. "Just between you and me, I thought it was kind of cute."
"So did I," Katie said.
So this was how her good friends talked about her when she wasn't around! Just then, her other self came into the restroom.
"Guys, I forgot to show you," she said. "Look what I got at Sephora yesterday."
Amanda felt like she was watching a home movie as this Amanda opened her bag and pulled out a little case. "It's a makeup travel kit, with everything you need all in one place. Look, it's even got little brushes and everything. It was super expensive, but I just had to have it."
"Oh, I love it!" Britney exclaimed.
"It's so cute!" Katie gushed.
Two-faced creeps, Amanda thought. Another girl came into the restroom, and she took advantage of the open door to escape. With nothing else to do, she headed to the gifted class.
She was the first student to arrive, but Madame was there with the student teacher.
"I'd like to start the hypnosis sessions today," Serena was saying.
"I'm sorry," Madame said, though she didn't sound sorry at all. "I've got a complicated lesson plan. There won't be time today."
Serena smiled. "Mr. Jackson said I could take the students individually out of the classroom and work with each one in the empty room next door. So it won't disrupt the entire class."
"But the student you take out will miss what the rest of the class does," Madame objected.
"But think of the potential benefits, Madame. Your objective is to teach your students to deal with their… their peculiarities. There's been a lot of research that indicates that hypnosis can have a real impact on a person's ability to control bad habits."
Amanda took advantage of her invisibility to scoot around the desk and take a good long look at Serena. Personally, she couldn't see why Madame was so nervous around her. Okay, Serena was pushy, but why did Madame look so suspicious? Was she afraid that the students would like Serena as a teacher more than they liked her? But Madame didn't seem like the kind of person who cared about popularity.
The other students were arriving, and Madame spoke more softly to Serena. "Their habits, as you call them, are not necessarily bad."
"Well, you know what I mean," the student teacher said. "And I do have Mr. Jackson's permission to carry out these sessions."
Madame's lips tightened. Then she nodded. "All right, Ms. Hancock."
"Call me Serena."
Madame turned and surveyed the room. "Charles, please go with Ms. Hancock to the room next door."
"I don't want to go with her," Charles muttered.
"Now, Charles, there's nothing to be afraid of," Serena said brightly. "This will be fun!" She grabbed the handles of Charles's wheelchair and pushed him out of the room.
"Is she going to hypnotize Charles?" Emily asked when they were out of the room.
"She's going to try," Madame said. "Not all people can be hypnotized. Unique people may have… unique reactions.
Amanda thought she could see a little smile on the teacher's face, but it disappeared too fast for her to be sure.
"Now, let's see," Madame continued, surveying the room again. "We have some absentees today. Martin has the flu-his mother called the office. And Tracey-"
Jenna interrupted. "Tracey's here, Madame. I can tell."
"Thank you, Jenna, but I must remind you that it isn't appropriate to read Tracey's mind without her permission. Or anyone else's, for that matter. Now-"