"Miss Sigfried?"
"Hm?"
Eldeen Sigfried looked up over her laptop as her secretary approached. The writer was quite relaxed in her office (which she'd gotten explicitly to write in), wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top, denim jacket tossed on the desk begind her. She was typing up a screen play now that rumors of her book-Two Pudgy Princesses-was being turned into a movie and one of the major movie companies had made a bit. She did not want her story destroyed like some writers let their books get transformed in the filming process.
"Sally, I told you not to bother me..."
"Unless Nathan Fillion was at the door, it was an emergency, or there was a call from one of the people or businesses on your list. Well, MCCC is on the phone."
"MCCC?" Eldeen paused and shut her laptop, a smirk playing on her lips. "It's been too long."
-----
Mercy Capital Community College was not exactly chose. When Eldeen graduated from High School, it was the closest college and since she didn't have her license yet, that was a major benefit. She'd continue living at home for the three years she'd spend obtaining her two year degree.
Eldeen was wonderful at academics. That was her main talent other then writing. She'd graduated from High School an Honors student with AP classes, 1600 of 2400 SATS (though most people only heard the 1600), and scholarship student with a great GPA. That first day as she stepped into a college class she was excited-even happy to be there...
-----
"Mr Sheldon? Dean of Liberal Arts?"
Eldeen laughed as she spun in her office chair, holding the phone as she spoke.
"Of course I remember you. I came to you whenever I had academic issues. So, what's the nature of this cal?"
"Well, Miss Sigfried, we have an open house coming up. The staff and I were wondering if you'd come speak to some of the prospective students."
"Well..." Eldeen moved through her calender, even though for this she'd reschedule anything, "What's the date?"
"August twenty-third at five pm." Ah. She had an interview with a reporter from a major website. She paused, then grinned.
"I'll be there." Eldeen stated with a laugh.
"Oh, thank you Miss Sigfried."
"Oh, no." Eldeen chuckled, "Thank you."
Once he'd hung up she dialed another sequence on the phone.
"Hey Flynn. It's me. Listen, I don't suppose I'd could persuade you to head to this little college for the interview..."
-----
The day of the open house arrived and the staff was buzzng, and chattering the loudest were Eldeen's past professors in English and Literature.
"Did you read her book?" Mr. Holmes asked as he helped with the banner. He'd taught her English 102.
"Did I ever! It was wonderful!" Mrs Emerson had taught her Children's Literature.
"A great fantasy piece." Professor Johnson added as he helped set up the refreshments. He'd taught her fantasy literature one summer.
"And so good for the generation with body issues." Mrs. Emerson added.
"But does anyone remember why she took that time off?" Mr. Holmes looked up at them. "I remember she was rather upset when she told me she couldn't make the honors class I invited her too..."
"You know, I really can't remember." Professor Johnson admitted.
"I think it had to do with her GPA." Mrs Emerson admitted. "She emailed me for advice involving issues with another course. Wanted to withdraw and couldn't. I know before hand she intended to continue her education after getting an AA, not take time and get published"
"I remember that!" Mr. Holmes exclaimed. "The poor girl-the professor had told her not to drop as I recall, just a week before the withdrawal date."
"Then denied it. Ringing a vague bell." Professor Johnson nodded.
But the conversation was dropped suddenly, for at the moment Dean Sheldon entered, motioning around the cafeteria as Eldeen followed him inside. She looked almost innocent in a blue dress with puffed sleeves, a black hairband holding back her long hair. A somewhat bored looking man was following her, a camcorder in hand. All three teachers ran over and hugged her with shouts of delight.
Dean Sheldon noticed her response to the three English teachers was far warmer then her reaction to him. He could have ignored it, except the reporter she'd brought with her mentioned it.
"Geeze, what you do to piss her off?"
"Nothing. I simply didn't teach her at any point." He snapped before making for the podeum. No reason to be fresh. The youth, these days...
About an hour later the potential students who'd graduated high school just a few months earlier poured in. They came with parents for support and grandparents who wanted to see what sort of education they'd be paying for. Almost all of these students had registered already, and it lookd like a good number. Dean Sheldon liked that. They might be able to build another wing yet.
He glanced back to where Eldeen was chattering with the other invited guest-Jared, another alumni, who'd come back from ther marines. It seems they'd shared a class once-English, naturally-and were hitting it off. When Eldeen saw the Dean looking over she grinned and waved. After he gave a brief intro, it would be her turn to speak.
Dean Sheldon chuckled as the clock ticked six and he adjusted the microphone.
"Attention!" He boomed. "And welcome, all of you to Mercy Capital Community College! Here you'll find a wide variety of directions available to you-education, arts, mather, science, technological, culinary, and medical orientated degrees await you! We have a wide variety of clubs and teams among other extracurricular activities available to our students, a safe campus, and a faculty more then happy to help you with whatever your problem may be!" He paused and allowed for applause, beaming. "But I know you're all bored of me chatting up our school. Here, to tell you about her experience at our school, is Eldeen Sigfried!"
Alright, it irked the Dean that she got a far better applause then he did. She was a guest speaker and alumni though, her purpose was to attract attention to the college.
Eldeen beamed at Dean as he sat down beside Jared and Flynn, and he could have sworn she smirked for a moment. Then she smiled to the students-to-be and exhaled.
"Well I'll take it I have a few readers in the audience. Thank you for that. For those of you who haven't read, well, I fancy it's good tale." She beamed. "Now, I was a brilliant student when I came out of High School. And of you here on scholarships?"
Quite a few hands went up and Eldeen laughed again.
"Alright. How many of you are good students?" A different series of hands went up.
"How many of you want to suceed in life?" Another batch of hands. Eldeen laughed lightly and gestured for them to settle down.
"Then I'm here to tell you..." Her face became cold and still, "Don't go here."
The Dean tensed and moved to jump up and stop her. What was happening? Then he felt the firm hand of a marine on his shoulder.
"Let her speak." Jared spoke and his tone ushered a warning if he didn't. Dean Sheldon swallowed before watchin in horror.
"The staff, the teachers, are wonderful." Eldeen admitted. "Most of them are, anyway. They will work with you and help you long after you've left their class. That accounts for..eighty percent of the staff, give or take." Her frown formed. "But then there's the other twenty. They're the ones who won't admit if they're at fault, the ones who will leave you to drown, the ones who will shatter your confidence."
Dean Sheldon became aware of Eldeen's cold eyes on him as he tried to remember what he'd done to upset her.
"There is no coming back from such a blow, when the teachers you trusted betray you!" Eldeen snapped. "When the faculty you were told would help you tells you there is nothing they can do because it's not the norm! And while it has been ten years since I graduated with an A.A., from what I've seen more of the twenty percent who abandoned students remains insteady of the eighty percent who did everything in their power to help! So withdraw now, get your money back! I promise everyone who intended to come here this Fall an all costs scholarship to the school of their choosing through an A.A., no matter what their GPA is!"
As Eldeen stepped down from the podeum the crowd exploded into shouting and chatter. She was bombared by parents. Eldeen calmly talked to each and everyone, recording information to keep her promise (which she could, given how well her book had done), and not once could Dean Sheldon figure out why she was so hostile.
-----
"Why did you destroy us?"
Eldeen raised an eyebrow at Dean Sheldon as the last family left.
"Why did you have to destroy me?" She replied.
"I did no such thing!"
"Math 108. Think really hard. Eleven years ago." Eldeen replied, eyes narrowing.
"I..." Dean Sheldon paled suddenly.
-----
"I just want to withdraw! My professor told me not to and I didn't have time to consider if it wasn't the right choice before the deadline!"
A younger Eldeen sat in the office of the Dean of Liberal Arts. She was still pudgy then, in a baggy tee shirts and jeans, with scabs oon her face.
"You have a responsibility..."
"So does my professor!"
"There was a deadline, Miss Sigfried. In the real world deadlines must be followed and your actions of consequences. Your professor said he directed you neither to stay in class or drop."
"That's a lie!" Eldeen was in tears by then. "He told me not to drop the course! He told me!"
"I'm sorry, but why should we bend the rules for you?"
"Because it's not my fault!" She protested. "I can't believe you'll allow a professor to send me in a paper boat but I can get a life preserver when it starts sinking!"
"I'm sorry you see it that way."
-----
"Remember yet?" Eldeen asked as the Dean paled.
"Ah...come now, be reasonable."
"I am." Eldeen replied. "I have informed the Executive Dean I will make amends and donations if the two people who wronged me-by refusing to do something as simple as give me a W-are removed from staff. Since the professor from the course was adjunct he's long gone. That leaves you. The second your office is empty and you are removed from the faculty, the school gets a nice check and a few scholarship promises of their own."
"Come on now, Miss Siegfried!" Sheldon cried out. Eldeen frowned at him, eyes narrow, and face cold.
"This is the real world, Mr. Sheldon." Eldeen stated, turning to leave. "Your actions have consequences."
-----
"That was totally worth the transport costs."
Flynn, Jared, and Eldeen had gone out for drinks after they'd left the school. Eldeen laughed and shook her head.
"Flynn, I told you I'd pay for all the trouble."
"Oh hell now. I can charge that, and tonight's drinks, to the site."
"Totally ballsy, Eldeen." Jared laughed. "I don't think I could have imagined you pulling that stunt in your first semester."
"I was tired of them letting kids fall through the cracks." Eldeen exhaled as she sipped her drink. "Thing is once they let you fall down, they lose track of you, and they don't see you climbing back up."
Flynn grinned at her as he finished his drink.
"With a quote like that...its a wrap!"
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