Free Creatures of Snow by Dr. Doctor Doctur

wasn’t
me.” Colossal-hair guilt was obvious through her immediate
reaction.
    “ Let’s just, you know, be
quiet right now. Okay?” Al nodded to himself, most likely trying to
give himself some sort of internal pep talk. “Nice and
quiet.”
    An uncomfortable amount of time went by
before a stern looking man with a face like a brick finally entered
the room and sat down heavily at the desk behind the giant
nameplate that read ‘Director Thompson’.
    Thompson leaned his massive body forward
slowly and folded his hands neatly below his chin. He stared at
them in an awkward silence as if waiting for something.
    “ With all due respect,
sir, I wasn’t involved …” Al began.
    Thompson held up one finger without breaking
his cool and constant stare. Al’s objection faded off into the
silence and he shrunk back down in his seat.
    “You boys are not in
trouble. From what I have been told, Mr. Regan is a victim and you,
Mr. Kane, are a witness. That is all.” Thompson said as he leaned
back in his overstuffed chair. “As for the young ladies, that is
another matter entirely.”
    Colossal-hair’s mouth
dropped open at this statement and her eyes grew wide.
“ I’m a victim ! She
attacked me !” she
shouted in outrage.
    Thompson again held up his
hand as he leaned even further towards them, a clear vision of
anger reflecting in his glassy eyes. “We here at the REALM
institute do not stand for violence against one another. We are a
tightly knit team that works together for universal peace. How do
you think it looks for you two, drawing blood on your first day
here?” Both girls looked away. “I am looking to expel you both
right now.”
    “That’s a bit harsh.” Sky
couldn’t help it as the words tumbled out, causing Thompson’s glare
to shift their beady focus onto him.
    “ Sir,” Al successfully
drew away the fearsome gaze and took it head on himself, “Expulsion
would seem a bit harsh,” Al’s voice wavered, but he held strong,
“given these two young women’s predisposition of prejudice towards
one another.”
    Sky wanted to nudge Al,
but there was no way of stopping him now. Even though Al probably
knew full well that he should stop talking, the boy’s mouth
functioned on a completely different level than his
brain.
    “By their physical
characteristics I assume that they are local to Archaios,
specifically from the nearby town of Meral and Sawyer, where
prejudice and fighting still exists between the Broken Wing and
Blue Star Clans. I mean, the Clan rivalries go back for centuries,
it’s hard to-”
    “ History lessons don’t
impress me, Mr. Kane.” Thompson snapped. “The simple fact is that
we can not tolerate this type of behavior.”
    “ Oh, come on. It was just
one little fight, who cares.” It did seem unfair. “Like Al said,
they’re just products of their environments.” He shrugged, “You
can’t just kick someone out without even a warning. I thought this
place was all about peace and understanding and all that
stuff.”
    Thompson stared hard at
him. “You are overstepping your boundaries, Mr. Regan.”
    “Well then, let me
apologize.” He said sarcastically and sat up straight. “All I know
is that if you’re not gonna give someone a chance to learn from a
bad decision, then I might as well just go home right now, because
I’m full of that kind of crap.”
    Thompson stared intensely
before he let his tight lips crack into a smile. It was a much
longer moment then what seemed comfortable that he stayed like that
- just looking Sky straight in the face with that creepy
smile.
    “ Fine.” He said finally.
“The young ladies can stay on a probationary status. Take this as
your one and only warning - this kind of behavior will not be
tolerated. You all may go.”
    Al bounced up from his chair, “Thank you,
Sir.”
    “ You’re not the one who
should be thanking me.” Thompson remarked snidely and motioned for
them to go.
    Sara and Colossal-hair strode quickly