Just as she reached the doors, Ms. Polluck paused for a moment and said, "Come to think of it, since you're starting tomorrow, it may be helpful to give you a tour now, while we're here. Nothing much, just the places you'll be using most often, such as your classrooms. Wouldn't want to get lost on your first day, after all."
"That would be great," Jennifer piped up hesitantly, "but my stuff..."
"If you're worried about your belongings getting damaged, there's no need. Vivia will be extra-careful. And if you're worried about them getting soaked..." Ms. Polluck gave an amused smile, "Did you think we would leave your things outside your door in the rain?"
"N-No, of course not, but, um, I'm feeling kind of tired after my long drive..."
"All the more reason to get it done now. It won't take long, I promise."
"Um... uh..." Jennifer struggled to think of a reason to get out of the tour, but in her anxious exhausted state, she kept drawing blanks. Eventually, the promises of convenience and brevity won out. "O-Okay, lead the way."
"Splendid," the hefty headmistress smiled warmly. "Follow me." And with that, she walked down the hall, her plentiful posterior swaying behind her.
"Now, you're quite lucky, since your classes are either on the ground floor or the second. Better yet, both of them are near the stairs, so you don't have to walk very far between them. Many of the teachers here would kill for an arrangement like that!" Ms. Polluck chuckled, causing her flesh to wobble like a bowl full of jelly. "Ah, speaking of, your Cooking classes will be in this room here," she pointed a pudgy finger at a door, and the new hire made note of the room number. Ms. Polluck then went up the aforementioned stairs, with Jennifer trudging behind her, trying not to stare at her stretched skirt. They reached the second floor, and soon stopped at a second door. "This will be your French class. Like I said, not too bad. Oh, and if you need to find a bathroom, just consult the map by the stairs. They're clearly marked, along with your current location. Convenient, right?" Jennifer nodded as they went back down to the first floor. "While I'm on the topic of stairs, my office is on the fifth floor." Jennifer nearly gave her an incredulous stare at the surprising news. How can she stand to walk up all those stairs? Even my legs might be a little sore after that! Is she more fit than she looks? "No need to show it to you, it's easy enough to find. It's the the only room in use up there, in fact. I know it may seem odd that I would have my office so high up, but I enjoy the view from the window. You can drop by any time you like if you want to, but unless the topic is important, a simple phone call will do. Oh, and here's the teacher's lounge," Ms. Polluck pointed at a door that seemed to have more space around it than the others, indicating it was a somewhat larger room than the classrooms. "Feel free to use it when you have a long enough break between classes. Now, there's just one more stop to make, the cafeteria, but before we stop there, any questions?"
Jennifer was actually a bit taken aback at the sudden shift in conversation from the headmistress to herself. Many thoughts were buzzing about in her head, some of which did coalesce into questions, such as how was she able to walk so much without feeling even the slightest bit winded, why were there so many vending machines around the place, and what possessed her to establish a school in the middle of nowhere, but the only one she actually voiced was, "U-Um, is there a gym here? You didn't mention one..."
Immediately, she felt a slight chill. While the smile never left Ms. Polluck's face, it did get a bit tighter, and the air seemed to drop several degrees. "Yes, we do. If you want to learn more, ask our athletic coach, Ms. Ashley Knight. Personally, I don't particularly care for it," she said this in a slightly clipped, curt tone, contrasting with the honeyed, almost motherly voice she had before.
"S-Sorry if I brought up a, um, sore subject, or s-something," Jennifer said it a quiet, mousy voice, as if she was apologizing to a stern mother.
"It's okay, dear," and with that, the air warmed back up, and the sweetness returned to her voice, "It's just that, well, between you and me, Ms. Knight tends to have a harsh reputation. She's fanatically devoted to health and fitness, too much so if you ask me, and has nothing but scorn for anyone who isn't as passionate about exercise as herself. I've received more complaints about her, from students and teachers alike, than I have for every other teacher employed here, past and present, combined! She rarely talks outside of class, but when she does, it almost always involves criticism for someone else. The only reasons she hasn't been fired yet are that she is good at her job, and I see the potential for her to become a more... well-rounded person. But until she becomes such a person, my advice would be to stay away from her. You can still go to the gym if you really want. Just don't be surprised if you feel worse coming out than you did going in, and not just from fatigue."
"I-I'll keep that in mind."
"That said, if you do meet her, I don't want you to be rude to her. That would just encourage more anti-social behavior. Anyway, on a much more pleasant topic, here is Buttercombe's pride and joy, our cafeteria!"
It was much larger than any school cafeteria she had ever been in. Much better looking, too. A high ceiling was the most prominent feature, with the large glass panels leading outside being the second. Though it was mostly empty at this point, there was still the smell of food wafting in the air.
The silence was broken by a growl coming from Jennifer's stomach, reflexively causing her to blush.
"Oh my goodness, how rude of me. I should have realized you'd be hungry after your long drive up here."
"I-It's okay, really, I'll just get something from the cabin. I should be going back there, anyway..."
"No, no, that would be discourteous of me! I insist you eat dinner with me. It's still storming now, but it should calm down by the time we're finished."
"W-Well, if it isn't too much trouble."
"None at all! Now, would you prefer to get something from the cafeteria here, or would you prefer a private meal with me?"
Jennifer thought for a moment, then came to a decision.
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