She stands behind the desk, her hands resting on the back of the chair. As Jessica took her in, she saw her knuckles were white from the strength of her grip.
"So Suzy, you tried to run away again..." she sounds both pissed and tired at the same time.
Seeing that interrupting would worsen the situation, Jessica timidly raised her hand. A universal gesture to show she had a question.
The nun's grip on her arm tightened expecting some 'sass'. While Miss Acres, as the mahogany plaque named her, gave a long, loud sigh. Reminding her of a kettle on the boil.
"Yes, Suzy." she answered stiffly, her voice grating and impatient.
"I'm not Suzy, my name is Jessica Summers, I'm new to the area." The grip tightens on her arm, and Jess saw Miss Acres was now looking at the nun.
"It's her new story."
"It's not a story... It's the truth... I was getting changed, and she stole my clothes and left hers."
"And you had to change into them." The headmistress completes the story for you.
Falling silent, Jess knew the truth wasn't getting across. Miss Acres' expressions told her she still couldn't interrupt.
"So, Jessica." She pronounced every syllable of her name deliberately and with the force of her complete contempt.
"Do you still have your ID, Jessica." Again the same sneering pronunciation of her name.
Jessica couldn't face the headmistress, as she answered looking at the shiny school shoes.
"No." in a hopeless tone, "She took that too."
"So... you can't prove you're not Suzanne Shaw... can you?"
Again Jessica had no option but to shake her head. "No."
"No! What!" the reply was barked, Jessica responded instinctively.
"No, Miss Acres." She even felt her knees give a little bobbing curtsey.
"So... until we are satisfied who you are, we'll just assume you're Suzy."
Her tone telling Jessica this wasn't a question, just a simple statement of fact. "Until we can discover, whether you are Jessica Winters, the liar Suzy Shaw, or some confidante who helped her escape. We'll treat you as Suzy."
Jessica's teeth ground, "Jessica Summers." she corrected. It terrified her correcting the woman. But equally, if she'd let it pass, she'd have assumed it was a fake name.
"I can write down my details, my address, my employer..." she offered.
Jessica's hands shook, making her writing look more childish and immature.
"I'll investigate this." Miss Acres promised.
"Until then?" Jessica could barely speak above a terrified whisper.
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