The Fake Heart (Time Alchemist Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

remember?!
    “Normally, with all things considered of the condition you were found in, I would have let a matter like this slide. But given the facts of the situation—where you were and where you were found, Miss Miller, I cannot let vandalism of school property slide.”
    “ V-Vandalism ?!” I squeaked, “What are you talking about?
    “Do not interrupt me, Miss Miller! How else do you explain the gaping hole in the fence where you were found unconscious? Were you planning on being a little rebellious this morning and try to sneak off school grounds? Need I remind you that no student is permitted off of school grounds, regardless of any nonsensical reasoning?”
    I was completely floored. If a flying pink elephant floated through the room with a golden tutu I wouldn’t have noticed. The woman’s face hadn’t shown any emotion other than distain, during her little speech, but her eyes stabbed into me with such complete hatred and disapproval—something that struck me right to the core.
    “A month’s worth of detention for you, Miss Miller.”
    “What?!” but the protest didn’t come from my lips; it came from Jack’s. It looked like in this brief moment, this cute boy was my ally . I couldn’t be more grateful. “Headmistress Margaret, you haven’t even given her a chance to explain what she was doing alone in the woods! And that punishment isn’t fair at all!”
    Alone? I was alone in the woods?
    The nurse, poor woman, couldn’t even jump in to my rescue either but she tried, “Now Headmistress, I don’t think that Miss Miller wasn’t planning on skipping orientation. It’s possible she just decided to take a little shortcut and must have passed out. Isn’t that how you found her, Jack?”
    He gave an exasperated huff , not once breaking ey e contact with the Headmistress. “Yes, that’s right. I was just on a morning run and I came across her, passed out in the woods. Yes, she was out by herself doing…well, doing who knows what, but what if she had been attacked—or much worse? And yet you stand there and accuse her of something she probably didn’t do without even getting her side of the story?”
    Headmistress Margaret , however, didn’t back down, “And pray tell who on earth could have broke the school fence like that? Miss Miller was the only student near said area. How do we know she isn’t friends with a bunch of… delinquents and she attempted to sneak out and meet them? Or perhaps…” she glanced back and forth from me to Jack, but her eyes paused on mine as she said the last part, full of venom. “Maybe the two of you were planning a little rendezvous in the woods? ”
    Some sort of noise escaped my throat. I couldn’t tell if it was a strangled laugh or a surprised cry. My face immediately reddened like a tomato, and even Jack looked uncomfortable. The smug look on Headmistress’s face made something inside me crack.
    “ First of all!” I snapped , “What sort of evidence do you have that I was the person who broke the fence? Did you find any chainsaws on me? And two! I can’t go meeting anyone for a ‘rendezvous’ when I barely know anybody here! No offense, but maybe you should get your facts straight before you point a finger at me, Headmistress .”
    Jack and the nurse sucked in a breath. The silence that followed my outburst was crushing. All I could do was blink back burning tears ; like I was living an out of body experience. Since when did I—Emery Miller—talk back to adults like that? I was at S t. Mary’s to be a model student not some… delinquent ! And I had to choose this moment, to this particular person, to voice my opinion?
    The Headmistress looked as red and angry as a bull. I swear I could see clouds of steam shooting out from her nostrils.
    “I’ve had enough of your impudence, Miss Miller. Every Saturday of this term—until this matter is resolved under my watch—you will serve your detention organizing files in the library’s archives. I