I slip my frame under the only halfway cracked window. Although it leads to only the rooftop garden I love it more then life.

The bushes, wisteria, tiger lily, cacti and bumbling bees swinging and flying in a jagged pattern only they can understand. It’s the only remaining aspect from when the school used to be a community venture for all. After the Class Wars we weren’t even to talk of its origins. But like weeds and dandelions its pokes through. Begging to be learned about.

“Vidia! Vidia!” A voice shouts from inside the school as I begin to water the tulips. Instinctively I drop from my crouched position to the gravelly ground. My skirt now covered in a film of dust and soil. Despite dreading the cleaning fee coming out of my lunch account, (which was already dangerously low thanks to Aggie’s account rescinding after she failed 2 semesters) I ignore it and continue to lay on my stomach.

“Vidia! Vidia! Vidia Maddox Powell!” The voice continues to shout one slightly changing tone to an annoyed air of scoffing as they get to the roof and peer over the tulip bed.

I don’t dare to look up. Like that’ll save me. Playing like those old possums that Duncan was learning about in Pre- Destruction Biology. Like not looking will save the meager amount of lunch money left in my account. I picture my fate. Wheat bran for breakfast and dinner and whatever onion grass I can pluck up from the garden for lunch.

“Come on, sit up.” The voice says impatiently I recognize it as Miss Hayden. A younger dormenforcer by our schools standard but still solidly 35, her hair wirely situated into a bun while stray gray pieces poke out noticeably against her ginger do and pale skin.

As I rise up and sit down on the wooden end of the tulip box I grimace. Further imagining my fate. I curl my right fist, anxiously anticipating the hiss of electricity from my band.

Surprisingly, Miss Hayden sits herself next to me. Something I always thought dormitory enforcers would be instructed not to. It would portray the school, nay the country as a lazy one.

“Vidia, this musn’t continue on.” Miss Hayden begins, with even more surprisingly cool and possibly compassionate tone. “You’re so much smarter than this. I know you well… wish for some… liberties I guess but you know that just isn’t possible.” She continues, saying the middle part with a hushed tone, like we were too junior girls exchanging giggles about which soildier looked the most regal.

Annoyed at her for her attempt of causal conversing I snap back “What do you care? No, honestly you couldn’t care if I lived or died!” I say quickly sitting up off the tulip box. I don’t care if I got a million shocks it felt good to stand up to that suffocating force.

“You’re very prideful you know that?” She says looking up at me. Now just unimpressed. “Normally that’d be bad or just very annoying, granted it still is the second one, but the hell if you don’t stand up for what you believe in.” She continues. I can’t tell her tone. Whichever it is I take it as a slight compliment. “Honestly I respect it.” Miss Hayden says any kindness gone just back to cool dormitory enforcer hard scowl. She makes a gesture for my meal card. Which I produce. Admittedly no longer defiant.

My eyes widen as she scan it. A bell noise plays off the device, not the usual warning dull boom the card makes after infractions, she just gave me more for my account.

“Like I said, I respect it. You’d be good at my job.” Miss Hayden says swiftly turning around. As she leaves me alone in the garden I vow to never be good at anything remotely like her, like them, again.