<div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/archive/4/4a/20130511162352!DxKLyceeni.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: comic sans ms;">Val</span></span><br/>St. Cosmas, Assistant Principal's Office, Under the Desk<br/><hr/><br/>From her hiding place under the assistant principal's desk, Val listened to the muffled conversation coming from the office on the other side. Val didn't know precisely why she was hiding. She had been exploring the principal's office, looking for something, anything, that might help, and contemplating if she had the guts to play some kind of prank on Mrs. Greene who slept soundly at her desk. The woman (who Val thought of, and had often referred to as 'ancient' but was only in her 40's) was an insufferable stickler who seemed to take pleasure in busting students for minor infractions. Val was moderately sure the assistant principal was out to get her, but it could be that the older woman was out to get everybody and Val just happened to cross her path more frequently.<br/><br/>Either way, Val had been contemplating nasty things to do to her when she'd heard the door to the outer office open. Not wanting to be caught pranking the assistant principal, Val had panicked and hid. Only later did she realize that she hadn't actually been pranking anyone, only thinking about it.<br/><br/>Muffled sounds of talking came through the door. There was definitely someone out there. Multiple someones. Someones who, given the register of their voices, were probably teenage girls. In all likelihood it was other students who were just as confused as she was, who only wanted to help. Val knew this, somewhere inside her head, but she still made no move from her hiding spot. For all she knew, the students outside were behind all this. Much better to just stay where she was, where it was safe. If she didn't attract any attention, this whole thing was sure to blow over eventually.<br/><br/>It was a good plan, Val thought. A plan that might even have worked if she hadn't sneezed right then.