What I've Been Hearing (Cara)

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen looked around at her office, neat as it always was. Her gaze rested for a moment on the small fern plant that she had bought, looking green and well. She had been at the academy for a few days, and they had been busy days. However, here and there, between meetings and catching-up, she had managed to rearrange her office to fit her personal preference. Her computer screen flashed, and she looked over at the monitor, reading the information on it, remembering when she had put the information in. Wiggling the mouse for a second before closing the window, Jennifer glanced at the door. She had a meeting with a student, Cara-Jean Kitchi, in a few minutes, someone who she had heard a number of things about. She hoped that the meeting would go smoothly, although she was on edge, after what she had heard.

A scuffling sound called for her attention. Jennifer glanced over at where Jasper was laying, the location of the sound. The large dog was sprawled on his dog bed, eyes closed, as his legs churned. Jennifer chuckled at the view of the dog sleeping, glad that he was taking to office-life so easily. The one benefit of the private academy was that he lived on-location with her, and after having heard that the previous principal had brought his pets into the office, something the vice principal still did, she had chosen that bringing Jasper would be wonderful. So far, he hadn't been any trouble, staying quiet during meetings and showing his good training throughout the day.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara felt slightly nervous as she walked toward the main office. She had heard that a new person had arrived to take up the position of principal at the Academy a few days earlier, and she knew that being called to the office couldn't be a good thing.

A thousand and one things went through the girl's head as to why she might have been called in. She thought she had an idea what it would have been about though. Her grades were perfect, a little too perfect in the opinion of a lot of people. She just hoped that the new principal had at least spoken to her teachers before calling her in and wanting to know what the girl honestly couldn't answer.

Walking into the office building, she brushed down the forest green pant suit she was wearing. She gave the receptionist a small bow of her head in greeting and the woman waved her through and she walked through to the waiting area outside the offices that belonged to the faculty heads. Stepped forward, she walked up and tapped on the door. She then stepped back and waited for the door to be opened or her to be called in.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer saw Jazz's head pop up a second before a timid knock sounded on the door. Holding a palm horizontally to the ground for the Leonberger, Jennifer got up and walked to the door. As she opened it, she thought for a second that one of the teachers' children had gotten lost, until Mr. Andrews' words came back to her. Smiling at the petite, young-looking girl, Jennifer stepped back, holding open the door for the student, who had to be Cara, "Come in, please. Feel free to sit down."

After Cara had entered, Jennifer shut the door firmly and walked around to sit at her desk. She sat down and studied the girl for a moment, taking in the small, quiet figure, "Cara, I wanted to talk to you about your grades. Your assignments all seem to be of a higher level than we would expect of a senior in high school. Can you tell me, how do you usually start working on an assignment, for any class?" She had read back through her texts on academic dishonesty earlier, in preparation for this conversation, but from what Mr. Andrews had said, would not have been surprised if Cara denied the entire thing.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara took another step back as the door was opened and she forced herself to take a calming breath. She bowed her head in answer to being asked to come in and she crossed the threshold, she suddenly felt like Marie Antoinette heading to her own execution.

She jumped as the door was closed, but chose to remain standing as she waited for the woman to return to her own side of the desk and settle herself.

Although she had an idea that this was coming, the girl couldn't stop her head from shooting up, her eyes slightly widened in surprise, before lowering her head again. Her tongue ran across the back of her teeth as she thought of how to answer the question. "With all due respect, Ma'am." She began. "Is it that my grades are more stellar than the average senior, or the average sixteen year old?" She closed her eyes, that was the closest the girl had ever got to challenging an adult, though her tone was emotionless. "When I am given any form of homework, Ma'am, I read the given text, take notes, and then do extra research if I feel the need. I also don't see the point in using per-school terms when I am writing."

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer saw the girl's expression of surprise and tried to decipher it. It could have been surprise at being called in to talk about grades, or the fact that they had figured something out about her work habits. She noticed that Cara did not sit down, but didn't comment on it, since she hadn't asked her to, simply stated that she could, if she so wished. As the girl started speaking, Jennifer leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Cara's body language. The emotionless tone sounded strange, out of the youthful face, and was slightly disconcerting, "It is both. You are doing work that seems more appropriate to a college student, and your age simply makes it all the more worrying."

As Cara started listing what she did when she was given an assignment, Jennifer thought about what to say. What the girl listed was what any dedicated student would do, given, but Mr. Andrews had warned her that Cara was more than knowledgeable about how she should do her work, and simply chose not to do so. As Cara spoke about pre-school terms, Jen shook her head, "We don't expect you to use pre-school terms, Cara, but work like yours is abnormal in a high school. Is there any chance that you are letting your research influence your writing style, without citing the author of the research?" Some students just didn't know what they were doing, which didn't seem likely with this girl, but then, perhaps Mr. Andrews had read his charge a tad badly, taking her calm assurance that she hadn't done anything wrong for planning, not for ignorance.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Cara kept her hands ans her side, resisting the urge to rub her temples that seemed to be beating to their own drumbeat, something that seemed quite different from her racing heart. She chewed her lip when the woman referred to her work being that of a college student "I don't hand in work that isn't to the best of my ability." She said.

The girl lifted her head, meeting the woman's eyes momentarily, her eyebrows arched. "All of my assignments come with a reference which includes the book, author, page number and paragraph." She pressed her lips together and lowered her head again. "Has someone accused me of cheating, Ma'am? I apologise that I keep the grading bar in my classes high, but I have never been taught to be any less then I can be." Just to be less than who I am. She added silently. "And if I took on the writing style of the author of the book my assignment work came from, would that not mean that the assignments would all be written differently?" She pressed her hands against her stomach, which seemed to be tying itself in knots. She hated being in the spotlight and right now the spotlight felt as glaring as the sun.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer listened intently as the girl defended her actions, raising an eyebrow as the girl equated her ability to being that of a college student. It wasn't every day that one heard that bold of an assertion coming from a sixteen-year-old, but with the grades that this girl had, it was either she was telling the truth, or she was very good at lying to adults.

As Cara told her that her assignments came with a full reference, Jennifer took a moment to wonder why she hadn't gotten samples of this girl's work from her teachers, so that this blunder would not have happened. As Cara hit the nail on the head, asking if someone had accused her of cheating, Jennifer glanced at Jasper, almost asleep in the corner again, thinking of her response, "Yes, I have had your grades brought to my attention by your guardian. He was worried that you were not quite doing your own work, and I assured him that I would speak to you about it." As the girl made another valid point, Jennifer nodded, "You are right, of course. If you are sure that your work is all accounted for, then I have no reason to suspect you of anything." She leveled a gaze at the girl, "Just keep up the good work."

A reassuring smile crossed the woman's lips as she stood, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Cara. I hope not to see you in here the next time." She walked to the door and held it open for the girl. While she had backed down for now, she planned to request work samples from the girl's teachers, to verify what the petite girl had said. For now, though, forcing the issue would bring nothing.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

As soon as the woman mentioned her guardian, Cara drew back as though she had been struck. She now wished she had asked about the cheating thing before she had started talking. If she was here from something Mr Andrews had said, then her defending herself had probably just managed to put herself in a viper pit that she needed to get out of, without moving.

However, the thing that worried her the most, was that, from what the woman said, she obviously hadn't actually looked at any of her work, and so was working on hearsay. "Yes Ma'am, he is always looking out for me." She replied. Being trained to not being able to lie to her elders made what she said about her social worker almost caused her psychical pain. She stepped back as the woman walked passed her and opened the door. "The honour was mine." She replied as she gave a small bow and then left the office.

As she left the faculty building and headed toward the barn, she wrapped her arms around her stomach and shivered as she thought of the fact that not only had her social worker implied that she was a cheat and had gone to the head of the faculty about it, or the fact that she had defended herself and that would go back to the man.