Woodland Academy (Closed for your_vice)

[gagonthis]

Woodland Academy
By: Gagonthis and your_vice

A thin layer of snow, kicked up by the wind and dancing like an ancient zephyr, settled over the old school grounds. James Kline shivered slightly, zipping up his jacket a tiny bit more as he made his way across the school grounds. A slight grin came to his eyes as he watched two younger students engaging in a heated snowball fight, chasing each other to and fro across the yards that seemed to go on as far as the eye could see.

The large edifice in the distance loomed for him with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. James knew just how lucky he had been to have landed the job teaching here, many others had applied, even from his own district. Woodland Academy, one of the most prestigious female only boarding schools in the country, and James would be teaching there starting this semester.

Halting before the large administrative building looming ahead of him James again allowed his eyes to wander about the magnificent scenery before him, the large buildings that had existed for a better part of a century, the well cared for grounds, ancient oak trees shuddering as the gentle winter breeze blew past them, shaking down more snow upon the path ahead of him. The sound of voices carried gently on the wind.

It was a far cry from James' previous teaching position, an inner-city school in Chicago, where the city did everything it could to handicap teachers who wanted to help give kids a leg up, where a teacher had to worry about which of his students wouldn't be in to class due to gang violence or drug problems. But not anymore.. he'd made it out of there. A huge smile split his lips as he remembered receiving the letter inviting him to come up for an interview. The Dean of Woodland had loved him, and though they did not hire many male teachers, he had been offered the job on the spot. Chicago was already a distant memory it seemed, all the horribleness he had put up with left behind on the train as he stepped off to his new life.

Kicking snow off his shoes and dusting off his coat he went inside, greeting the people he would be working with. The Dean himself was on hand, a jovial old man who spoke with a vague English accent that cause James to smile each time he'd try to pronounce a slang word, he quickly helped James get situated. He'd have little time for that now though, for the hiring process had been so quick that they insisted on cracking the whip on him right away. His first class was a scheduled to begin the very next morning. Fortunately he had worked on his lesson plans on the trip up, the train having become delayed more than once due to the falling snow.

His quarters were little more than a dorm room in the faculty lodging area, though he had no complaints, they were about the same size he had been used to living in inner city Chicago, and he wouldn't have to worry about his neighbor breaking in to steal good to buy crack here. The exhaustion and excitement of the day quickly overwhelmed him, and since the rest of his possessions wouldn't arrive till the snowstorm quit he had little to do that evening and quickly passed out on the small bed they had provided him, fast asleep in no time.

Morning came quickly, sun streaming through his half closed curtains, reflecting brightly off the good half foot of snow that had fallen during the night. Stretching with a loud yawn James quickly went about his morning routine, wishing he could go for a run, but knowing the snow on the ground would make that unlikely at best. Instead he took a hot shower, lingering a few minutes longer than normal to let the water wash away the fatigue his body was feeling. Brushing his teeth and gathering his messenger bag he was quickly out the door, heading towards his first classroom.

It did take him a good chunk of time to find the place, being helped out by several staff members, but fortunately he had arrived before any of his students. It was a fairly large room, with large ornate windows dominating one side, giving a picturesque view of the rolling hills in the distance, hiding a lake that was beginning to freeze over behind them. "What a beautiful place..." James muttered before shaking himself out of his torpor and setting to work across the classroom. As the bell finally rung he was seated in his chair, behind the mahogany desk as students began to filter in. This was one of the higher year classes, and the girls who filed in, smiling and greeting him were mature faces, some of them quickly catching James' attention. That was definitely another perk to an all girl's school, and the perk that could get James into a lot of trouble if he weren't careful. His job was important to him though, so he would be professional. Though he couldn't help wondering...

Picking up the chalk he moved to the blackboard and scratched his name on the board. "Good Morning ladies. I am James Kline, your new history teacher. As some of you may know Mrs. Tretcher retired at the end of last semester and I will be taking her place amongst the faculty at Woodland. She spoke highly of all of you as a class, and I hope that I can continue to see such excellence continued." He looked down the rows of students, about twenty girls in total, perfectly pleased to see the attentive stares of nearly all of them looking back at him. It was definitely not a feeling he was accustomed to, but one he was sure he could learn to appreciate.

"Now if you will open your textbooks to page 156 I'd like to continue where Mrs Tretcher left off...."

James Kline

[your_vice]

Catherine MacKenzie had stowed her things in the seniors' dormitory with the usual apprehension. This year at Woodland was unlikely to prove any better than the previous ones had been. Her family had been thrilled when she had been advised to go for the scholarship and even more pleased when she got it. Catherine was a gifted student and she had been assured that Woodland would ensure her potential wasn't wasted. State high schools were difficult for intelligent pupils because teachers invariably focused on those who were struggling. Woodland had delivered on the education front but they were without doubt the most miserable years of Catherine's life. She didn't fit in with the rich girls here and they made sure she knew it. Catherine still remembered her first day, when she had introduced herself as 'Cat.' Her new classmates had found it hysterical and the moniker had followed her up through the years. Even now she was commonly referred to as the 'alley cat' or the 'stray.' Catherine could have fitted in better if she had hung back and let the popular girls excel but it wasn't in her to deliberately fail herself and her family. She was the brightest in almost every class and routinely outdid her privately tutored classmates, which did not help matters. Catherine had escaped her inner city walk-up through study and she escaped her tormentors through study too, hanging out in the library where there was supervision and keeping her nose in a book at most other times. Catherine also spent hours in the computerlab, not having a fancy laptop of her own on which to write assignments.

She rose early, another habit that kept her away from the bullies, and showered swiftly. She was dressed and heading for the cafeteria before most of her classmates had opened their eyes. Catherine shovelled down some porridge to warm herself up and then was outside the library, waiting for it to open and offer sanctuary. She had her new coursebook for her first class under her arm, courtesy of Woodland's scholarship fund. Catherine saw Alyssa and some of her entourage approaching. Now they were seniors Alyssa was queen bee of the whole damn school and her new power was going to her vacuous blonde head. Catherine looked away.

As soon as she heard the can pop she realised her mistake. Alyssa's shaken soda can sprayed cola all over Catherine's new book and plaid skirt.

"Aww, I'm sorry." Alyssa drawled, while her sycophantic little friends all laughed. "Actually, your book looks a bit retro now. It'll go better with all your other used things and thrift store bargains, won't it?"

Catherine distinctly heard 'alley cat' amid the sniggering.

By the time she had gone back to the dormitory to mitigate the damage and change her clothes, she was running late for her first class. Catherine was forced to walk in after the new teacher had already commenced his lesson, clutching her stained book and avoiding the amused stares of the other girls.

"Um, I'm very sorry Mr... erm..." Catherine mumbled apologetically and took her seat near the back, her pale face flaming with embarrassment. Even some of the teachers here resented squandering their knowledge on a welfare kid so Catherine had no idea what kind of reception to expect from the new guy, assuming he knew who she was.

[gagonthis]

James sighed slightly at the clamoring from his new students, clearly still in vacation mode he thought as he cleared his throat to settle them down. A couple of the girls smiled up at him, smiles that made him feel think slightly inappropiate things before he was able to refocus on the task at hand. He was trying to finish running down his attendance list, taking note of the two girls who were missing. "Has anyone seen Jennifer Dougall?" He asked and nodded simply when one of the girls noted that she was down with a fairly nasty cold. "How about...." he checked the list once more. "Catherine McKenzie?" His question apparently was quite amusing to the girls, as several of them began giggling at mention of her name.

"Something funny?" James asked quizzically, unsure what exactly was going on. "Ohh... she'll be along Mr. Kline... she NEVER misses a class..." Another series of giggles came from the girls and James raised an eyebrow, clearly missing what the others were finding so amusing. He gave an almost unnoticeable shrug and turned back to the board. "Alright, so page 156, everyone there? Good.." Mrs. Tretcher had told him that the textbook they were given was one of the most updated ones available for the curriculum, something that made James greatly pleased. He was not used to working in a school system that actually funded their education. "So to pick up Mrs. Tretcher says you were working your way through the French Revolution, and I wanted to pick up with some of the comparisons of the important thinkers Mrs. Tretcher had you working on." He took a deep breath as he smiled at the attentive faces staring back at him. "Now then how did thinkers such as Locke, Madison and Rousseau shape the ideas and frame the debate fo...." He stopped in mid sentence as the door opened and another girl entered the room.

Another series of giggles tore up from the gathered students as the new student, a raven haired beauty, mumbled an apology for her tardiness and scuttled into the room. James barely heard her words though, he was quickly, and quite discreetly, giving her the once over with his eyes. It was becoming more increasingly obvious to him that a young teacher like himself could get into a lot of trouble in a school like this. "Ms. MacKenzie I assume?" He said simply, looking down at his attendance list and changing her mark from 'absent' to 'tardy' "Please stay after class, I'd like a word with you." He said, still not looking up as the sounds of Ooooh spread throughout the class. He raised a hand to quiet them as he went back to the discussion, his eyes lingering on the girl who had walked in late. Her lips were pursed, she looked upset, obviously embarrassed, but he just couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. "As I was saying, without the contribution of some of these great thinkers, coupled with the success of the colonials rebellion against the English crown it is unlikely that the French revolution would have gained the popular support it did..." He lectured for the better part of the hour, having an open discussion for the rest, noting with interest that the girl who had arrived late seemed to be a sharp one, or at least well versed in this particular subject.

Finally the bell did ring and James let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Remember to finish reading that chapter for class tomorrow, and look over the study questions at the end, we'll be discussing them in some detail." He announced. His first class was over and done with, in his new school, with his new students. A smile grew as the students began to gather up their books and exit his class. No major disasters, no stumbling through his lecture, he figured he'd done a good job holding their attention while making sure certain aspects of his student body HADN'T held his attention. He was about to start sifting through the lesson plan for some of his other classes when he realized he'd asked the girl who had been late to stay behind. He blinked when he realized she was still patiently waiting. "Oh sorry, I forgot I had asked you to stay behind..." He stood up and walked over to her desk. "I just wanted to make sure this tardiness thing isn't going to be a recurring issue... Normally I wouldn't take such an interest, but this being my first day and all..." he let the words hang in the air, waiting to see how she would respond to his recriminations.

[your_vice]

Catherine was a little flustered. She was annoyed that Alyssa had gotten her into trouble. The smirk on her face when she had left, throwing Catherine a sarcastic little wave, had infuriated her and she felt the familiar pangs of indignation, embarrassment and despair as she hunched over her desk. Then even the teacher had failed to notice she was still in the room, further corroding what remained of her self esteem. When Mr Kline did finally look up and acknowledge her, Catherine dropped her gaze and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I just wanted to make sure this tardiness thing isn't going to be a recurring issue... Normally I wouldn't take such an interest, but this being my first day and all..."

Catherine pursed her lips. She had long since learned the futility of trying to speak out about how everyone treated her. Most teachers thought she should consider herself lucky to be here at all and the few times she had tried to convey the extent of the bullying, Catherine had only caught yet more abuse from Alyssa and her friends when they received a pointless verbal wristslap. These were the offspring of influential people who paid a shitload for them to spend years at Woodland idling and bitching. No teacher was about to risk pissing off Alyssa, and by extension her millionaire father, for the sake of a scholarship kid.

"I'm not usually tardy Sir. I spilled a drink over myself and had to go back to the dorm to change." She lied, showing him her sticky textbook.

[gagonthis]

James frowned slightly as he watched the girl try to search for the words to explain her tardiness. He could tell that she was getting ready to lie to him, but did not say anything about it, merely nodding his head at her explanation. He wasn't sure what her whole story was, he would have to ask one of the other teachers about it, but he had a general idea.

She was clearly not one of the more popular girls at the academy. He assumed it had something to do with her exceptional grasp of subject matter, though he didn't know if that was specific only to history or if she excelled in her other classes as well. "Well you seem like quite a bright student Catherine. I'd hate to have to remit you for punishment for any further punctuality issues." He was being a little cold he knew, but James had always had trouble connecting with the problems that his students had, his time in the inner city school showing him that usually there were very few people who wanted their teacher to poke his or her head into someone's personal business.

It was likely his biggest weakness as a teacher, the inability to connect on an empathic level with his students. He cared about them learning, was passionate about helping foster that spark of education, but he always tried to keep his distance. It was something he needed to work especially hard at if he was going to be teaching girls for some time to come, they were much more emotional creatures than his other students. Reaching out to Catherine could be a step in the right direction, but James didn't even know how to begin with that. "I'm sorry if I seem like I'm coming down on you kind of hard Ms. MacKenzie." He said simply as he looked down at her again. She was quite a looker that was for sure. He certainly wouldn't mind finding an excuse to keep her around, maybe he should give her detention or something of the like... he blinked at the horribly inappropriate thoughts fluttering through his mind, reminding himself that he was her teacher, not a fellow student.

Still he couldn't help his gaze following the curves of her body, she seemed so vulnerable, and something dark in James told him to jump on that, take advantage of her timid nature, that she wouldn't fight back as long as James was able to cow her. Jesus what was wrong with him? He shook his head to clear his thoughts, smiling down at the girl. "Well, you're excused then Ms. MacKenzie, I just wanted to make sure you knew how important I take attendance and punctuality, and I also wanted to let you know that I was impressed with some of the points you made in our discussion today and I look forward to seeing what you can do with some of the material we have coming up." He smiled down at her, trying to diffuse some of the lingering tension he could tell was hanging in the air.

"Let me write you a note for your next class so you don't have to go through the same issue with being late with your next teacher..." He said with a slight chuckle as he pulled out a piece of paper, settling back behind his desk.

[your_vice]

She favoured him with one of her rare, fleeting smiles as Mr Kline realised she was late for her next lesson and would need a note. This was not even a particularly bad day for Catherine in the scheme of things. A bad day had been when Alyssa had found Catherine's hiding place for her science project and obliterated 4 weeks worth of painstaking work with the heel of her designer shoe, or when her cell phone number had mysteriously appeared on toilet doors in the boy's academy down the road, those had been bad days.

"Thank you Mr Kline, I'll make sure I'm not tardy again." She replied as he scribbled on a piece of paper.

Catherine gathered her things, collected her note and left. She hurried down the hall so fast that she never saw the elegantly shod foot that tripped her up and sent her crashing to the floor. Alyssa appeared from beside a bank of lockers. Catherine stared up at her nemesis and her gaze flitted back to Mr Kline's classroom. It was only a few doors away so Alyssa was taking quite a risk.

"Been earning your scholarship have you?" She sneered. "I'm off to see the nurse, I have a terrible headache." Alyssa frequently had headaches, usually during maths lessons. Catherine got to her feet, looking around for the note that had been in her hand. Alyssa was ahead of her however. She plucked the note from the ground and tore it into little pieces.

"Do you know, I think I'm feeling much better already." She smiled, before sauntering off down the corridor.

Catherine stalked towards her next lesson and the inevitable reprimand. Years ago or back in her neighbourhood, she would have knocked Alyssa flat out on the floor. This was not her territory though, and they both knew it. Catherine did not belong here.

Yep. Just an average day.

[gagonthis]

James watched her as she gathered her stuff, happily taking the note out of his hand before hurrying out of the room for her next class. James' eyes lingered on her backside as she exited just a moment too long and he sighed again as he started to think of what trouble he was getting himself into with this job. He really thought he'd be able to avoid any sort of complications, but he hadn't really given thought to what it would mean to be at an all-girls school, especially living on campus.

He was going to be surrounded by these girls and the Dean had give him a very stern talking to about the consequences and repercussions of any 'funny business' as he had put it. James had simply laughed it off at the time, he hadn't realized that he would be teaching girls who looked so... well so adult. He muttered slightly under his breath as he rested his head in his hands, already feeling a slight headache working itself through his brain. "Coffee..." he said out loud to himself, as if by hearing the words he would be more motivated to get up and hit the teacher's lounge to grab himself a cup. He let out a tired groan as he pulled himself to his feet, thankful that he didn't have another class till the period after this one.

Walking around the corner he pulled up short as he saw Catherine sprawled out on the floor, skirt hiked up dangerously far, another girl standing over her taunting her. "Been earning your scholarship have you?" The other girl said, venom in her voice. James pursed his lips, another piece of the puzzle falling into place. So she was a scholarship student, that would explain why she had been so active in the class earlier today, probably had a minimum GPA she would have to keep up to be able to hold onto her financial aid. His training as a professional teacher told him he should step in and figure out what was going on, possibly punish the other girl. Instead he simply stepped back out of sight, watching the whole scene play itself out.

The girl spat a few other harsh words at Catherine before grabbing her hall pass and stomping off. Why aren't you stepping in to help her? James asked himself as he watched the other girl, a looker in her own right, stomped away, laughing meanly as Catherine pulled herself to her feet, looking quite angry as she stormed off towards her class. James still wasn't sure what held his feet from doing his duty as a teacher, but instead of following her he sauntered over to the teacher's lounge. A couple of the older looking teachers were in there, James greeted them and introduced himself before letting them get back to their conversations. He grabbed a pot of coffee and poured himself a mug, sitting down, talking with a couple of his colleagues. "Yes.. my first class went well.... But...." he took a deep breath. "What can you tell me about Catherine MacKenzie?"

[your_vice]

The rest of the day and the following morning passed fairly uneventfully. In classes, she had the knowledge and confidence to speak up in discussions and make Alyssa and the other girls look stupid and lazy. Outside classrooms she was little more than a ghost in the halls, always silently heading someplace safe with her head bowed and her shoulders hunched. She passed Mr Kline a few times but never looked up to see more of him than his shoes. When her next class with him came around, Catherine was determined not to give him any reason to take a disliking to her. She had gone to the cafeteria and eaten swiftly before heading to the library to check over the chapter he had set them. She was hunched over her book when the familiar sound of giggling reached her ears. What the hell could Alyssa be doing in the library?

Alyssa, never one to get her own manicured fingers grubby, had enlisted the help of an acolyte to steal a beautiful and distinctive fountain pen from Mr Kline's desk. Now she moved into phase two of her plan.

"Come on quick, while she's busy reading." She said in an urgent whisper. Alyssa walked over to Catherine and flipped her heavy book shut. Catherine yanked her fingers away from it, jumping in surprise. Alyssa's friend quietly dropped the fountain pen into Catherine's satchel. "Oh, look at the teacher's pet going over the dishy new guy's lesson. Hooking a teacher would be a real step up for you, wouldn't it?"

"What do you want?" Catherine asked sullenly, staring at her closed textbook.

"Oh nothing, just to make sure you get to this class on time. Now Chrissy here's a hall monitor, we'll be able to keep an eye on you."

Catherine's heart sank. Sure enough, Chrissy collared her on her way to class and abused her new power mercilessly. Once again, Catherine was late into Mr Kline's lesson and had to apologise while everyone sniggered.

[gagonthis]

James sipped his coffee as he listened to the rant and tirade of his colleague next to him. ".....and honestly she's a bright girl, but she has a very limited future. Even if she manages to get a scholarship to go to a real college... well she comes from a poor family and I don't believe in that bootstrap nonsense anymore than...." James had toned out the ramblings of the out of touch old loon by this point, his own thoughts focused on Catherine. So she was an out of place student who was still in the school based solely on her academic performance.

James knew he should feel some kinship to the girl, after all he had come from humble origins himself, worked his way through school and rose above his situation, but all he could think about was the round curve of her breasts, the shape of her legs in that uniform skirt. He found that rather than wanting to go out of his way to help her he instead found himself thinking on ways he could take advantage of the situation she was in. Jesus what was happening to him?

The rest of the day passed quickly for him. He had a much easier time concentrating on the classes with the younger students, no curvaceous bodies distracting him from his proper job as an educator. He saw Catherine a couple of times in the hallway, but she looked lost in thought, dejectedly hurrying to wherever her next destination might be. Her helplessness just seemed to awaken a predatory instinct in him, combined with his hormones working overtime when he saw her James just knew she was going to get him into a lot of trouble before the school year was over.

Returning to his classroom for his final class he frowned when he realized that one of his favorite pens was missing. 'Kids....' he muttered angrily as he realized someone must have snagged it when he was out. His annoyance stuck with him through his final class, and caused him to hand out a little more homework than was proper for the first day of a new term. Finally his day was over and he trooped back to his small room, collapsing on his bed, machinations involving quite rowdy actions with Ms. MacKenzie filling his head as he drifted off to sleep.

James awoke the next day to find almost another foot of snow had fallen. He just prayed that the groundskeepers had found time to clear out the paths to the school, otherwise the walk there would be miserable. Luck was on his side and he arrived to his classroom twenty minutes before the first students began filtering in. He noted with some interest as the first bell rang that Catherine was nowhere to be seen again. A crooked smile crossed his face as class started with one seat still empty. "Ms. MacKenzie, I see our little discussion really didn't have the impact it should have..." He said simply, not looking up from the blackboard when she finally entered. "Stay after class again, so I might better explain my position to you..." He said, voice ominous as she sank into her seat, giggles erupting from the rest of the class once more.

[your_vice]

Catherine dropped into her chair with an audible sigh. She was one of the very few girls here who gave a shit about her education and yet everybody had to give her such a hard time. The best education money could buy and it was mostly squandered on these vain, idle rich girls who all expected to do little more than spend their trust funds and marry well.

She was uncharacteristically inattentive during the lesson, staring sullenly at Mr Kline's back when he wrote on the board and glaring at her desktop the rest of the time. Now that Chrissy was a hall monitor Catherine's life was going to get even more difficult and unpleasant. She wanted to scream.

She sat there as the other girls filed out, silently fuming. Even if Kline gave her a hall pass for her next class, the chances of making it there without encountering Chrissy or Alyssa were slim to none. She was so demoralised she didn't even bother packing her books away in her satchel in order to save time. It sat open on the floor beside her desk.

[gagonthis]

James raised one eyebrow at Catherine as she sank into her chair, a very obvious sigh escaping her full lips. Why was he behaving this way to this poor girl? She was clearly alone in a hostile environment, no friends, having little to nothing in common with the other students here, and James was taking advantage of that situation. Part of him was completely ashamed of his behavior, but that part was silenced quite vehemently by the part that wanted nothing more than to get his hands on her student body.

He blushed slightly, glad he had his back to his students. Catherine was definitely quieter during his second class, and every time he looked over she had her eyes drilling into the wooden top of her desk. James debated calling her out on her inattention, embarrassing her further in front of her classmates, but he held back, seeing the defeat in her eyes. Besides, he would have time after class was over to take advantage of the situation her cruel classmates helped setup. He idly wondered if one of her tormentors had stolen his pen just to put him in a foul mood. Devious bitches he thought to himself.

Class ended and James found himself delaying slightly as he packed up his own book bag, erasing the board, leaving Catherine stewing while he did. Finally he turned towards her, arms crossed, eyes hard. "I had thought that yesterday's incident was going to be an isolated event." He frowned, part of him again wondering why he was picking on this poor girl, and why she was such easy prey. "Apparently I didn't make my point clear enough before..." He raised a hand to silence her explanation, eyes still hard. "I know I am the new teacher here, and you and some of the other girls might think that it's fun to try and test me, but I'm not to be trifled with." He turned his back, hand raised to his chin as if he was considering what he was to do about this. "I expect to see you here after the last bell today. We'll discuss what's to be done then further." He picked up her bag for her, not the least bit surprised when his pen came tumbling out. He picked it up, looking at it with pursed lips. "My pen...." he said simply, now more sure than ever that Catherine's tormentors had taken it to try and give her the frame up. "I will see you after class Ms. MacKenzie." He said, his voice ominous and stony.

[your_vice]

Catherine had been wondering whether Mr Kline would prove sympathetic to the knowledge that she was being systematically bullied but any thought of confiding in him flew from her head as the pen fell out of her bag. Catherine stared at it open-mouthed, then her stricken gaze rose to take in Mr Kline's incredulous expression and watch it darken into indignation at the 'evidence' that she had stolen from him. He did not give her time to protest and as she bit hard down on her lip, Catherine knew she wouldn't have. She couldn't claim to be innocent without implicating Alyssa and her friends. In the absence of any evidence proving Alyssa's involvement, Catherine would be branded both a thief and a liar. Nobody really expected anything else from the poor little scholarship kid. Her years here should have proven her honourable and trustworthy by now but Alyssa and her friends had played pranks like this successfully a few times too often. Some of the teachers viewed her constantly with suspicion and that was clearly Alyssa's goal in blackening Catherine's name with newly appointed Mr Kline.

"I will see you after class Ms. MacKenzie." He said, his voice taking a new tone that was all too familiar to Catherine.

"Yes Sir." Was all she said as she grabbed her things and fled from the room. There was plenty of time to think about what to say in her defence, all she wanted to do right now was get out from under his disapproving stare. She couldn't believe Alyssa had sabotaged her reputation with Mr Kline so swiftly. Catherine vowed to be more watchful of her things in future.

She managed to make her next class without being marked late and the rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Catherine did not give Alyssa and her friends the satisfaction of knowing their trick had worked. For all they knew, the pen could still be unnoticed in her satchel. Finally, after another stressful day of dodging her tormentors and trying to focus on her lessons, Catherine trudged dejectedly back to Mr Kline's classroom to receive yet more punishment that she didn't deserve.

When she got there, he had finished clearing up from his last lesson and was sat at his desk. Worried that she might have kept him waiting too long and be in even more trouble, Catherine hastily tapped on the half open door. She still didn't know what she was going to say.

[gagonthis]

James' eyes once again followed her as she fled from his classroom. Everything about her just screamed sex to James and it was completely clouding his judgment as a teacher having a student that affected him in such a way. Her hips swished as she scurried off and James could just imagine what she would look like without that school uniform. His cock twitched slightly as he thought that, and he looked around quickly, almost as if he expected someone to be able to read his thoughts and call him out on the completely dirty, job ending fantasies he was having about his student.

James was surprised that she hadn't spoken up at all in her defense, but he figured any punishment James had in mind wouldn't possibly be worse than what would happen to her if the girls who were tormenting her found out that she had ratted them out. James had always figured that men were the more vicious of the two genders, but clearly being in an all girl's school had engendered some of the same bully tendencies that seemed to usually develop in boys. It was something that would interest James a bit more if he hadn't just been trying to figure out how to take advantage of the situation.

Catherine clearly needed good grades and a lack of disciplinary action in order to stay at the school, but if she was miserable enough here.. would she just allow herself to flunk out? James didn't think so, he figured she cared enough about her education to know that even if she was miserable here, she wouldn't amount to much if she ended up back in another crappy public school. James smiled sinisterly. A nasty plot was building itself in his mind, but he would have to be sure she was sufficiently aware of just how little choice she had in what James wanted from her.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, James managed to get through his classes, the whole time half his mind wondering how he was going to handle Catherine after class. Finally the last bell rang, James yelling out reading assignments as his class filed out the door. Cleaning off the blackboard and tucking his papers into his bag he sat at his desk, waiting her arrival. A timid rapping on his door brought his head up and he nodded to Catherine, waving for her to come in. "I thought perhaps you had decided you didn't need to heed my request Ms. MacKenzie." He said, his voice letting her know he wasn't happy to have been kept waiting for so long. "Please have a seat." He stood up as she sat down, wandering up to the desk she had sat at, his eyes once again covertly oogling her body. "I've spent sometime today trying to decide what the proper punishment for your transgressions would be..." He tapped his chin slightly as he walked past her, forcing her to turn her head and watch him. "I had considered simple detention time, helping me with classroom tasks after school... but that was before the pen." He turned back on his heel, walking towards her again. "As a private school though I have more... creative measures at my disposal. A bit archaic perhaps.." He stopped at his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a thick wooden ruler, "... but I think perhaps corporal punishment is an appropriate punishment for a thief."

[your_vice]

Catherine sat at Mr Kline's instruction, fully prepared for a lengthy lecture on how important timekeeping was and how fucking lucky she was to be incarcerated in this archaic hellhole at all. She'd heard it all a thousand times before courtesy of Alyssa's pranks and the stuffy old teachers here. She watched him walk up and down, debating what to do with her. Then he returned to his desk and opened a drawer.

"A bit archaic perhaps.." Mr Kline said, pulling out a thick wooden ruler. "... but I think perhaps corporal punishment is an appropriate punishment for a thief."

Catherine's eyes widened. Nobody at Woodlands used corporal punishment, though a few canes and other relics hung in various places around the school. Mr Kline had to be joking, he couldn't possibly imagine that she was about to be subjected to that.

She forced herself to meet his eyes and apparently, he wasn't kidding. Her alabaster pale face flamed scarlet, both at the knowledge she was about to question a teacher and at the thought of how humiliating it would be to be struck by him like that.

"Th-they don't do that here." She stammered, squirming uncomfortably in her seat under his cold, hard gaze.

[gagonthis]

James nearly laughed out loud as he watched her face change from annoyed frustration at what she assumed would be another chewing out to mute shock as she realized James had something more sinister in mind as a way to make her pay for her transgressions.

Her eyes met his and he narrowed his down to a hard stare, letting her know that he meant business. Her face turned bright red, suddenly paying attention to him as he smacked the ruler against his hand in a threatening manner. Again a rational part of his mind told him that he should cease this right now, that he should get the other girls in here and tell them to stop tormenting Catherine or they would be in a lot of trouble. If he went through with what he was doing he was gambling his professional reputation, not to mention his job.

He had no interest in listening to rationality now, he was enjoying tormenting this poor girl, being in on the joke as it were. Only where her fellow students just wanted to humiliate her, James had more sinister ambitions in mind for his plot. "You're right Catherine, this type of punishment hasn't been used in some time at Woodland, but it is still well within my right to do so." He stepped forward to stand before her, tapping the ruler on the desk, glaring down at her.

"As I said, I was prepared to go light on you, as I'm new here, and it's hardly my place to rock the boat, but clearly you don't care about my class, and to top it all off you are trying to be quite clever by stealing my stuff." The lies rang hollow in his ears, he felt a pang of guilt again as he saw the dejected look upon her face. She'd done nothing to deserve this, but the thought of spanking her spurred him further on. "Remember that you are here only on the strength of your academic skills and because of the good fiber of your moral character. Decline of either could easily land you back amongst the public schooling system." He nearly grinned as he realized he had hit on something she truly feared, he could read it in her eyes. "I am willing to forgo putting this on your permanent record..." He smacked the ruler down hard on the desk, the crack echoing through the empty classroom, "... but you will need to understand how serious I am in my role as a disciplinary educator." He took a step back. "Now go stand facing the blackboard." He ordered, pointing briskly towards the front of the class.

[your_vice]

So he knew she was the scholarship kid. Catherine's heart sank further. Why could nobody just give her a break? She was suspicious of Kline's assertion that he had a right to hit her with a ruler but now did not appear to be the time to point this out. He seemed absolutely livid that she had apparently stolen from him. Mr Kline clearly thought she had done it to make him look incompetent or something, because he was new. Catherine stared at the place he had indicated for her stand, horrified.

"Sir... I didn't steal your pen." She began, the words coming out in a rush before she lost her nerve. "There are some girls who think I shouldn't be here because my family can't pay. They like to do things to get me into trouble." His eyes widened incredulously. "They've been doing stuff like this for years and one's a hall monitor now so I can't get to classes easily. I wouldn't steal from you Sir."

Catherine stared at the floor, as ashamed about how she was being bullied as she was about the notion of corporal punishment. She could not make herself move towards the blackboard or look up to see Kline's disbelieving expression.

[gagonthis]

James nearly swore as Catherine began to speak, deciding it would be better to take her chances with the vengeance Alyssa would visit upon her for ratting her out rather than allow James to cane her with his ruler. That was a frustrating development, but James was determined to humiliate her this afternoon, and he was sure that she was used to people not believing her word. She came from humble origins, a fact that he knew many of the teachers at the school bemoaned, if his encounter with the crotchety old gentleman yesterday was any indication.

He listened to her story with a stony gaze, his eyes widening properly in disbelief as she attempted to finger the other students for taking the pen. Of course James believed her story, he'd suspected as much as soon as the pen came falling out of her bag. But he just didn't care. They'd get theirs sooner or later. James might even have the pleasure of being the one who made them pay. But right now his attention was firmly on Catherine, and his want to paddle her bottom. Just the thought was making him slightly hot.

"You expect me to believe that some of the other girls snuck into my classroom, took my pen and planted it on you on the OFF chance I'd discover you had taken it and you'd get in trouble?" He said, his voice reflecting how unlikely that scenario was. "I think it's more likely that a young girl, a bright young girl, thinks that because she's getting close to the end of her academic career at Woodland Academy thinks she can get away with acting like a complete young brat to the new teacher, because heck, what's he going to do anyway right?" He pointed with the ruler once again. "Up to the black board Ms. MacKenzie. Or would you rather I write you up for expulsion for stealing from a teacher?" Once again he had to keep a wolfish smile from coming to his face as her eyes focused on the floor in front of her feet.

[your_vice]

Out of excuses and unwilling to anger or defy him any further, Catherine rose and stepped towards the blackboard. She had been expecting that Mr Kline would maybe hit her hand with the ruler or something but he evidently had other ideas. He towered over her slight, 5ft frame as he approached and it took everything Catherine had to keep from trembling and to stare at the board as though she didn't give a shit.

Catherine had been something of a late developer and even now her breasts only filled a B cup. She wore sensible white cotton underwear as students were supposed to but her white bra and shirt were not sufficient to hide the fact that fear was making her nipples harden. Now the classroom was almost empty, its temperature was dropping accordingly and very soon the heating would automatically turn itself off. She wished she had put her sweater back on but it was draped over her satchel.

In the scheme of things, this wasn't nearly as bad as some of the things the girls had done and with a bit of luck, nobody would have to know about it. Catherine figured she could handle five minutes of discomfort to keep Mr Kline from reporting her for theft. It could have gone a lot worse.

[gagonthis]

James felt his manhood twitch slightly as she rose, defeat heavy in her eyes as she moved towards the black board. James couldn't believe he was going to go through with his plan here. He only prayed that none of the the other teachers or, lord help him, the Dean heard about him caning a student. He had done his research and knew that it was allowed, but it would most certainly be frowned on. It was the type of story that could spark a controversy that could cost a young teacher his job. And yet still he persisted, the idea of reddening her bottom overriding all his trepidation.

She past him and James couldn't help but notice her nipples straining against the thin material of the white shirt she wore. An almost silent moan of pleasure hissed between his lips and he felt his manhood harden quite a bit more. He nearly blushed as he knew he'd have a very hard time hiding it if she were looking for it. Fortunately for him she was keeping her eyes glued to the black board, trying to act brave, he would have her broken before too long, if not today, soon she would be a humiliated wreck. If her classmates didn't make sure of it then James would.

He tried to think of something to say to her, but his mind couldn't possibly form sentences as he looked at the curve of her legs, heading up to her ass, hidden by the skirt of the uniform she wore. He had to take a moment and wipe a hand across his brow as the room suddenly felt several degrees hotter. He really wanted nothing more than to throw that skirt aside, assault her teenage body. Soon he told himself with another grin. "I hope you will realize that I'm not a teacher to be trifled with after this." He said gravely, taking the ruler and smacking her across the bottom of her thighs with it. "A few licks should put you in your place." He said as he raised the ruler high once more.

[your_vice]

She flinched a little as he swatted her thighs, putting considerable strength behind the blow. He was hitting below the level of her skirt, which fell to a couple of inches above her knee. Catherine would have red marks on her legs when she left here and anyone who spotted her returning to the dorm would see them. Her skin was so pale that it would colour up rapidly.

"A few licks should put you in your place." He said, raising the ruler again. There was an edge to his voice that Catherine had not heard before. She decided Kline must be one of those jerks who felt big and powerful when he was hitting someone defenceless. It did not occur to her that he could have a sexual interest in her. Catherine had never thought of herself as pretty and the taunts she received on a daily basis had corroded any pride she might have had in her appearance.

After the first blow, she did not flinch. Catherine just stood there sullenly, wondering when this ordeal would be over.

[gagonthis]

The first smack left a slight red mark across her thighs and James had to bite off a moan of pleasure. He had no idea that this would feel so good to him. He felt filthy, he knew what he was doing was wrong and that he should stop immediately, but his hormones drove him forward.

The ruler slapped down once more, this time climbing higher on her thighs, approaching the area where the curve of her buttocks met her legs. Biting off another heavy breath he frowned at her lack of reaction. She was going to silently suffer through this, and for some reason that made James even more intent on breaking her. He wanted to hear her whimper, and he whacked the ruler down even harder on the third stroke, catching the bottom of her ass, the skirt coming up momentarily, exposing her white cotton panties.

James did let out a groan then, a tiny one that he prayed only he had heard, hiding it with another smack of the ruler, paddling her ass as his manhood grew within his trousers, begging for some sort of release. "I don't take any pleasure in doing this Ms. MacKenzie," the lie coming easily of his lips at this point as he brought the ruler down again, leaving a large red mark across her right butt cheek, "..but perhaps having trouble sitting for a little while will make you think twice before you steal again."

His member was almost fully aroused now, and she still hadn't uttered a sound. He was likely approaching the limit of what he could get away with before someone came by, a janitor or some other faculty member. With one more hard thwack that left another red mark, exposing her white panties with more, an image he captured in his mind for later, he let the ruler come to a rest on the desk, shifting himself to hide his erection. "I think you've probably taken enough. I hope I've made my position abundantly clear?"

[your_vice]

Catherine stood quietly while he caned her but her face got increasingly redder. She heard him moan very slightly but she figured it was merely from exertion.

"I don't take any pleasure in doing this Ms. MacKenzie," Kline insisted, though Catherine could sense he was getting particular satisfaction from hitting her. He hadn't seemed the type to be like that, before she had crossed him, he had acted like a mild mannered, reasonable man. The blows moved higher up her legs and it got harder not to react. The spot where her ass met her thighs was particularly sensitive.

He gave her one more swat but it was extra hard and Catherine yelped as it struck her red, sore skin. He put the ruler down then and she mentally kicked herself, wishing she'd protested earlier and maybe saved herself a few blows.

"I think you've probably taken enough. I hope I've made my position abundantly clear?" There was a gruff quality to Mr Kline's voice now, which surprised Catherine. She decided he must be really angry with her. When she turned to look at him, his eyes were positively feral and she gasped slightly.

"Yes Sir, I understand. It won't happen again. I'm sorry Sir." She stammered as she turned away from him and bent to pick up her satchel, unwittingly showing the teacher his handiwork. She stood swiftly and turned towards him, waiting apprehensively to be dismissed.

[gagonthis]

James had to bite back another moan as Catherine finally yelped in pleasure. A smile touched his lips and satisfaction filled his eyes at the noise she made as the ruler nearly cracked in half on the curve of her buttocks. A pleased shudder ran through his body.

She turned to look at him and gasped, James suspecting that something in his eyes gave away the sick twisted pleasure he had taken from what he had just done to her. He nearly looked away in shame, again seeing the image of her cotton panties in his head, knowing that he would have a hard time sleeping tonight, remembering what she had looked like, up against the blackboard, taking the ruler on her round buttocks. Another shudder threatened to work its way through the teacher as Catherine spoke to him.

"I'm glad we're on the same page now....." his sentence stopped as she bent over to retrieve her bag, her skirt poofed up, exposing her behind, covered in head marks from the brutal slapping James had given her with the ruler. Part of him immediately felt ashamed, that he had hit a poor defenseless girl, for nothing other than his own sick twisted pleasure. But that part of him was completely pushed aside by the raw sexual creature in him. The part that told him to push her thin cotton underwear aside, to penetrate her, to subdue her and break her.

James felt his breath growing shallow and he had to forcibly tear his eyes away from the sight before him as she gathered herself to her feet, looking at him in a manner that kept her from making complete eye contact with him, clearly now nervous that she would somehow set him off again. James wanted to grin, this was the first step in a plan to break her. By the end of the term he would have her, in all the worst ways he could think of. "I will expect to see you here after school tomorrow as well. I have papers I need help filing and you are on probation until I'm sure this matter is well and truly settled between us Ms. MacKenzie." He said, forcing his face back to stone as he dismissed her.

Waiting for her to leave James allowed his heart to stop pounding so hard, his blood to resettle itself evenly across his body before he stood, gathering his jacket and retreating from his classroom. As he walked down the quickly darkening halls of the academy, the weight of what he had just done began to settle more firmly on his shoulders. The shadows seemed to be watching him, the pictures of the founding members of Woodland Academy glaring at him with stern disapproving glances. James hurried quickly across the grounds, trudging through the cold winter that had settled upon Woodland into his small bedchamber, cranking up the heat as his body began to shake for reasons that had very little to do with the cold.

[your_vice]

Catherine walked a short distance from Kline's classroom and then belted her cardigan around her waist, letting it hang low enough to disguise what had happened to her. The last thing she wanted was for the girls in the dorm to learn what she had just endured. Catherine went to the dorm and changed into jeans and a sweater, she simply couldn't risk going to have dinner in her uniform. Girls commonly changed before dinner but Catherine didn't usually bother. She had nothing fashionable or flashy and she preferred to arrive early and be done with eating before most arrived.

She was shocked at what Mr Kline had just done and the way he had seemed to enjoy doing it. Out from under his disapproving glare, Catherine was finally beginning to question his motives. Regardless of whatever archaic rules on punishment that may still be valid, he would not have dared to cane one of the fee paying girls like that. He had chosen to cane her specifically because he knew there was nobody she could complain to. Catherine did not imagine herself to be desirable to the attractive teacher but she could well believe herself to be vulnerable and convenient.

As she sat alone and ate her meal, with the practised swiftness with which she did most things around here, Catherine asked herself who she would tell if he tried to hurt her again. The head of her year was an elderly old boot who thought she was a bad influence on the other girls. The head teacher had been nice enough when he awarded her her scholarship but he had never spoken to her since. She could go now and endure the indignity of showing her welts to the school nurse but she would never get her to believe that a teacher had inflicted them. Her own parents had no clout with the school and Catherine's relationship with them was strained since she had started spending the majority of her time at Woodlands. By the time she had finished her meal, Catherine had come to the realisation that there was nobody she could tell.

Something cold and wet spilled down her back. Catherine turned around in her seat.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there." As always, it was Alyssa. The back of Catherine's cream sweater now had an ugly cola stain. It was ruined. Mercifully however, Alyssa and her friends moved on. While their favourite pastime was tormenting Catherine, that fortunately didn't extend to having conversations with her in public. Ever mindful of her reputation and unable to try anything else while the teachers were eating nearby, Alyssa quit while she was ahead. If she had ever applied the same enthusiasm to learning, Catherine would have had some competition.

Catherine saw Mr Kline enter the dining room and her eyes drilled into his spine as he collected a tray of food and then went to chat with the other teachers. She looked down and realised her knuckles were white, gripping the seat of her chair. Indignation and apprehension rose through her in equal measure until her appetite fled completely. Catherine left, not bothering with dessert.

She couldn't be bothered to change her clothes again so Catherine just got into her pyjamas in the mercifully empty dorm and took one of her textbooks to read in bed. She was up to date enough with her studies that she could take the night off from assignments if she wanted to. After reading a few chapters, Catherine gave up and turned out her lamp. She was so emotionally drained that she soon fell deeply asleep but her small fists still gripped the bedclothes tightly and her face looked pained.

[gagonthis]

James sat upon his bed for the better part of fifteen minutes trying to reconcile what had just happened in the classroom with his morals. Finally when he could sit no more he paced the room for another ten minutes. He was going to be in a shit load of trouble when the headmaster found out what he had done. Caning a student... taking advantage of the poor girl... what the hell had he been thinking!? He was sweating now, and he went to turn down the heat, even though he knew it had nothing to do with temperature.

Finally he found himself in the small bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror. "Is this who I really am?" He asked the silent room, running a hand over his brow. He had spanked her, caned her thighs and bottom red. And it had made him feel powerful... it had turned him on. To hear her cry out in pain.. see those white panties under that plaid skirt... her firm thighs... a tiny groan escaped his lips as he remembered and he felt his manhood harden again. But it hadn't been right... he was a teacher... she was a student, and what he was trying to do....

His mind was wandering to other places now, imagining what those hard nipples would look like without the thin fabric protecting them. He pictured her lying on his bed, nude, fingers exploring her wet, tight sex.... another groan tore itself from his body as his hand reached down, undoing the fly of his slacks, fishing out his cock, hand wrapping around it. Gripping the cold basin of the sink James closed his eyes, imaging what Catherine would look like on her knees, lips wrapped around him... his legs shook as an orgasm tore through him, a gasp escaping his lips as his load shot across the bathroom. With a shamed blush he cleaned himself up, changing his pants, still no closer to having a solution to his moral quandary, but he definitely was caring about it quite a bit less.

His stomach growled, reminding him that he had skipped lunch. If he hurried he could still catch the meal before the dining hall got a bit too hectic. Throwing on a warmer winter jacket he trudged back across the campus towards the large dining hall, slipping in out of the cold, shaking the bits of snow that had collected on him. His eyes swept across the dining hall, searched for the familiar form of Catherine, his eyes settling on her for a moment, a ghost of a smile touching his face as he remembered what had just happened in his bathroom. Part of him wanted to go over and tell Catherine, but prudence overruled any possibility of that and he went to gather his meal, ignoring her for the most part. He could tell how uncomfortable she was sitting and it brought another satisfied feeling to him.

She fled the dining hall just as he sat down with a couple of the other teachers. One of the older women smiled a friendly greeting to James. "How are you settling in? Any trouble with your students?" She asked with a small chuckle, as if to suggest that nothing of the sort could happen. "Oh I'm getting along fairly well, the first couple of days have gone quickly enough. However...." he took a deep breath, feeling the lie forming on his lips. "I've been having some trouble with that MacKenzie girl, Catherine I believe her name is." The older woman nodded at him. "The scholarship girl... yes of course..." she said with a knowing nod. "Yeah... she's been acting up in my class, but I think I'll be getting things under control soon." He nodded. Hopefully that would get around, this woman seemed like she would tell other teachers, making life that much more difficult for Catherine.

He finished his meal in silence, watching as the old crone spoke to some of the other teachers, glancing towards him occasionally. James finished his meal and walked back towards his room with a full stomach and a head full of ideas about what he would do to the poor Ms. MacKenzie tomorrow.