37. Intermission : Sabrina Part 3

Sabrina glanced into Ms. Mendeleiev's private office with an overwhelming sense of revulsion. Everywhere there were scattered empty food containers, soft drink cans, discarded test tubes... not to mention, there was a distinctly funky smell in the air. Not in a groovy musical way, either.

It's a good job Chloe isn't with us... Sabrina noted with relief, furtively trying to keep herself from gagging to be polite. She'd have a fit if she saw this mess... actually, I'm not sure anymore. If she can attend school today in clothes that clearly cost a lot less than even mine and seemingly not let it bother her, then perhaps this clutter might be more her scene than I originally thought...

"Would you like some of this sticky candy, dear...?" Sabrina's confused thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Ms. Mendeleiev pushing something papery against the redhead's glasses. It was a packet of tiny wrapped 'treats', that looked ever-so-slightly past the expiration date. "I found the packet behind my car seat the other day, which is funny because I don't remember buying them. I'm not sure how long they were down there for, but they're still sweets, right? You kids still eat that stuff nowadays, don't you? D-do you want to try one?"

"E-er, no thanks, Ms. Mendeleiev..." Sabrina sheepishly told the teacher, with a tiny bead of sweat dribbling down her brow. "I-I don't want to ruin my appetite... for later, I mean. M-my mom's cooking pot roast tonight..."

"O-oh, okay..." Ms. Mendeleiev looked a little sad at Sabrina's rejection, and the redhead couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about turning down the teacher's rare gesture of magnanimity, especially as the reclusive adult was unlikely to take such a large 'risk' again for quite a while.

Also repeatedly echoing in Sabrina's mind was the pretty selfish but nevertheless highly implicative thought that made the teenager all the more desperate to win Chloe back: That's your future right there, in a stinky old lab coat, hoarding garbage and being a complete social pariah, if you don't buck your ideas up, Miss Raincomplix...

"S-so, what did you want to tell me about Chloe anyway, Ms?" Sabrina was eager to move the discussion on, both to distract her attention away from her own current tenuous situation, and the depressive prospects of her later life heralded by this rubbish dump of an office.

"Ah yes, Miss Bourgeois..." Ms. Mendeleiev hummed to herself, while depositing her slight frame in the creaky swivelly seat she'd used for years. "I never thought I'd witness her behaving stranger than when you turned invisible, but having seen the way she was carrying herself today, I think we may have a new winner..."

Ms. Mendeleiev tended to use more informal language in front of the children than her more affable colleague Caline Bustier, but at the moment Sabrina felt awkward for a slightly different reason. "E-er..." the redhead paled, uncomfortable flashbacks of cradling her smashed brooch and being wrapped in a blanket in the immediate aftermath of her akumatisation playing in her subconscious. "C-could you please not talk about that? I-It's not a day I especially want to remember..."

"Oh..." A rare moment of clarity found it's way through Ms. Mendeleiev's coffee and occasionally nicotine-fuelled mind, and she briefly recalled seeing a distraught-looking Sabrina on the television news, being led into the back of an ambulance after her brush with evil possession. The redhead must have taken the experience harder than most. "L-listen, S-Sabrina, I'm very sorry to upset you, especially so soon after the death of your..."

Oops. Nearly put my foot in it again... Ms. Mendeleiev quickly recalled that social tact was most definitely not her strongest suit (thanks to the long, solo hours in the laboratory working on complicated experiments), and decided to finally get to the point in front of an increasingly sombre-appearing Sabrina.

"A-Anyway, as I was saying... my main reason for inviting you in here today is because you are, or rather, according to you, were, Chloe's only friend. When I spoke to her earlier this morning she seemed anxious, distracted, very nervous and her hair and clothes were as unkempt as I've ever seen them. I may only be speculating here, but I feel her off-kilter behaviour may stem from something going on in her personal life. I'd like to help her, but I get the impression she won't tell me anything herself, and as you can imagine it's almost impossible to reach her father on the telephone, even when it's about his daughter..."

The good ol' honourable mayor, showing his benevolence again... Sabrina sarcastically thought, while folding her arms aggressively at the memories of all the snotty looks and underhand remarks the elected official had given her over the years, when he thought the redhead wasn't paying attention. It's as if he believes I wasn't worthy of being his child's friend, even though I was the only one prepared to fill that role, with her terrible attitude, and all. As uppity as Chloe may be though, her father is at least a hundred times worse.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mendeleiev continued her explanation, seemingly unaware of Sabrina's sour expression. "...So, I'm afraid I had to resort to dragging you in here, to ask if you might have any kind of idea as to why she appears so... dishevelled and volatile right now. Anything happen at school? Home ? All information will be kept between these four walls, of course. Do you think you can help me, and by extension, Chloe out? The two of you may have had your differences recently, but I'm sure with her physical and mental health possibly being at risk, you can set them aside for now..."

Usually, even with the numerous disagreements they'd had of late, Sabrina would rather have walked through hot coals than dish the dirt on her former bestie. The aggravating sight of the blonde getting on so famously with Lila at lunch though, and her easy embrace of Alya earlier as they'd returned to the classroom together, had caused that once solid bond of trust to snap in her mind.

Add to that all the years of hard graft she'd put into her thankless task as Chloe's sole confidante, only to have it thrown back in her face at the drop of a hat, quickly changed the redhead's frame of mind from desperation to vindictiveness. Feeling somewhat empowered all of a sudden, she uncrossed her arms to stare intensely across at the teacher, and delivered her answer in a mock sympathetic tone.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't really be telling you this, but..." Sabrina bat her eyelids a few times, to try and add to her 'innocent' demeanor. "I've been concerned about her for some days now. First of all, she sounded totally weird on the phone, as if she wanted to tell me something, but couldn't quite find the words. Then, I heard that while I was away, she come to school without any make-up on, when she's been wearing it like a second skin for ages. I suppose I don't need to tell you about her new, completely unfashionable 'outfit', if you can call it that. As you said, she also seems withdrawn, agitated, behaving very pecularly... she even refused to talk to her crush of many years about her problems, dumping him on the spot when he only inquired! There's also a rumour going around that she was caught talking to herself, though I can't exactly verify that. I know it must be difficult, having a demanding father like hers, but..."

"F-Father...?" Ms. Mendeleiev's booming voice suddenly jolted Sabrina from her lengthy dialogue. "Do you think... this might be something to do with him? Tell me Sabrina, and this is very important... have you noticed any oddly-shaped marks on Chloe lately, or bruises? Or perhaps..."

"No, no!" Sabrina's reply was almost as sharp as Ms. Mendeleiev's. She may have wanted to exact a bit of karmic revenge on Chloe by exaggerating the circumstances somewhat, but she wasn't about to tell outright lies. "I'm sure it's got nothing to do with him! After all, she's always telling me what a good dad he is! Even though... he leaves her alone for most of the day... does nothing to help her with her personal problems...never attends any of her functions apart from the school's Parents Day, and that's when he was on the campaign for re-election... had a very short temper the day her bracelet went missing in class... oops, can we forget I said all that, please?"

The redhead's long-standing grudge against the mayor had led to her running her mouth for much longer than she intended, and now Ms. Mendeleiev was standing upright in horror, looking directly at her, a pronounced note of urgency affecting her speech. "Sabrina. I'm going to ask you one more time, and I want you to think very carefully. You sit right next to Chloe in lessons, and have the chance to see her up-close every day. Are you absolutely positive you haven't seen any strange marks or abrasions on her skin recently? No matter how insignificant you might think they might be, I want you to be totally honest, as a lot of things could be at stake. I cannot stress this enough..."

Sabrina was about to answer with another emphatic 'no', but then... something nagged the back of her mind. Spurred on by the teacher's frenetic tone, and her own natural penchant for honesty, she found herself speaking her fears out loud. "W-Well, there was a small red mark on her neck I noticed this morning, almost as if something had been holding her down, but it didn't look like a handprint. A-Also, her eyes did look a little sore the other day, like she'd been poked in them, but I'm sure it was just an accident. P-perhaps I only spotted them because she doesn't have on as much make-up as she used to. I-I don't know about the rest of her appearance, since those baggy clothes she's just started wearing cover up most of..."

"Alright, that's all I need for now..." Ms. Mendeleiev had apparently heard enough, and slumped backwards onto her chair, evidently with a lot on her mind. "Thank you very much for your help today Miss Raincomplix, you've been most informative. Please close the door on your way out."

"W-what I've just told you, Chloe won't get to know about it, will she...?" Sabrina felt quite frightened all of a sudden, as if she'd made a terrible mistake. "I mean, you did promise..."

"Don't worry dear, whatever happens next, I'll make sure your anonimity is preserved. But, that's all I can say for now. Leave me to think it over for a little while... and if you're late for your next class, this is the one time I'll let you come up with a false excuse." Ms. Mendeleiev responded half-heartedly while gazing at the ceiling, almost as the rising damp could provide answers to her dilemma.

Sabrina couldn't help but audibly gulp as she left the decrepit room. For Ms. Mendeleiev, of all teachers, to give her a free pass for being tardy, something truly bothersome must be erupting in her egghead.

I hope I haven't just made a massive error of judgement in being so transparent, and messed up any meagre chance I had of reconnecting with Chloe in the process, Sabrina pondered grimly, as she made her way to Miss Bustier's afternoon lesson at speed. Still, who can blame me for being a little upset with the way things are right now... and I'm sure the teacher was just curious. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

...

In the meantime, a brooding Ms. Mendeleiev was deeply entrenched in her thoughts, even lighting a cigarette indoors to relieve her heightened stress levels. Thank goodness strident budget cuts had removed the smoke detector sprinkler system.

What am I supposed to do... How can I make a decision like this? I've only ever been good with bunsen burners and frog dissection, not child safety, and to go against the mayor...

Then she remembered the danger signs from earlier she'd picked up on exuding from Chloe, which Sabrina had elaborated on to some extent. Being completely disengaged. Frightened to the touch. Troubled. An unwillingness to talk. Ditching all of her old friends. Talking to herself when she thought no-one was listening. Completely changing her appearance. An inattentive father with a short fuse. And now, add possible signs of physical abuse to the mix...

Ms. Mendeleiev suddenly realised that no matter how important the person, no matter what she might lose by fulfilling her sworn duty as a responsible educator, she had to act. Now.

She got out her mobile phone, and dialed.

...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you're wondering how Chloe got her so-called 'injuries', think back to previous chapters of the fic very carefully.

This is the end of Sabrina's little intermission... I hope you enjoyed it. The main tale will resume again soon.

Incidentally, if you like Star The Forces Of Evil (and who doesn't?) then check out my latest fic, which follows the tumultuous events of the latest episode. Not that I'm begging, or anything... ;)