//------------------------------// // Wallflower // Story: Making Family // by Cirrus Sky //------------------------------// The fact that the school secretary had collected Wallflower from class and escorted her to the office worried the green haired girl a lot. Through her own efforts she had been absolutely unnoticed for a very long time. Now a few students had seen her on the way to the Principal. What they would think was anybody's guess. “Please take a seat.” The secretary told her, shutting the door behind them. She had never been beyond the door before, too quiet and then equipped to wipe any memory pertaining to herself. Wallflower was a little nervous. There were two doors, one each side of the office. Principal on one and Vice-Principal marked on the other. Wallflower turned her attention to her feet, nervous of this new situation. “Wallflower Blush. Could you come speak with me please?” Vice-Principal Luna was at her office door. She looked her usual stern self, the head of discipline always had a more strict expression. “Yes'm'.” Wallflower mumbled and followed the darker of the school administrators into her office. The door closed behind them with a thud in Wallflower's mind, not the actual click of a latch returning home. Looking up again, the Vice-Principal was at her desk. “Sit please.” She gestured to the chair on the other side. One countless troublemakers had sat in before. Wallflower sat and kept her eyes on her lap. Silent. “I am quite aware that the more magical misdemeanours here are difficult to qualify as infractions of school rules. But there are a few points that align, some of your actions were certainly contrary to the regulations and the rules.” Vice-Principal Luna said, some papers shuffled on the desk. “Mh?”Wallflower mumbled in surprise, the sound escaping even though she had wanted to remain silent. “Locking two students into a committee room is dangerous. It is a security and evacuation hazard.” It was strange, Vice-Principal Luna never sounded as, well, sunny as Principal Celestia, but her tones now were actually flat. “If Trixie and Sunset had been stuck in after hours then they would likely have set off an alarm in the building. That would have garnered a police response and a problem for the school.” Wallflower dared to look up, but the Vice-Principal's attention was on the paper she held. “The other issue being if there had been a fire or other danger that required the school building cleared, those two would have been trapped.” The paper returned to the desk and the Vice-Principal caught Wallflower's eye. “That incident will result in a letter home Wallflower. Nothing too major and only recorded on file as a letter to your parents. Just letting them know you had a verbal warning, less than the response for a fire-alarm pull.” “I just wanted them off my case.” Wallflower said softly. “I wasn't thinking clearly, I just wanted to keep things like I'd made them.” “You hurt Sunset you realise.” Vice-Principal Luna said, gently and without accusation. “Quite badly, even if you had not intended it to be as such.” She moved some files on her desk. “I don't know what set off your particular brand of revenge though. I can't find anything focused against you on Sunset's part. She was quite thorough in recording her bad behaviour for us, after the Fall Formal.” “She never singled me out.” Wallflower said quietly. “And she didn't break up any of my friends. I didn't really have anyone close. But she...” At this Wallflower stumbled on her words. “She went from the biggest meanie to popular and with a group of real friends. How come she got everything turned around so easily? I tried and tried, I took away all the times I embarrassed myself from people's memories. All the stupid stutters and dropped lunches... But no one ever was my friend, I was alone! They ignored me at the yearbook committee and no one ever came to gardening club.” Hot tears ran down her face and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Wallflower thought she had gotten past this emotion, but it was bubbling up inside her, warm and cold, in-escapable. She gripped at her sleeves and screwed her eyes shut, pushing her fists against the chair. “Wallflower, its okay. You aren't in trouble. My niece was very adamant about that.” Vice-Principal Luna was closer, but the green haired girl couldn't open her eyes. “Breath in and out slowly okay? I have a fidget cube in my desk drawer if you want it.” Wallflower nodded, after a beat a warm hand was lifting one of hers and she opened her fingers, a plastic cube was placed in her palm and the hand withdrew. A few moments of feeling the cube, touching the different faces and testing the six functions all served to help Wallflower calm down. “'m sorry.” She muttered again. “It is alright Wallflower, I believe plenty has been answered for me already.” Vice-Principal Luna sounded a lot more caring now. Wallflower looked up, the blue toned educator was unreadable but there was a softness to her eyes that had not been there before. “I think you will find Sunset to be a very good friend to have.” Wallflower was observant, she had said the girl's name the same way she had spoken of the niece who had requested clemency for her. It wasn't hard to figure out. “Sunset is your niece?” “My sister adopted her in the Spring.” Luna allowed. Sunset's friends knew, and the almost burning determination the redhead had in regards to befriending Wallflower, it wouldn't have been long otherwise until the girl knew. “The Spring...” Wallflower said, her eyes widened in shock as she realised what she had done. “I made everyone forget.” “Sunset was fortunate that she has a friend elsewhere. She would have been homeless, again, otherwise.” Luna sighed, Luna the aunt, not the Vice-Principal. “You see why I am speaking to you instead of Celestia. This was a pastoral meeting, not one for discipline, but she could not distance herself from events. .” “I'm sorry.” Wallflower said, “I wasn't thinking.” “Magic seems to have that effect Wallflower.” Luna said with a sigh. “I'd like you to keep in mind though, that people have to have the chance to remember anything about you to even begin to make friends with you. From what I had gathered, students who shared schooling with you all their life have scant recollections of you. No one is that quiet.” “I... I had ideas about starting fresh with everyone. Making myself someone cool, someone who could be popular.” Wallflower admitted. “That didn't work.” Her voice was bitter. “Like I said, give people a chance. Sunset certainly intends to involve you in her life.” Luna was ever impressed by her niece. After the previous week's events, the teen had virtually bounced back. “I will, give people I chance I mean. I can't exactly erase myself from their memories now.” Wallflower shook her head. The magic had been such a temptation, so easy to use. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I will gladly help as will the school counsellor. Now, if you need a few moments to collect yourself, you are welcome to remain in the ante-room until the next class.” Luna stacked the files at the edge of her desk. “You can go now, if this is all we need to discuss?” “That is everything.” Wallflower said, quiet again. “I'm sorry, and thanks.” She saw herself out and Luna leaned back in the chair at the closing of the office door. This had been a complicated case. She had desired to punish the girl initially, for Sunset's suffering and sadness. Though Sunset had made it very clear she did not want anything that had happened to her be punished. Only acquiescing to the school rules that were broken. Celestia had not been entirely happy, but was proud of her daughter. Leaving Luna to have to deal with it. She didn't mind covering for Celestia when her sister needed it, but it had been a task to step back and examine the situation as an administrator and not an aunt. Confirming that Wallflower had her own sadness and issues to deal with had made things a lot easier. The teen was in a situation Luna was familiar with and now she was in a position to help. If only it had not come to light after such a fraught and painful few days for her family. Making a few notes and placing them in a very slim file, Luna left her desk and slid the file into the cabinet. Taking the next one she needed. A teacher's job was never done.