• Published 22nd May 2019
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Before the Friendship Games: Principal Cinch - CapNTilfy



Abacus Cinch. As the Headmistress of Crystal Prep Academy, she does whatever it takes to win... whatever it takes. Eighth and final book of Crystal Prep Chronicles: Before the Friendship Games.

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Morning Routine

Author's Note:

Eight days until the Friendship Games.

Reputation. A word that means everything to Abacus Cinch, Headmistress of Crystal Prep Academy. Reputation gains one influence, and with enough influence, one can achieve great feats!

...one could even successfully get away with murder, she thought as she began to get dressed for the day.

But murder was such a dirty word. Abacus Cinch merely accelerated the demise of the erstwhile Headmistress, Amore, all those years ago. Death came to all, without exception. Even she knew she would one day die. To think oneself immune to death is pure folly, she thought. Immortality was nothing more than the stuff of legends. Fantastical nonsense. The Principal entered her car, and started her journey to the cemetery.

Thoughts of death were a constant for Abacus' mind, with her reputation at a close second. However, she was not blind to the fact that her father was in large part responsible for said reputation. He amassed wealth, power, and influence through shady and disreputable means. The mere mention of his name would strike fear in the hearts of all. Even in his final days, he made it quite clear that he would be a force to be reckoned with til the day he died.

While not all of Cinch's father's reputation had been equated with her, she made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was not only her father's daughter, but she was a force to be reckoned with all her own!

Abacus chuckled at the memories. Her father was a mean son of a bitch, and she admired him for it. Every day, be it rain or shine, she made a habit of visiting his grave. Today was to be no exception. The Principal reached the graveyard entrance, then moved forward. She sighed as she saw all the tombstones. As much as she enjoying visiting her deceased parent, being among the dead always made her uneasy. One might say she was afraid of death, and that would be the truth.

Abacus shuddered. After all these years, she still felt nervous every time she visited. Parking her car, she disembarked. The sun was rising as daylight peeked out, and birds were chirping off in the distance. There was a slight chill in the air, and the Principal wasn't sure whether or not it was just her imagination. She steeled herself, then began walking as she took note of all the names and dates on the tombstones she passed.

Each grave she passed was lined with either photographs, wreaths, or any other assortment of such. She sighed, knowing that her father's was devoid of decorations. Cinch would have left a flower on his grave, but the mere thought of touching his marble tombstone sent chills down her spine. Perhaps it was for the best. He will be remembered as a monster for all the pain and suffering he brought people...

It was only through his reputation and influence that he managed to keep Crystal Prep running. Were it not for that, the academy would likely not have lasted two years, if even just one. Everything was perfect until that Amore woman softened up the student body. How she managed to make her way to the top was beyond the current Principal. Benevolence and love was all fine and good, but at the end of the day it didn't quite produce the results that fear did. She tarnished everything her father had worked for, and Abacus took her life for it.

Now that Cinch was in charge, everything was back on track. So what if the students were hostile towards each other? It improved competitive performance. It instilled a survival instinct in them, if you will. The willingness to stay on top, no matter the cost. Just like her father raised her, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Abacus never knew her mother, and from the stories her father told her she was glad. A kind and passionate woman, yet so desperate for love that she didn't realize she was in a one-sided relationship until it was too late. Her foolish "mother" was warned not to leave, but she didn't listen.

She paid for it with her life, and Cinch's father quashed any hopes of retribution through fear and intimidation.

The Principal sighed again. He always spared her the grisly details of her mother's demise or any of his other victims. Over the years she spent with her father, she became enamored with one aspect of his life: the sheer freedom he had to do whatever he pleased. It was a most intriguing thing, since many of history's monsters had that same freedom, and many of them paid the ultimate price for it.

Her father had been a rare exception to the so-called rule, however. He died not by his own hand, but through dementia. It broke her heart to see him suffer so. Everything he worked for, crumbling before his eyes, and he had no idea it was happening. It was ironic, really.

As Abacus passed the graves, she began to wonder what sort of deaths they experienced. Was it peaceful? Was it painful? Was it sudden, or was it drawn out? How would she die? The Principal shook her head. Her death was the absolute last thing she wanted on her mind. It was bad enough she had everyone else's.

Perhaps the most frightening thing about death was the uncertainty of what lie beyond. The body decomposes, but what happens to the soul? If one's death was the end, what new beginning follows for the dead?

Abacus sighed wearily. She had had quite enough of these thoughts, but she'd be thrice damned if she didn't visit her father. Gritting her teeth, she pressed on. The Principal never truly understood why her father wanted to be buried so far away from the road, but in a sad way it made sense. He had been distant with her from time to time, after all.

A few moments later, Abacus Cinch reached her father's tombstone. She heaved a sigh of relief as she stared at it. "Finally..."

Here lies Sombra