The Pact Read Online Free Page A

I’m here as a supply teacher for the term to take over from Miss Watkins who’s been doubling up on the subject.”
    There was another pause, this one even longer than the one before. Then a buzzer sounded and, ever so slowly, the gates began to open inward of their own accord. Taking this as confirmation that they wanted her to come in, Parva eased the car forward, and entered the sprawling grounds of St Miranda’s College of Higher Education.

 
    4
     
    “Do you understand what this institution is, Miss Corcoran?”
    Parva licked her lips and cleared her throat to give her time to think of the best answer, one that would be agreeable to the elderly woman seated at the desk in front of her. Parva would have liked to sit down as well, but the office of Miss Hazel Arbuthnot, BA (Hons) didn’t seem to have any other chairs. Presumably this was a place where only the headmistress was allowed to be seated.
    “An educational establishment for young women,” said Parva, feeling uncomfortably like one of those young women herself right now.
    Miss Arbuthnot toyed with the length of heavy pale blue beads she had strung about her wizened neck. As she slowly shook her head, strands of grey hair sought to escape from the frightening beehive into which an attempt had been made to secure them.
    “We prefer to think of them as young ladies,” came the reply. “We are an educational establishment, certainly, but in far more ways than the rather narrow academic remit you are probably thinking of.”
    Parva wasn’t thinking of anything in particular so she kept quiet as the headmistress continued.
    “As well as preparing those with the appropriate abilities for university, we pride ourselves on our programmes of sporting activities, etiquette, and, most of all, a strong sense of being able to cope with life without the crutches that so many people these days find they have to rely on.”
    So alcohol and drugs were banned, thought Parva. There was probably plenty of both here anyway, though.
    “And of course we expect the teachers to adhere to the same strict principles we set for the girls. There’s nothing like learning by example, is there?”
    Parva forced a nod. If that was true, she would be in Rampton Psychiatric Institution now, along with Edmund Cottingham, the professor of forensic pathology she had been apprentice to, who had finally snapped and embarked on a killing spree of his own, with her as his intended final victim.
    Miss Arbuthnot held out her hand.
    “Might I borrow your phone for a moment?” she said with a smile.
    Parva shrugged and reached into her pocket. “It’s not a very high tech one,” she said, wondering why the woman should want to see it.
    It turned out Miss Arbuthnot didn’t actually want to look at Parva’s phone at all, rather she seemed to want to put in her desk drawer and then lock it.
    “That’s my property…” Parva did her best not to sound indignant but from the crease in the old lady’s brow she obviously wasn’t successful.
    “We do not allow any communication with the outside world here except through the traditional method of the land-line telephone,” Miss Arbuthnot explained. “Hand-held devices interfere with learning and development and cause the individual to become depersonalised, obsessed with the tiny screen in front of them instead of the world that exists around them.” She had obviously given this little speech many times before. “For the period of time that you are in my employ your phone will remain in this desk drawer. It will, of course, be returned to you when you leave.”
    And I’ll definitely be leaving , thought Parva, oh yes, and sooner than you think . She made a mental note to keep her laptop away from prying eyes.
    “There is no internet signal here.” The headmistress must have known what Parva was thinking. “But if you have any kind of computer with you, you are welcome to use it for the preparation of PowerPoint presentations and Word