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"My Father's Daughter" (Greenhill) Greenhill Academy is known throughout the Jowston City States area as being one of the most exclusive private schools of the land. Founded only a few years after the city itself was built, the school encouraged willing students from all cities and countries to study within its halls in the hopes of succeeding in helping these pursue their favored career, whether it be in politics, runes, weaponry or even magic. In a recent poll, it had been estimated that roughly 93% of the students who have successfully graduated from the Greenhill Academy had achieved successful professions as well. - excerpt from the "History of Greenhill" Teresa hated Greenhill Academy. Miserably, she concentrated on her physics textbook, tried hard to blot out the eyes and voices of the students around her, failed. Her professor's voice, a high squeaky tenor that fitted its owner, a thin spectacled wizard with straggly hair, droned on and on, doing nothing to drown out the sounds she didn't want to hear. It wasn't fair. ".....daughter of the mayor......." "...pity her, doesn't look like.......belong....." ".....probabably the snotty type...." "...just avoid....." Teresa squirmed down lower on her chair, wishing that she could crawl under the table and hide there for the rest of the semester, or just completely disappear. Shut up! She wanted to scream. Three weeks into Greenhill Academy High, and she had yet to make any friends. Not that anyone went out of their way to so much as look at her as she passed by. The whisperings didn't start until she walked away. No one talked to her. No one smiled, no one gave her a second glance. From the regular school bullies to the popular and prettily dressed cheerleaders, she may as well didn't exist for all they cared. Except when they thought she didn't hear. Then the gossips would start. How mayor Alec did so-and-so with this-or-that-city leader. How their parents tell them not to mess about with the Wisemail family, not to be pulled into whatever intrigue or political affairs that went on in that family. All because she was the mayor's daughter. Whispering. "......Mother said she's......" "Ignore her, I say......." ".....bad news....." Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! "...do you understand, Miss Wisemail?" Teresa started up guiltily. The murmurs had ceased. Professor Cranley stood before her desk, huge book in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other. "I suggest you try to concentrate on the matters at hand instead of daydreaming about other unrelated subjects, shall we?" Silence. A pin dropped, but Teresa didn't hear it. "Yes sir." She murmured, staring red-faced down at her hand. Professor Cranley nodded sternly, then moved off for other students to scold. The whisperings started up again. Teresa stared down hard at the pencil in her hand and resisted the urge to cry. Almost absentmindedly, her pen formed word onto paper. Pariah. The story of her life. It just wasn't fair. It was almost the same as she had remembered it. The same shade of green and white, the same dust-eroded chalkboard, the same wooden chairs that she had spent nearly half her childhood in, scribbling down lectures of the past teachers she had been under. Only she wasn't a teen anymore. But how different had she been before than what she is now? It was an empty classroom; now used only for important lectures given by special lecturers or visiting specialists. But ten years ago, it had been one of the centers of Teresa's life. She had learned here, studied here; graduated. It had been one of the best times. It had also been one of the worst. People can be so cruel sometimes. And they can be at their most cruel when they go out of their way not to be at all. Teresa supposed she could understand why her classmates had done what they did. To be the mayor of Greenhill was a hard task; not all the decisions made were necessarily the most popular, and Alec Wisemail had been a hard man at times. giving the best he could according to what he thought was best for the city; and expecting others to do the same as well. No one wanted to be involved if they could, and that included anyone distinctly related to the Wisemail clan. Pariah. Outcast. From junior high to her senior year, that had been the sum of Teresa's existence. Always left out in projects and plays, in tennis and social works. Hurt and confused, Teresa chose to revolve her life around her father and eventually, the politics that soon became her career. Shaking her head off these unwanted memories, Teresa strode out of the empty classroom, to continue her monthly rounds of the Academy. Behind her, the classroom remained as it was; empty and silent. Teresa stiffened. Instinctly, she knew why the class had suddenly quieted down; why the professor suddenly stiffened and began delivering the lecture in a self-conscious, slightly awkward manner. She refused to turn to look behind her; she didn't need to. Alec Wisemail sat in an empty chair at the end of the classroom; silent, yet still exceeding an aura of strength and power around him. She could picture him; right leg crossed atop the other, hands folded on the small squared table top, leaning forward with no expression at all on his face. The professor stumbled slightly, caught himself in the nick of time, and continued to squawk. Teresa felt sweat trickling down her back, dampening the cardigan blouse that composed part of the Greenhill Academy uniform. She knew that it was on her Alec's eyes strayed to the most, knew what expectations he had for her, and how high those expectations were. Those eyes that held sway over city-state councils were now concentrated at her, and she was afraid. Afraid that she might not meet up to what he thought she could be. Alec's weren't the only eyes trained on her. >From the corner of her eye, she could catch some of her classmates shooting her quick glances, only to look away moments later, as if they'd done something wrong. She didn't know what they were expecting, but they were expecting something of her as well. Swallowing hard, Teresa muted out her surroundings and focused on the leather-bound philosophy book she was supposed to be reading. Failure was not an option. The class was noticeably quiet. The current professor in charge of the lecture, one of Teresa's colleagues, gave her a self-conscious smile, straightened her bun and continued on with the discussion, her voice a touch stronger than before. In front of her, more than just a few students squirmed, and some sneaked a peek at her, to assure themselves that she was really in the classroom, then snapped back to attention with the subject at hand. How the roles have been changed now. She was the surveyor now and not the surveyee; she no longer needed to worry about the several eyes looking in her direction; she was doing the looking. But sometimes it was hard not to look back to see who was looking at her, jusging her merits and shortcomings, even after the lonely years that followed her father's death. Teresa only stayed for a few more minutes, mentally taking down notes of the class procedures, before quietly slipping out of the classroom. She fancied she could hear the class breathe a huge sigh of relief - students and teacher included. "Excuse me?" Teresa started visibly. She had gotten so used to not being noticed, it was a startling change for her to be noticed now. She looked up from the lunch she was eating. Standing in front of her was a boy older than she was. A senior, she guessed. Brown hair, blue eyes. He smiled. She couldn't help but smile back. "I was just wondering....I've just transferred here, and I was wondering where the weaponry class is located. I hope I'm not bothering you?..." "Oh, no!" Teresa blurted. How long had she hoped to be bothered, until it became nothing more as a fancy? "No problem at all. Ah....it's down the left corridor, third classroom on the right." "Thanks! Didn't quite catch your name. I'm Darin Llere." "I'm Teresa." Inwardly, she cringed. He was likely to regret talking to her once he knew her name. Most people did. "Teresa Wisemail." She added, just in case he didn't figure it out yet. The hundred-watt smile never faltered. "Well, please to meet you, Teresa. Your father's the mayor in these parts, right?" Open mouthed, all Teresa could do was nod. "Oh, damn, I think I'm already late. See you around, Teresa!" With that final parting shot, Darin took off for the class he was about to miss. Teresa stared after him. She wondered what he was doing now. As he had been a senior, they didn't have any classes together, yet he was always ready to greet her with a smile when they passed each other in the hall, even shared a lunch table on a few occasions. He must have had known why other students treated her the way they did during his first few days, but his attitude around her was always friendly. Though they hadn't been close enough to be good friends, she had missed him when he finally graduated a year later. It had been good to find a smile among the stares, even for just a short while. And here she was. Mayor of Greenhill, finishing what her father had started all these years. He's probably laugh if he knew. Teresa walked up the large staircase, dismissing her daydreams for the meantime. There was still a job to do. You always did say how much I looked like mom, dad. "You're not happy with studying in the Greenhill Academy, are you Teresa?" "Yes. I mean, no. I mean....I like studying there, I enjoy the lectures, it's just......" "It's because of how they treat you there, isn't it?" "I....well......sort of." "There's no 'sort of', Teresa. It's either you know something for a fact, or you don't." "Yes, sir." "And as for this.....I have to say that I'm sorry for your predicament. It was my position that caused your classmates to treat you that way. Just remember that they don't hate you. The treaties I'm involved in are tricky, and there are a lot of vocal pro and con parties on the side as well. Parents don't want their children to appear like they're taking sides on the matter. Do you understand?" "I...yes, sir. It's hard sometimes.....but I'll try." A pause. A quiet laugh. "Well. Not only do you look like your mother, you're beginning to sound just like her too." A heartbeat. "Teresa......I believe your spring break is coming up soon. Would you....like me to show you around my office, learn what I do there? It has always been interesting for me, and I hope it would be for you too." "Oh! I'd love that, dad!" For the first time in a long while, Teresa smiled happily. For the first time in a long while, Alec Wisemail smiled back.
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