#and the superintendent made a statement about if she had kids she would keep them in school but parents wouldn’t be reprimanded for keeping

[xninetiestrendx]

.

[lils-writes-stuff]

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

spencer reid x reader

Best Years Part two | Part one

summary: As the team investigates the mass suicides at Somerville academy, the tensions between the reader and Spencer rise. Ad the reader gets a note from a past memory. 

Warnings: normal Criminal minds things, more slow build up. 

A/N: based on season 7 episode 9 of criminal minds.  

  Y/N sat in her swivel chair at her desk, blue pen in her hand lightly tapping as she was deep in thought. All different kinds of emotions hitting her brain as she tried to put them all together, not knowing if it was something she should worry about or push aside. Her thoughts were soon broken by the smell of a fresh cup of coffee filling her senses. She turned and looked at a smiling Dr. Spencer Reid holding out her mug to her. 

   “You are the best Spence, thank you.” She smiled at him while she took the mug from his large hand. 

   “No problem, really,” he responded with a small smile, leaning himself against the edge of her desk. “You seem like something’s bothering you, what’s up?” 

   His question made her stop. To be honest she didn’t really know what was wrong. One thing she did know was that she was developing feelings for the good doctor in front of her. Other than that, she didn’t know. 

   He watched her pause. Thinking he crossed a line he began to get flustered. 

   “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t-I mean,” he stumbled over his words. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he explained.

   She looked up at him shaking her head, “No, no you didn’t.” She reassured him before she paused again trying to think of how to explain her feelings. “I’m not really sure if I’m being honest with you Spence,” she said, placing her mug down on her desk before she crossed her arms. 

   A security thing, Spencer thought as he watched her fold her arms across her chest and lean forward. 

   “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, not really knowing how to respond. Well, he knew how he wanted to respond but it wasn’t the most rational thing to say to someone who he didn’t even know if they had feelings for him also. “If there’s something you need or-or even someone you want to talk to, I’m here.” 

   Her heart fluttered.

   She smiled at him before she let her thoughts get in the way. “Thanks, Spence, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

   He gave a slight nod before taking a sip of his own coffee. 

   “You know I-” Y/N was cut off.

   “Guys,” Hotch said, getting the attention of the team down in the bullpen as he nodded towards the round table room. 

--------

   “Somerville Military Academy, Oceanside, Florida. Five boys were found hanging this morning,” Hotch began as he and Strauss began to explain the case.

   “Five?” Y/N said, a worried tone in her voice.

   “Yes, five,” Hotch said, confirming her doubt. 

   “The bodies are at the medical examiner’s now,” Strauss explained.

   “There’s no photos?” Derek asked, eyebrows raised. 

   “School personnel thought they may still be alive,” Strauss began. “So they cut them out of the trees.”

Y/N let out a slight sigh, an uneasy feeling forming in her stomach at the thought. Spencer looked at her with worry, silently asking her if she was okay. 

All good, she mouthed to him which he responded with a nod.  

   “Jimmy Burbage, Phil Mumford, Jerry Bowden, Jack Briggs, Tucker Calhoun,” Hotch spoke, listing out all the victims in the file.  

   “So we’re walking into a contaminated crime scene,” Derek said, with a slight question in his tone. “We don’t have anything solid?” 

   “ ‘We’re sorry’, was carved in a tree branch nearby,” Hotch answered Derek’s question.

   “This happened on campus?” Emily asked, looking at Hotch. 

   “No, in the woods about an hour away,” he responded. 

   “How long were they out there?” Y/N asked.

   “Six days,” Strauss responded looking at her. 

   Y/N’s eyebrows raised, “Without supervision?”

   “It was an outward bound mission, for the upperclassman,” Strauss responded. She seemed slightly annoyed with her and Y/N just looked away without a question. 

   “What drove them to Suicide?” Spencer asked. 

   “Freshman cadet, Bailey Shelton, hung himself two weeks ago in his room,” Strauss explained.

   “Identical bed sheets, hangman’s knot,” Hotch said, giving more to the explanation.

   “Who takes sheets camping?” Rossi asked, the look of thought on his face showing through. 

   “They would if it was the plan,” JJ said, looking at those around the table.

   “Could be a domino effect,” Y/N said, adding more to JJ’s theory. 

   “Campus would have been on high alert after the first one, so the kids wait until they’re alone in the woods,” said Rossi. 

   “They must’ve made some kind of pact,” Derek agreed. 

   “And there’s something else,” Hotch began. “Six kids went on the trip. Only five were found.”

      Y/N let out another quiet sigh, this seemed a lot more complicated then the academy was probably going to let on. 

   “School officials confirmed Josh Redding is still missing,” Strauss said. 

   “Maybe he chickened out of the pact,” Derek said, trying to find a reason as to why he was missing. 

   “Or was never part of it,” Spencer added to Derek’s thought.

   “Campus is completely off the grid, no internet,” Hotch said. 

   “I can help with that,” Garcia said looking back at Hotch.

   “Which is why you’re coming with us,” Hotch said to her. 

   “Oh,” she responded not expecting that. 

   “And so am I,” Strauss said, causing everyone to look at her. Surprise all evident on their faces.   

   “Isn’t Somerville the director’s Alma Mater,” Rossi asked, to no one in particular really.

   “Yes. The academy has enjoyed a spotless reputation, so the hope is to keep the investigation in house,” Strauss explained.  

   “I imagine there’s a lot of concern for Josh,” Emily stated. “He’s been out there for almost a week.” 

   Everyone looked around at each other for a second.

   “So how’s he surviving?” JJ asked.

-------

   “So, Somerville Academy was founded during World War II,” Garcia began. “It is a hard-core old school, they don’t even have a website.” She finished her statement with a slight mumble. 

   “Socioeconomic breakdown all over the map,” Emily said looking down at the file in her lap. 

   “Yeah so are the ages,” Y/N said as she looked at the pamphlet in her hand. “Students are 12 to 18 years old.” 

   “All on the same campus, in the same dorms,” JJ said, continuing to read what was in front of them. 

   “Same personnel has worked there for a lifetime,” Derek said looking up from his file. “Ron Massey has been superintendent for 30 years.”

   “He’s an alum, as is the majority of the staff there,” Strauss said, giving more detail as to why that was. “Lieutenant Tawes has been his second in command this whole time.”

   “These types of places have their own infrastructure,” Derek said. 

   “Yeah, if it ain’t broken, they ain’t gonna fix it,” Y/N said with a small chuckle evident in her voice.

   “That’s probably why they banned modern technology,” Emily added on to the profile of the academy.   

   “They didn’t need it back then, they don’t need it now,” JJ agreed.

   “Aggressive Motto-” Rossi began. “Vivere est vincere,” he read. 

   “To live is to conquer,” Y/N said as she recognized the phrase. “They raise soldiers, suicide isn’t a part of that mantra.” 

   “Bailey Shelton was only 13-years-old, he was one of the youngest students there,” Spencer said. 

   At this, Y/N wondered into her thoughts again. How could someone so young want to take their life? She thought to herself. Her mind got lost in her own theories while the rest of the team discussed. 

-------

   The team arrived at the academy and all filed out of the SUVs. Spencer and Y/N going to the back to help Garcia with all the equipment that she had to bring with her. 

     “Colonel Massey, Erin Strauss,” Strauss introduced herself to the Colonel. “This is the team I spoke with you about,” she spoke, gesturing to her side. 

   “Agent Hotchner,” Hotch said, shaking the man’s hand. “This is Agent Morgan, Agent Jareau,” He said while the two shook his hand. “Dr. Spencer Reid, Agent Y/L/N, and Penelope Garcia,” the three by the car gave a hand gesture signaling they acknowledged the introduction. 

    Y/N looked at the Colonel for a second, glancing over his posture and facial expression. She got that gut feeling again, but she passed this one off as a wave of hunger.  

     The four with the Colonel began discussing what they were going to do, while the three by the car began unloading. 

  “Why does there have to be so much stuff?” Y/N said as she pulled another tub out of the back of the trunk. Spencer laughed as he watched her struggle slightly pulling out the tub. 

   “Because the Old-timer over there doesn’t allow new technology, we have to bring a whole database in,” Penelope said in a mumble so only the three of them could hear. The two others laughed at her statement while they pulled the last of the things out of the trunk. 

    “Any leads on Josh?” Derek asked as they began to walk towards the three by the car.

   “In that terrain,” the Colonel began. “He’s only capable of moving a mile an hour.” 

   “Puts him in a 60-mile radius,” Spencer said as he pulled a bag from the trunk. “That’s 3,600 square miles to cover.” 

   “Tawes knows those woods better than anybody,” The Colonel said. 

   “We’ve got two agents meeting and we’ll start the investigation here,” Hotch said, turning towards the colonel.  

    “Where’s the place with the most outlets?” Garcia asked, hopeful for a good answer.

    “Best bet is in the library,” responded the Colonel. 

   “Thank you,” Garcia responded. Her, Y/N, and Spencer grabbed the bags and some cadets grabbed the tubs and led them to the library. 

   “Still feeling a little off?” Spencer asked Y/N as they walked towards the library. 

   “Hm- oh yea, kind of,” She responded looking over at him. “I’m not really sure what it is, I think I might just be tired, and this case it just-” she paused, giving a slight shutter. “I don’t know, it just doesn’t sit right with me.” 

   “What do you mean?” Spencer asked eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her. 

   “I think this goes way deeper than a pact-acted mass suicide,” she explained. 

--------

   “Come on, baby,” Penelope said, encouraging the machine in front of her. “Come on!” 

   “I don’t think calling a machine ‘baby’ will help,” Y/N laughed as she plugged in some wires to a receiver.

   “Boo,” Spencer said tapping on a globe in the library. Penelope and Y/N jumped as they turned to look at where the noise came from. 

   “Jeez, you scared me,” Penelope said turning towards him, Y/N doing the same. 

   “Yeah, no kidding.” Y/N said. “I thought he was a ghost.” She lightly laughed before turning back to what she was doing. 

   “You know, older buildings like this emit a low enough frequency that you can’t consciously hear. Because the sensory overload can’t be explained, it wreaks havoc with your emotions. Indicating fear, panic, and dread,” Spencer said. 

   “Hence the feeling of being haunted,” Y/N said as she came to the realization of what his lesson was leading too. He pointed at her nodding with a small smile. 

   “What about the visions?” Penelope asked in a concerning tone. 

   “Your eyes overcompensate for what your ears are missing,” Spencer explained. “That said, I do know a 3-year-old boy who once met a friendly apparition named Leverett Saltonstall.”  

   Y/N giggled at the last statement made by Spencer and also the fact of Penelope’s eyes lighting up. 

   “He was nice?” She asked in a child-like voice.

   “Very nice,” Spencer answered, making Y/N smile while she looked down at the map he just laid out. “You’d think the laundry room would be closer to the dorms,” Spencer said as he looked at the map along with Y/N.

   “It’s not in the basement?” Penelope asked as she typed on her laptop. 

   “It’s on the opposite side of campus,” Y/N said as she used her finger to follow a road. Her hand ever so slightly brushed against Spencer's. A blush formed on both of their faces as they retracted their hands quickly from the map. 

   Spencer cleared his throat, “That’s so strange.” 

   “Yeah,” Y/N said in agreement hoping to God that the moment wouldn’t create an awkward tension.  

   The small moment, they both hoped, went unnoticed to the woman beside them.

 But oh no it didn’t. 

She smiled excitedly at the thought of the two having feelings for each other and how cute they would be together. 

   “Leaves of three, let them be,” Rossi’s voice was heard as he and Emily walked into the room. Emily scratching her arm vigorously. The three turned their heads to look and grimaced at the thought of poison ivy.

   “Oh man, poison ivy,” Y/N said hissing after her words in sorrow for her friend. 

   “Alcohol swabs, stat!” Penelope said standing up from her chair to care for Emily’s needs.

    “Thank you,” Emily said to Penelope. “You know, if I’ve got it, so do you,” she said looking at Rossi. 

   “I’m Italian, it knows better.” He stated matter-of-factly. The three laughed at his statement. “Where’s Massey?” 

   “He’s meeting with the victims’ families,” Y/N said as she sat criss-cross applesauce in her chair.

   “They’re arriving now,” added Hotch as he walked into the room. “JJ, how are Josh’s parents?” 

   Y/N and Spencer turned their heads to see that JJ had entered the room from the opposite door, along with the rest of the team.

   “Upset,” She said. “They sent him here to keep him away from trouble.” 

   “Tawes made it seem like these guys are the only family they have,” Emily said, placing a cotton pad drenched in rubbing alcohol on her arm.  

   “You make it sound like a cult,” Strauss questioned. 

   “Uh, It kind of is,” Y/N said as she looked around at the rest of the team. Rossi nodding his head in agreement looking at Y/N.    

   “This is a well-respected institution,” Strauss responded strongly.  

   “They’re not on trial,” Rossi retorted.  

   “The integral part of this investigation is going to be understanding what these victims lived every day,” Hotch explained. 

   “And with who,” Y/N added. 

   “Bailey Shelton killed himself in Josh Redding’s room,” Derek said, adding to Y/N’s statement. 

   “Was Josh in the room that night?” Y/n asked looking at Derek.  

   “According to the records,” Derek confirmed. 

   “I will dig for dirt,” Penelope said typing away on her computer. Hotch then asked Rossi if he and Emily found anything in the woods.

   “Josh’s tent was secluded. His things were left behind, he just took off.”

   “Massey did say he didn’t get any respect from Josh,” Hotch said. 

   “His parents even said he was hard to control,” JJ added. 

   “His course load indicates increased isolation,” Spencer said looking down at the file in his hand. Y/N leaned over to look at the file he was holding. Spencer noticed this and turned it towards her so she could read it also.  

   “Isolated, smart, angry,” Emily listed off some of the traits they just picked up on. 

   “Sounds to me like it could be a budding psychopath,” Y/N said looking at Emily who nodded in agreement signaling that she was thinking the same thing.

     “What are you saying?” Strauss asked, ready to question what the two women were uncovering. “Josh Redding killed his classmates?”

    Everyone on the team looked at each other, all thinking the same thing now. 

  “Then he’s not missing,” Strauss continued. “He’s on the run.” 

   “And he has been for a week,” Derek added. 

   “One hell of a head start,” Rossi said. 

   “And he has all the skills he could ever need,” Y/n finished.  

---------

   As the sun rose and a new day began and the team all gathered at the academy, the feeling filled Y/N’s stomach again. The feeling spread all over this time, and she didn’t know what it was. She came to a conclusion last night that it was probably about this case because most of the time when she didn’t think about it she felt fine. She needed to talk to someone about, her feelings were usually right and she wouldn’t tell anyone if she thought they were wrong. So as she walked into the library and set her bag down next to Penelope, grabbed her notebook out, and began writing her thoughts. 

   “What are you doing?” Penelope asked her as she looked over at the young woman writing vigorously in the small book. 

   “Trying to know why I have a bad gut feeling,” Y/N explained as she continued to write down her thoughts. 

   “Does this usually help you?” Penelope asked her as she turned back to her computer to type more. 

   “It helped me in school when I knew how to do something but I couldn’t explain to the teacher how I knew how to do it or why.” She remembered back to the times in high school and college when she would grab out her notebook and write so fast that the teacher didn’t even have time to react. 

   “Hey so yesterday,” Penelope said turning away from her computer towards Y/N. “I saw you and boy genius had some sparks fly.”

   Y/N blushed, stopping her writing in her notebook but not looking up. Damn it, I thought she didn’t notice, she thought to herself. 

   “Oh my gosh, you are so crushing on him!” She exclaimed softly seeing the blush on Y/N’s face. 

   “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said quickly as she continued to write.

   “Uh-huh, okay, keep your secret lover,” she said, giving her a silly name. The two went back to what they were doing and keeping quite. Y/N hoping she could talk about her feelings to her later at a better time. Soon Spencer, JJ, Rossi, and Emily walked into the room, breakfast in their hands. Giving everyone their food and all sitting down they began to discuss more into the theory that Josh did it. 

       “Okay, so how did he do it?” Emily asked. “How did Josh control five-strong kids?” 

   “I mean he did supervise the laundry room,” Y/N said as she looked down at her notebook seeing the notes she took about who was who and what they did. “That could explain how the sheets got out.”

   “Yeah, so what does ‘we’re sorry’ mean,” JJ asked, pulling the photo of the branch out of the file. “If it wasn’t for suicide? What if Josh wanted them to apologize for something.” 

    “For their sins?” Emily said, adding the thought of religion. “There's no record of bad behavior, but all these guys were alpha males.” 

   “They were all upperclassmen, might’ve even bullied Bailey,” Y/N added her thought before taking a sip of her coffee. 

   “The message was carved under Tucker Calhoun’s tree for a reason,” said Rossi before taking a bit of his breakfast. 

   “Yeah, we need to know more about that kid,” Emily added. 

   “I agree, I feel like he has more to do with this then Massey is going to let on,” Y/N said, agreeing with Emily’s statement. She looked back down at her book, underlining the name Tucker. 

   “What are you looking at?” Penelope asked, looking at Spencer on the right side of her. Y/N looked up from her notebook to listen to what was going on. 

   “The M.E.’s report,” He said while looking at the report. “Bilateral fracture of the pars interarticularis of the C2 vertebra.”

   “Uh-huh, what’s that?” Penelope asked looking down at the report. 

   “Classic hangman's fracture,” he explained. “But only one of the five victims had it.” 

   “Which one?” Y/N asked him, having a feeling that she already knew the answer. 

   “Tucker Calhuan,” he responded looking at her. 

   “Jeez, who is this guy?” Penelope asked everyone, turned their heads to the pictures of the victims on the board. 

   “The others suffered rotational fractures, hanging was secondary,” Spencer said with slight curiosity in his voice. 

   “Staging the crime scene?” Y/N asked writing that down in her book before circling it.

   “Josh is more sophisticated than we thought,” Rossi added. 

    “And vindictive, he wanted Tucker to suffer,” Emily said. “The question is why.”

   Y/N looked down at her book and let out a sigh. 

   “What is it, kid?” Rossi asked Y/N from across the table. 

   She looked up, “I feel like there’s a piece missing, but I don’t know what.”  

---------- 

    “I think I figured out that piece you were talking about Y/N,” Rossi said walking into the Library. He and Emily went to talk to some cadets to get the 4-1-1 on Josh and Tucker. 

    “A point system,” Emily said. 

   Penelope began typing away on her computer to find all she can about this point system. 

   “Tucker Calhoun has the most points,” Penelope said going up to the board and pointing at him. 

   Y/N and Spencer sat beside each other turned towards the board. 

   “Who approves them?” Spencer asked. 

   “Massey,” Penelope responded quickly. 

   “Maybe Tucker was his little pet,” Y/N said. “Leader of Everything.”

   “That comes with an attitude, steamroller types like that, don’t let anybody get in their way,” Emily added. 

    “Nothing was nice about that kid,” Rossi said. “Sounds like he strong-armed everybody.”

   “Well, then the points are for bad behavior,” Penelope began. “Only they are not calling it that.”

    “We should look at the points of everyone who died in those woods, my guess is they were all bullies,” Y/N said standing up and going towards the chart on the board. 

   “Except for Josh,” Spencer said.

----------

    Y/N walked into the library, three coffee in her hand, two for Spencer and Penelope. 

“The school does have a cell phone,” Y/N heard Penelope say as she walked into the room. 

   “No way,” Y/N said as she handed the coffees to her friends before she sat down. “I knew Massey wasn’t telling us everything.”

    “Only it’s not listed under Massey,” Penelope continued. “The account was opened by...Tawes.” 

   “If Massey’s lying about something as simple as a cell phone, what else is he hiding?” Spencer questioned. 

   “That’s what I’ve been saying,” Y/N said pulling out her notebook and pen. “From the day we got here I have had this feeling, I didn’t know what it was, but now I think I do,” she looked at the two beside her before she continued. “I think Massey is a bigger part of this then he’s letting on.”

   The three were soon joined by JJ, and then Rossi and Emily. 

  “Okay, I need to students who were having trouble with authority,” JJ said to Penelope who began typing on her computer. 

   “Okay, I can do that, but I got to tell you, they post rewards, faster than they do demerits,” Penelope explained as she types on her computer.  

   “Look for kids with issues before they came here,” JJ continued. 

   Y/N looked over to Emily and Rossi who just walked in with some things that she was assuming were left by Josh at the new victim site. 

   “Did any of them have a class with Bailey?” JJ asked, pulling Y/N away from what she was looking at and back to what was going on in front of her. 

   “No but each of the plebes had laundry duty,” Penelope said looking at the schedule. “Does that help?”

   “Their dorm is the farthest point from the laundry room, why are they so isolated?” Spencer asked.

   “M.E. said bailey had blisters and burns, fingertips were raw, his trachea had internal scarring,” Y/N said picking up the report sitting on the table.

   “That’s awful,” Penelope said. 

     “Guys that could be damage done in an industrial-sized dryer,” Spencer said turning to look at Y/N. 

      “Oh my god,” Penelope said in shock. 

   “That’s how Massey’s breaking these boys,” JJ said shock and sadness written on her face. 

    “No, in all the materials it says they don’t believe in corporal punishment,” Penelope said with a sad tone. 

    “Bailey wrote about how all those boys bullied him,” Rossi said holding up Bailey’s journal. 

   “His father must have read it and wants revenge,” Spencer said.

    “Does it mention Josh?” Y/N asked looking at Rossi. 

   “Not at all,” he replied. 

   “Then why would Chris Shelton go after him?” Y/N asked looking to JJ on her right then Spencer on her left.

   “What if Massey lied to Chris Shelton?” Emily questioned. 

   “And set Josh up,” Rossi added. 

    “And he convinced Shelton that Josh was responsible for Bailey’s suicide,” Y/N added, her theory about Massey being apart coming into play.  

   “Still doesn’t explain how he found the secluded woods,” JJ said. 

   “Wait, where’s Mr. Shelton’s phone?” Spencer asked, looking at Emily who was holding the items that were found. 

   “It’s right here,” Emily replied pulling the phone out. “It’s got a couple of contacts on it, Somerville Academy being one of them.” 

   “Any unknowns?” Spencer asked.

   “Tawes does have a cell,” Y/N said looking at Emily. 

   “No way, Lieutenant no tech?” She said with humor. “There’s one, it’s a text...looks like-uh- some phone numbers.” 

   “What are they?” Spencer asked, prompting Emily to reply with a string of numbers. 

   “Those aren’t phone numbers,” Spencer said standing us walking over towards the map of the woods. “That’s latitude and longitude.”

   “Right where those boys were camping,” Rossi said realizing where this was probably going. 

  The team soon realized that the reason for this whole happening was because when Bailey died, Josh was planning to escape because that was who he was protecting from Massey’s abuse. Massey then sent Josh into the woods because he wanted Christ Shelton to take revenge on Josh because he convinced him it was his fault for the suicide. Josh fought back though which was not premeditated. The mass suicide was Shelton’s way of getting back at Massey, taking away who he thought of as his sons.

----------

 The team had discovered three possible places that Josh could be heading to find Chris Shelton’s truck. They split up Hotch, Derek, and Y/N in together, JJ and Spencer, and then Emily and Rossi. 

   Derek pulled up a little bit away from Tawes and Josh, seeing as the two were fighting and they wanted the element of surprise. Derek went around to the side of the woods, tackling Josh before he threw a large rock at Tawes. 

   “Don’t do it, Tawes,” Y/N spoke, her and Hotch standing side by side guns aimed at the man.

   He didn’t listen though, pulling a small pistol out of his bag. Hotch fired a shot at his leg before he could do anything that he would regret. They handled the two and brought them back to the academy and the next day, they were going to arrest Massey.  

   The team watched as Derek guided Massey down the stairs towards the car he would go in. Y/N sighed, a happy one this time as she saw Josh go over and salute Massey before he drove away. His parents stood by his side, mom hugging him and dad patting his shoulder. 

   “You okay?” Spencer asked Y/N as he leaned next to her on the black vehicle behind them.

   She turned her head to look at him, a small smile on her face, “Yeah, I think so, I’m just glad this is over. Hopefully, this feeling will go away after all this passes,” she explained to the man next to her. 

   “My offer still stands, if you need to talk, I’m here,” he said, nudging her arm slightly. She smiled nodding at him. 

   “Thank you,” she replied. 

   The team made it home later that day, going back into the office to finish up reports and such. Y/N walked up to her desk, head-turning to the side as she saw a small enveloped letter on her desk. She carefully picked it up looking at it then opening it.

  She pulled out the small card which read, Be wary of feelings within, they might be more than you think. Turning it over she looked at the back seeing an all to a familiar signature from her past, a silhouette of a bird. She put the card back into the envelope, ripping it up and throwing it in her trash can, hoping she won’t think about it again.

[singingaboutwishingx]

Hi! I don’t know if anons freak you out - I know they weird some people out. But if you’re up for it I would love the Teacher AU, everybody knows/mistaken for couple? Is it possible to have Josh x Donna AND Sam x Will? Thank you!

hey! anons are all good with me as long as y’all aren’t saying mean things haha.

20. teacher au + 63. everybody knows/mistaken for couple

so here’s the thing: everyone thinks josh and donna are dating, but for the love of god, cj, there’s nothing going on. they’re just so clearly in love. donna, the english/lit teacher and drama club advisor (and, yes, when her freshmen read romeo and juliet, she makes them get up and act out pivotal scenes), has been teaching here since she was straight out of undergrad, so she knows this school like the back of her hand. josh has only been here for a couple of years—after a twenty-year career in politics ended with a bang (and just... really not in a good way—the incident basically ended up with him blacklisted from washington), he went to get his teaching certification because he may no longer be able to affect change in the government, but he can help the kids for the future.

when josh first arrived, his classroom was right across from donna’s. she sort of took him under her wing, showing him the best staff bathroom and times when the teacher’s lounge was emptiest. in the month before school started, when they were preparing for the year, they ate lunch together in donna’s classroom every single day, sometimes with cj and sam and will, sometimes not.

the rumors really start flying when they both chaperone homecoming. josh got donna a corsage as a joke, seriously, sam, it doesn’t mean anything. (it wasn’t a joke. he had a huge crush on her.). by the end of the year, they’ve been asked by nearly every teacher, a few bold students, and even a couple of nosy parents if they’re dating, to which they parrot out the “no, we’re just good friends.” who are they kidding, though? they’re both so gone for each other, and it’s pretty obvious.

and so, on the last day of school, after the bell has rung and the halls have been deserted, josh knocks on donna’s doorframe as she packs up her books for the year. “can i come in?” he asks shyly.

“yeah, of course.” she waves him in, and he leans back against a desk in the front row. “so, your first year teaching. how do you feel?” she looks up at him with a smile that melts his heart.

“i won’t lie, it was really hard. i mean, you were on the receiving end of all my frantic eleven pm texts. that being said,” he pauses. “it was nice to have a friend. made things easier. and better.”

she stands up, placing a tote of books on her desk. “i’m really glad to hear that. will really is such a good friend, isn’t he?” she says, making both of them laugh. “you think you’ll stay?” she asks quietly.

“yeah,” he says. “yeah, i think i will.” josh hesitates. “there is one more thing i need your advice on this year, though.”

she grins at him. “shoot.”

“over this last year,” he starts, standing up and walking around her desk so they’re face-to-face. “there have been a lot of changes in my life. and one of them... is that i’ve started to have feelings for someone i work with. and we’re really good friends, and i don’t want to ruin what we have. what should i do?”

“well,” donna says, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, “maybe you... maybe you should just kiss her. and see if she kisses you back. i’m generally not big on surprising people with a first kiss, but i really don’t think she’ll be too surprised.”

“you know what i think?” he steps closer.

“what?”

“i think you,” he murmurs, snaking an arm around her waist, “give excellent advice.”

and when he kisses her, it’s perfect. it’s brief, chaste, but they don’t let each other go after.

“josh,” she runs her thumb along his cheekbone, “i think we might have to address some rumors we’ve been denying.”

“oh, who cares? they can find out when they find out.”

now, everybody thinks josh and donna are dating, but everybody (well, the teachers, at least) knows sam and will are dating. will, who teaches science and coaches the science olympiad, is a little awkward, but he has the gift of being really, really good at explaining physics. sam teaches junior/senior/ap english, and there are a LOT of pretty little liars jokes whispered amongst the students. he’d like to think of himself as more of a dead poets society kind of guy, though.

anyway, sam and will come in the same year, and they instantly hit it off. they’re still young and idealistic and in the closet to most of the people in their lives. they end up spending a lot of time together out of school. after a school-wide drama surrounding a sophomore’s coming out, will quietly admits to sam that he’s gay, and sam is like “oh, thank god. me, too.” they had both had an inkling that the other might not be straight, but they were both too afraid to talk about it (and their budding feelings for one another certainly didn’t push that conversation to the front).

it’s only a few months after that they admit their feelings and start dating. they have to keep it really, really quiet (they live in a somewhat progressive area, but two gay teachers dating each other? not ideal.). the only times they’ve ever actually gone out together, they’ve been out of the state. it’s really not that bad, though, because they would both prefer to stay in, anyway.

neither of them have ever said a word, but the rest of the staff knows. they know. during one of their lunches in donna’s classroom, cj casually mentions that she has a friend she could fix sam up with, and he just kind of clams up and spits out that he’s seeing someone. not anyone cj knows. just someone. sam doesn’t really like to talk about his love life, sorry. when she extends the offer to will, she gets a similarly vague, mildly panicked response. he’s also kind of seeing someone. it’s not super serious, but he’s not really looking at the moment. but thanks.

and so without sam and will having to have told cj, josh, and donna, they know. and after a few similar incidents with other teachers, the whispers start. no one dares say anything to their faces because they’re pretty sure will would quit out of embarrassment, and he’s the best science teacher they’ve got. they’re sure as hell not letting him go.

it’a not until a few years into their relationship that things take a turn. there’s a weeklong teacher conference in san francisco that summer, and it’s the perfect excuse for sam and will to take a trip. it’s almost intoxicating, honestly, to get in the same car without worrying who will see, to go out to dinner and hold hands across the table, to kiss on street corners without a care in the world.

they take a day’s detour through las vegas on their way back, and in a brilliant, fifth shot-idea, will turns to sam and simply says “let’s get married.” and thirty minutes later, they’re exchanging rings without thinking of the consequences. when they’re finally in the post-hangover stage, they decide they can just not wear the rings at school.

what they forget, however, is taxes, and when they have to file as “married”, people actually start talking to their faces. sam and will add weirdly shocked by the fact that so many people knew they were dating before, even though they were very bad at hiding it. they’re even more shocked by the fact that no one seems to care. no one is mad (mostly because they’ve all had years to adjust).

eventually, it gets out fully, and there’s somewhat of a scandal, mostly among conservative parents, but it’s shut down very quickly by principal mcgarry and superintendent bartlet (jess, i’m borrowing your brilliant idea). they put out a statement that essentially says “look, if you don’t like it, don’t send your kids here. we don’t know why anyone would want to take their kids away from a phd-level science teacher who has miraculously chosen to work here and a teacher who’s been cited as influential for a pulitzer prize nominee, but if you’re homophobic, we can’t do anything about it. teachers dating isn’t against the rules. suck it up.” after that, it blows over pretty quickly.

color palate/vibes: the gray of lockers, the bright secondary and tertiary colors of well-decorated classrooms. cute notes written on post-its in donna’s pretty terrible handwriting, snow days curled up in front of sam’s fireplace, being very, very careful not to look too long at the other in public (and failing miserably).

send me two tropes and a ship and i’ll tell you how i’d combine them into one story!

[giantmuschroom]

Poison me twice

Hello everybody! 

Let me introduce you to police force Got7 in roaring twenties (or such). With @thespadesinyourhearts​ and @smooshdelia​ we took same case and put our own spin on it. So enjoy three stories with different endings! Their stories will be out later on the day, so look forward to it! 

Edit - the stories are out! 

the red snake

Pick your poison

Dedicated to @prettywordsyouleft​ ...We love you <3

!!trigger warning, it has death and murder in it!!

She was rare beauty. That was the first thing Mark noticed, when he entered the room. She looked so delicate sitting on the chair in front of a full dinner table and across her, a dead body.  

“Lady Winston, I need you to move to the salon, please. We need to take care of your husband,” Jaebom said to her. She simply nodded and stood up.  

“Youngjae, go with Lady Winston and take her statement, please,” he instructed one of his subordinates. Youngjae extended his arm and she took it and they both exited the dining room.

“So, what do you think?” Jaebom asked Mark.  

“Well, he is dead,” he aswered and Jaebom chuckled.  

“No kidding, what else?”  

“For now, I can certainly say he was poisoned. But only further examination will give you the answers you seek.” He concluded his examination and began to pack his equipment.  

“I will take him to the morgue, you have job here to do,” he gestured to the two men standing at the door and they moved the body. Mark sent one last look to the open door of the salon, where Youngjae questioned the Lady. She was truly a beautiful one...and cruel. Murdering her own husband.  

“Jackson, iI need you to pack everything on the table. Make sure you get the glasses. Mark says it’s poison, so it will be in his drink or in food,” he Jaebom ordered the police officer who just entered the room.

“Did she do it?” he Jackson asked.  

“Well, that’s what we have to find out, right?” said Jaebom and finally entered the salon.  

                                                           ***

“Lady Winston, did you murdered your husband?” asked Jaebum and Youngjae gasped. She chuckled. It was the first emotion she showed since Youngjae took her to the salon. Youngjae knew Jaebom so well. Jaebom was sure, she was the killer. The chuckle just confirmed it for him.  

“I did not,” she denied. Her voice was just like her, soft and quiet.  

“What did you do then? Please, walk me through your day,” Jaebum said coldly. Youngjae got his notebook ready to take notes. She tilted her head and began.  

”I woke up, had breakfest, read a book, went shopping for new hat, got home, sewed a new handkerchief, took a walk in the garden, came back when it was time for dinner and then my husband died,” she ended her story.  

“You shopped at which seamstress?” Jaebom asked, ignoring the slightly sarcastic remark at the end.

“It’s called milliner, Superintendant. Madam Florence, on High Street. She makes the most beautiful bonnets,” she said and then it was Youngjae time to chuckled. This lady had some backbone.  

                                                                ***

“So what do we have?” Jaebom asked his team.  

“Lord Jonathan Winston III was piece of shi...” Yugyeom began, but Jaebom’s cold stare silenced him.

“But I'm right! He was rich as Midas, but paid his servants only minimal wage. One time a maid didn’t sweep dust from the fire place in a room that no one ever used and she got fired. He had a picky taste so he changed his cook six times in one month. Every time he fired someone, he didn’t give them a recommendation. He shouted at his wife and some maid said he event beat her,” that remark earned a few scoffs, ”So if she killed him, do we really have to jail her? I mean she did the world a good deed,” Yugyeom concluded.  

“Yugyeom, please,” Jaebom groaned.  

“His coach driver said he frequented one bar,” Jackson added,. “We have planned to visit the establishment tomorrow.”

“Fine. Mark? Do you know what kind of poison was used?” Jaebum asked the doctor.  

“Oh, that is interesting. He was indeed poisoned. No ordinary poison though. It was snake venom and before he finally died he must have been in agonizing pain,” Mark explained.  

“And she watched it? And didn’t call for help?” asked Jackson.  

“The glass had only his fingerprints, same as the cutlery and napkins,” said Jinyoung. It was his field of expertise.  

”She could have easily filled the glass with poison, wiped her fingerprints and gave it to him,” Jaebum said.

“We will end it for today. Jackson and Yugyeom will go to the bar tomorrow. Jinyoung will find what poisoned him and Youngjae will keep his eyes on Lady Winston,” Jaebum ordered.

                                                              ***

“Hello, officers. What can I do for you?” asked one of the dancers and waved a feather before Yugyeoms eyes. He slightly blushed because the lady had so little clothes on her.  

“We are looking for Bella,” Jackson said unbothered.  

“Oh, that little darling, she is not feeling very well right now. But she is in the dressing room in the back,” she gestured to the hallway.  

They found the dancer hunched over the marble sink. “Are you alright, miss?” asked Yugyeom concerned.  

“Who are you?” she aked and turned to them, quickly noted the uniforms.

“Officer Wang and Officer Kim. We are here to ask you about Lord Winston. He was murdered last night,” Jackson said.  

She screamed in horror. ”No! That can’t be true. Johnny...I saw him yesterday...we went shopping for engagement ring. He can’t be dead.”

“Miss Bella, Lord Winston was already married,” Jackson informed her. She looked at him with eyes full of tears.  

“It can’t be. He promised...” she collapsed on the chair behind her.  

“When was the last time you saw him?” Jackson continue question her.  

“He left me at five. Said he had work to do,” she answered.  

“Thank you for your cooperation, miss,” Jackson slightly bowed to her and then exited the room.  

“ I know that look. What do you think?” asked Yugyeom.  

“I think that the little dancer doesn’t tell the whole truth,” answered Jackson with a serious face.  

“But she was crying!”

“Oh, Yugyeom. You have so much to learn,” Jackson finally smiled.  

                                                           ***

“What are you looking at?”  

“Bambam, what are you doing here?”  

“Well everyone is here, so Ii figured there is something interesting,” he answered and began to look around.

“Lady Winston is here for questioning, Jaebom is still convinced that it was her. So everyone is here to oogle at her,“ said Yugyeom.  

“Oh, oohhh!” exclaimed when he laid eyes on the lady sitting behind Superintendant Im’s desk.  

“Do you think she did it?” he asked Yugyeom.  

“If she did, I would’t blame her. Her husband didn’t treat her right, had a lover and was an asshole,” Yugyeom said with a little too much passion.  

“Then thank God, you are only an investigator,” smiled Bambam at his friend,. “Now I will go and make the lovely lady some chamomille tea. She will need it.”

                                                       ***

Jaebom watched Lady Winston like a hawk.  

“Did you know you husband had a lover?” he fired. She didn’t flinch, she didn’t start crying, she just sat there looking into his eyes.  

“Which one?” she asked finally.  

“What do you mean?” he was suprised.  

“I meant which one did you find. The little milk maid from market? The expensive one? The one in sailors pub? The one in Ruby Lady? Should I continue?”

Jaebom was suprised. And he was rarely suprised. Certainly not when it comes to murder suspects.  

“The dancer one,” he said.  

“Oh, well in that case. I didn’t know,” answered Lady Winston.  

Jaebum stood up to find his composure. She was distracting him.  

“He was poisoned. It took a while before he died and you didn’t call for help, how come?”

“There was no one I could call. Johnathan sent everyone in to the kitchen, he wanted to tell me something and didn’t want witnesses. But before he had chance to speak he died,” she said firmly.  

“What did he want to say to you?”

“Maybe something about his new mistress? He loved to shove them in my face.”  

Jaebom sighed. He was so sure she is the killer. Poison is an elegant weapon often used by ladies. But every fact he built his theory on was shatered by her.  

“Lady Winston, can I interest you in cup of tea?” Bambam made his way to the desk.  

“That would be lovely, thank you,” she smiled at him and Jaebom swore that he heard a couple of sighs in the distance.  

                                                          ***

“She didn’t do it. She knew about the women. If she was angry, she could kill him long time ago,” said Jaebom. “Jinyoung, did you know how he injest the poison?”

“It was in the drink. Weird thing is, it was sherry,” Jinyoung wondered.  

“Why is that weird?” asked Youngjae.  

“How many men drink sherry?”  

“You got a point, Jinyoung. And there is this weird feeling I'm getting from the dancer. She was so suprised when we told her that he was dead, but she was acting suprised when we told her he was already married,” Jakson stated.  

“She coudn’t kill him. I asked around. The snake venom is really expensive. As a dancer she can’t earn that much.” Mark entered the debate.  

“She had wealthy lover,” Jaebom dismissed his remark.  

“Oh I can see it. ‘Honey, i need to buy some really expensive snake poison to kill you. Can you give me a hundred dollars’?’” said Bambam mockingly in high pitched voice.  

“What did you just say?” Everyone looked at Jaebom with wide eyes.

“Honey, can you give me a hundred dollars to buy a snake poison?” repeated Bambam, now in his normal voice.  

“Thats it!” Jaebom exclaimed and rushed somewhere.  

“It is?” asked Youngjae uncomprehendingly as others looked at him with similar expresions.  

                                                         ***

“Thank you all, for coming,” said Jaebom.  

“What am I doing here?” asked Lady Winston sternly and looked beside her.  

“You are here to find out who killed your husband and why,” Jaebom aswered her and noticed the uncomfortable shift of the dancer.  

“Well then, what is she doing here?”  

“She is here for the same reason. Let me introduce to you Miss Bella Ridley. She is you husband last lover,” he said.  

Lady Winston looked at the girl. She was pale, thin and obviously pregnant.  

“Indeed,”  Jaebum apllauded the cold appearance of Lady Winston. Lady for all occasions.  

“Please, Superintendant. Tell me your findings, I have an urgent matter to attend,” she said disinterestedly. 

Jaebom smiled. It was perfect. Lady Winston was stone cold and the little dancer boiled. This was the last straw.

“He didn’t want you!” Bella shrieked, “He was disgusted by you. You could’t have children. You were old and cold and boring! So he found me! I knew how to make him happy! I was his love!  It should be you! You bitch! You should have died!”  

Jaebom gestured to Jackson who cuffed the hysterical dancer and checked Lady Winston.  

“So he wanted to murder me,” she sighned. “You know, Superintendant. I should have figured. He wanted to drink sherry with me. Said he was interested in the taste,” she grinned ironically.  

“I’m sorry I suspected you,” said Jaebom.  

“Don’t worry, Superintendant. I was the logical choice, right?” she smiled at him and he finally understood those sighs.  

                                                          ***

“So he and the dancer planned to kill his wife,” concluded Bambam enthusiastically.  

“But he accidentally took the wrong glass and drank the poison himself,” added Yugyeom.  

“How dumb you must be to poison yourself?” asked Jackson.  

Jaebom smiled at his men but the moment was cut short by ringing telephone.  

“Guys? We have case in docks,” he called and ignored the groans.  

“Go on lads, I'll be here, waiting with coffee. It looks like another long night,” said Bambam.  

[yunaffie]

With Friends and Loved Ones

For the tenth anniversary of Ghost Trick, I bring you a special treat fic to celebrate the occasion. This was written for @fyeahghosttrick‘s Ghost Swap exchange. Prompt: “The gang celebrates an anniversary”

This is a very special day, being the 10th anniversary of Ghost Trick, a game very close to my heart, and so I’ve written this celebratory fic. To be honest, I already had the idea knocking around, even had a scene partially written, and this was the perfect opportunity to bring it back to life! And thus, I bring to you a fic full of much joy and fluff, with plenty of characters sharing in the fun. Happy tenth anniversary, and may the fandom continue to be around for many more years!

Crossposted on AO3 here.

Cabanela looked quite the sight, pumping the pedals and sailing along on his bike, red scarf flapping dangerously close to the wheels and yet somehow never managing to get snared in the spokes. Many had marveled about his reckless behaviour when it came to riding a bike and none had figured the secret of how he got away with it. Many heads were turning even now as he coasted along the road, whistling a cheerful tune to himself, keeping a careful eye on the traffic around him. 

"Uncle Cabanela!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Cabanela spotted another cyclist coming up behind him, lilac hair flapping from underneath her helmet. The ends of a yellow ribbon flapped around her shoulders. He pulled the bike over to the side of the road and stopped, waiting for her to catch up. 

Kamila brought her bike to a stop just behind him and took a moment to catch her breath. "Phew. Glad I caught you. I didn't want to come into the police station because Dad might have seen me."

"Oh, really?" Cabanela twisted around and rested an elbow on the handlebars, regarding her with a wry smile. He figured from the fact that Kamila had her backpack with her and was in her middle school uniform that she must have come straight from school. "I take it you're planning something and don't want him to fiiind out?"

"Bingo." Kamila tilted her head and lifted a hand to her hair, taking a strand and twisting it around her finger. Crease lines formed in her brow. "You're not busy right now, are you?"

"Hmm, not especially. I was just gonna head on home and come over later, but I can make time for you. So, what's the deal, baby?"

"Well, you see, I'm planning a big surprise." Kamila rested her arms on the handles of her bike, her eyes gleaming. "Mom and Dad can't know about it, you see, and I'm trying to get other people involved too. Actually, speaking of other people, would it be okay if we went to see Grandpa? I can explain everything there."

"Oh, the Professor? Suuure, why not, it's been a while since I last saw him so I guess I'm due another visit." Cabanela placed his feet back on the pedals and gripped the handlebars. "Well then, off we go."

Cabanela and Kamila took off, riding their bikes in unison all the way to the edge of town, their journey taking them into the junkyard. They rode their bikes up to the superintendent's office and dismounted. Kamila hurried in first.

"Grandpa!" Kamila called out, looking around. The office was empty. Reaching a hand out to the kettle on the stove, she felt a faint heat rising out of the spout. "Hmm, maybe he's downstairs."

Cabanela gracefully leaped into the room, doing a twirl. Stopping in place, he kicked his leg up into the air, swayed his arms in a brisk motion and finished it off with a dramatic twist of his head. Kamila watched all this with a blank look.

"You know, I've often wondered this," she said, placing a hand to her cheek, "but do you do that even when coming into an empty room?"

"Ha! But of course, baby, it's veeery important to do everything you can with flair." Cabanela hopped slightly to the side, resting a hand on his hip while his gaze scanned the room. "Suppose he must be down in the basement."

"I guess so, but, Uncle, what's the point of showing off if there's nobody else to see it?"

"It's the principle of the thing, you see. I gotta keep on moooving, no matter what. It's okay if you don't get it, nobody else really does either." Cabanela finished off his statement with a jovial smile.

"Hmm. Okay. Well, I think you're pretty cool anyway, Uncle Cabanela, so keep on dancing."

"Why, thaaank you, baby."

Kamila scampered off through the door, racing down the stairs. Entering the basement, she spied the elderly man sitting in an armchair, clutching a steaming mug of tea in his hands while he gazed at the television. "Grandpa!"

The professor gave a start, blinking and looking up. "Honestly, couldn't you knock next time? You'll give me a heart attack at this rate. Also, I ain't your grandpa, kid." He rose to his feet. The blue pigeon perched on his head shifted about, flapping her wings.

Kamila bounced over and threw her arms around him. "How are you, Grandpa?" She stepped back and reached out to stroke the pigeon's head with a finger. "Hello, Lovey-Dove." The pigeon responded with a soft coo.

"I've been fine, thank you. These old bones of mine are mighty tired as usual but otherwise I'm in perfectly good health."

"That's good. So, has Lovey-Dove been using the bird bath I made for her?"

"Oh, yes, she likes it very much. Thank you, it was very thoughtful of you." The professor looked aside at the twirling inspector who had just made his entrance. "Well, if it isn't Cabanela. Been a while since you last showed your face here."

"So sorry about that, Professor! I've been pretty busy working on a case but it's all wrapped up now. You know you're welcome to pop over to Jowd's whenever you're feelin' lonely, we're always theeere for you."

"Hmph." Pushing his glasses up his nose, the professor remarked, "Whoever said anything about being lonely? I was just afraid you might have sprained an ankle or something with all that ridiculous dancing of yours."

"Ha!" Cabanela's face brightened. "Like a sprained ankle could get in my way. Even broken bones wouldn't stop me!"

"Yeah right." Shaking his head, the professor turned his attention to Kamila. "So what brings you here?"

"Right. Well, you see, my parents' anniversary is coming up soon." Kamila clasped her hands behind her back.

"Ahh, I figured that was what it was about." Cabanela leaned against a table. "You're planning sooomething special for the big day, is that it?"

"That's right, but I'm going to need your help. I want to get all the family together for the day and throw Mom and Dad a surprise party!" Kamila spread her arms wide. "But to do that, I'm going to need to get them out of the house first and that's where you'll come in, Uncle Cabanela. They won't get suspicious if it's you."

"Hold on, what does this have to do with me?"

Kamila turned her gaze on the pigeon man, blinking in puzzlement "Whatever do you mean? You're invited of course."

"Hm? You said 'get all the family together' so..."

"Yes, and you're like my grandpa so I want you to come as well," Kamila said, beaming at him. "There's no way I would just leave you out. You will come, won't you?"

"Huh. Well." He lowered his head, causing Lovey-Dove to shift around in an effort to sustain her balance. Raising his head, he spoke again. "I think I can find the time. Not like I have much of a schedule anyway."

"Yay!" Kamila's face brightened even more and she hugged him again. "I'm so glad. It would be so sad if you couldn't make it, Grandpa."

"Honestly, how many times must I tell you, I ain't your grandpa." In spite of his protest, his voice sounded considerably softer. He gazed down at the floor, blinking rapidly.

"Give it up, Professor, she's adopted you and there's no poooint in arguing with her. So, anybody else you're inviting?"

"Lynne and Missile, of course. Hmm, I think it wouldn't hurt to invite some family friends as well so I might invite Amelie and her parents too, and how about Mr. Yomiel, do you think he might want to come too?"

"I could ask him, it wouldn't hurt. I could take care of asking the justice minister too if you want."

"Really? That would be super helpful, thanks."

"No problem, baby, I'm veeery happy to help. Sounds like it's  going to be quite the lively party. The more the merrier, as they say."

"Yeah. I want to make this a really fun party that everyone will remember." Kamila turned around to face the professor. "Well, I'll let you know when I've decided on the time. I hope you'll be able to make it."

"Don't worry, I expect I will. Junkyard superintendent is hardly a demanding job." There was a pause, before he spoke again. "You know, I really appreciate your thinking of me. It's nice to be included."

"Oh, come on, like we'd ever think of leavin' you out."

"That's right, you're like a member of our family now," Kamila added.

"Right." The professor swallowed. "Well then, I expect you'd better be getting on, then?"

"I'll come for a proper visit next time, promise. Look forward to seeing you soon," Kamila said, hugging him. "Bye, Grandpa!"

"Take care, Professor."

The professor watched them leave then reached up to rub a wet eye. He sank back down into the armchair and exhaled. "Well, Lovey-Dove. It sure is nice to have a family, isn't it?"

Lovey-Dove responded with a coo. With a smile on his face, he reached up to stroke her head.

Cabanela and Kamila had hopped onto their bikes and ridden back to the entrance, where Cabanela stopped. "So, what's your next plan of action?"

"Hmm." Kamila put her hand on her chin. "You're taking care of Mr. Yomiel and the justice minister, so that just leaves Lynne, right? But I can't go into the police station. I really would like to tell her as soon as possible though."

"Lynne's working on a case, so I expect she'll be late home tonight."

"Will she?" Kamila was silent for a moment before her face lit up. "Oh, I know! Mom's making curry tonight so maybe I can take some leftovers to Lynne, and even take Missile for a walk too, he would really love that."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, baby. This plan is goin' to go off without a hitch, I'm suuure. Anyhoot, I'll be seein' you all later, and I'll be sure to let Yomiel know before I come over, yeah?"

"Great. Thank you so much for the help, Uncle Cabanela."

"No need to thaaank me, baby. I'm always happy to do you a favour, you know, and gettin' to actually surprise Jowd is something I just caaan't resist the thought of."

"Hehe. Yeah, I want to see that too." Kamila grinned. "Well then, I'll see you later!"

The two of them set off, giving each other a wave as they went their separate ways. 

***

Yomiel's fingers were practically a blur as they tapped away on the keyboard. His keen eyes were trained on the monitor, watching the lines of code scroll by on the monitor, ready to spot any errors that popped up right away.

"Yomiel! I'm home!"

The sudden voice made him jolt. A glance at his watch told him it was already evening. How time flew when he was working. Rubbing his eyes, he pushed back the chair and slumped against it, a long sigh escaping his body. An ache was already building up in the back of his eyeballs, he realised. Definitely a good idea to take a break. Picking up a mug containing dregs of coffee that had gone cold a long time ago, he made his way to the kitchen. Sissel was there, pulling the ice bucket off the cabinet which she set down next to the bag of ice sitting on the counter.

"Hey." Yomiel walked up and slipped his arms around Sissel's waist from behind. "Good to have you home."

Sissel twisted her body round and hugged him back, giving him a kiss as she did so. "Hey, sweetie. Have you been working hard?"

"Of course. I've got a big project on at the moment."

"I hope you didn't forget to eat lunch."

"Of course not, I've even installed a program that reminds me to do so."

"Good. Keeping healthy is very important, you know." Sissel turned her attention to the bag of ice and tore it open. She then upended it and emptied the contents into the bucket before reaching for a bottle of champagne that Yomiel hadn't noticed until now.

"Champagne? What's the occasion?"

"I can't just feel like drinking champagne?" Sissel flashed a smile at him over her shoulder, a small laugh bubbling through her lips. "But seriously though, I've got some really good news." She pushed the bottle down into the ice before turning around to face Yomiel with a big grin on her face. "Guess who's got a recording contract?"

"What?" Yomiel stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "You mean, you've been picked up by a studio?"

"That's right!" Sissel did a little hop, raising her fists to her chest. "They actually want me to put out a CD. I've finally made it!"

"Oh, gods. Wow, that's fantastic." Yomiel pulled Sissel into a hug. Breaking away, he held onto her with a big smile. "I'm so happy for you, Sissel. This is amazing. You're finally achieving your dream."

"I can hardly believe it." Sissel slipped her arms around Yomiel and buried her face in his chest, a deep sigh welling up from inside of her. "It feels so unreal, you know? I never thought I'd actually be noticed, but, well, here we are. I'm going to make it big. People are going to know my name."

"This really is so wonderful." Yomiel kissed the top of Sissel's head and stroked her hair. "You've dreamed of this for so long and now you're actually going to be famous. You know, after all we've been through, it's fantastic that our lives have turned around like this."

"I know. We've been through so much. It took years before we could even get married but now here we are." Sissel raised her head, looking up at him with moist eyes. "Happily married with promising futures ahead of us." She placed her hands against Yomiel's chest. "Now then, what should we get for dinner? Since we're celebrating, it ought to be takeout. Does sushi sound good?"

"That sounds great."

After the sushi order had been made, Yomiel and Sissel relocated to the living room, plopping themselves next to each other on the couch while they waited for the champagne to chill. Sissel snuggled up to Yomiel and he held her in his warm embrace, burying his face in her hair and inhaling the scent of her perfume.

"It's like a dream," Sissel whispered. "All these years I worked so hard, doing gigs, playing the piano, and singing, it all paid off at last. There was a time when it all seemed hopeless, but I pulled through anyway because I knew the day would come when things would finally look up."

"You mean when I was in prison, right?" Yomiel stroked her hair. "I know it was hard on you, Sissel, and I really am so sorry."

"No, no, don't be silly." Sissel caressed his cheek. "You were in a terrible situation that day."

"But, still, I wish I hadn't lost control like that. I was a coward. I ran away and made a bad situation even worse."

Sissel let her hand drop onto his shoulder, gazing at him with a sad smile. "But at least we're here now, with our lives in order, so that's all that matters, isn't it? I love you so much, you know?"

"I know." Yomiel kissed her tenderly. "And I love you too."

They continued to sit there for a long while, just resting in each other's arms, until Sissel decided the champagne had to be ready and went to fetch it. Just as she was leaving the room, the phone rang. Yomiel headed into his office to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Yomiel, how are things goin' with you?"

Yomiel raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hello, Inspector. It's unusual of you to call. Things are fine, well, pretty good actually. My wife has got a contract with a studio and we're about to celebrate."

"Oh? Marvellous. Tell her congratulations from me."

"Will do." Yomiel sat on the desk. "Anyway, I imagine this isn't just a social call, so what's up?"

"Are you and your wife both free Friday this week by any chaaance?"

"Friday? Hm. I certainly don't have anything scheduled, but I'll have to ask Sissel. How come you're asking?"

"It's Jowd and Alma's wedding anniversary on that day, you see."

"Ah. I see." Yomiel fiddled with the phone cord. "I guess you're doing something to celebrate?"

"Indeed. There's going to be a surprise party. We're keepin' it secret from Jowd and Alma."

"Heh." Yomiel's mouth curved in a smirk. "I feel like Jowd would sniff something like that out right away. So, you're telling me this because?"

"You're both invited, of cooourse."

"I am?" Yomiel tensed a little. Not that he minded being included in social occasions, but the thought of being invited to a party at Jowd's house, especially to celebrate something like a wedding anniversary, made him feel just a little bit uncomfortable. He wasn't looking terribly forward to being involved in festivities in that house where he once murdered a woman. While he may have had plenty of time to come to terms with that unsavoury part of his past, it could still be awkward. "Are you sure about this?"

"Well, why not, it's a party after all and the more people there are, the livelier it will be. This is a celebration, baby. Also, Kamila wants you to come. You wouldn't dreeeam of saying no to her now, would you?"

Well, Yomiel hadn't intended on refusing. The cat would be disappointed in him, Jowd too probably, they wanted nothing more than for him to put his past behind him. He was gradually becoming part of their circle, and one such result of that was becoming acquainted with Detective Jowd's daughter. Kamila was a curious young girl who had taken an interest in his hobbies. It had been strange at first to spend time with that girl whose life he had ruined in another timeline but he gradually became more comfortable with it. Now that he knew Kamila was behind this invitation, he really couldn't refuse. How could he ever disappoint her?

"Alright, I'll come then. Hopefully Sissel can make it as well."

"Greeeat. Once I know when the party is going to be, I'll let you know."

"Sure. Thanks. Well then, bye." Yomiel hung up and returned to the living room, finding Sissel back on the sofa. A bottle of champagne sat on the coffee table, next to two flute glasses. 

"Hey. What was that about?"

"That was Inspector Cabanela. He says congratulations, by the way." Yomiel sat down and reached for the bottle. "Seems it's Jowd and Alma's wedding anniversary, and their daughter's throwing a surprise party for them." There was a soft pop as he pulled the cork from the bottle. 

"A surprise party!" Sissel exclaimed. "That's so sweet. So we're invited, then?"

"Yeah. You're free on Friday, right?"

"Absolutely. Ahh, I can't even remember the last time I went to a party." Sissel slumped back on the cushions, a sigh slipping through her upturned lips. "It's so nice to be included."

Yomiel picked up a glass and tilted it. The champagne fizzled as it was poured into the glass. He handed the glass over to Sissel then filled his own.

Sissel held out her glass and Yomiel clinked his own against hers. "Cheers." She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. The cool liquid was deliciously refreshing and fizzy. "Here's to our future."

Yomiel exchanged a smile with Sissel before sipping at his drink. It had been a long and bumpy ride but now here they were. Things really were looking up and he couldn't be happier.

***

After everyone had eaten dinner, Kamila had put some of the leftover curry and rice into a container before heading off to Lynne's apartment. Since she had a key to the place, it would be possible for her to just let herself in. While she was off doing that particular duty, Jowd, Alma and Cabanela were relaxing on the sofa, all of them feeling comfortably full and content after a delicious dinner.

"So," Cabanela said, in a casual tone, draping his arm over the back of the sofa. "Your wedding anniversary is this Friday."

"Oh?" Jowd responded with mock surprise. "Why, I had absolutely no idea." Looking at Alma, he added, "Did you?"

Alma met her husband's gaze, letting out a little laugh. "Thank you for the reminder, Cabanela. Yes, it is our anniversary soon, what of it?"

"I'm sure you would have let me know, but just to be suuure, you're definitely not plannin' on doing anything, right?"

"Not especially, no." Jowd folded his arms, his brow creasing. "It's not like it's a milestone this year, so I suppose we'll just do the same as usual, which is not much at all. Why, do you want to do something?"

Cabanela lifted a hand into the air. "Let's just say, I might have an idea. What if I took you both out somewhere after work? Nothing faaancy, maybe just go to that nice little bar, Gates of Heaven? Listen to some songs while we're there?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea." Alma rested her cheek in her hand. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"

Cabanela shrugged, smiling. "Do I neeed an excuse to treat my two favourite people? It's a very special day after all, and I want to make you feel special."

"Fair enough." Jowd shrugged. "I'm up for it. Just the three of us, having drinks and listening to songs, it doesn't seem like a bad way to spend the evening."

"Mmm. It sounds delightful. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you, Cabanela, that's so sweet of you."

"Aw, it's no big deal. Just wanted to show you my appreciation, that's all. It's your special day and you deseeerve it." Cabanela reached for his glass of wine, letting a quiet sigh of relief pass through his lips. 

***

Lynne trudged into her apartment and dropped her bag, reaching up to massage an aching shoulder. "Ahh." After a long day at work, she wanted nothing more than to get herself a glass of wine, but first she would have to take Missile, wait, where was Missile? He was usually right there at the door when she came in. Glancing at the cabinet, she caught sight of a slip of paper and picked it up.

'Lynne,' the note read, 'I heard you would be late home tonight so I brought some dinner over. It's in the fridge. Taken Missile for a walk. If you haven't come back by the time I've returned him, I'll call you later. Kamila.'

"Oh, wow. Kamila, you're amazing." Lynne felt ready to cry tears of relief. Having to take Missile out before she could relax with a drink had seemed like a daunting prospect, and she had been fully prepared to order takeout for dinner but getting homemade cooking was even better. She made her way into the kitchen and took out the container and a bottle of wine from the fridge. The delicious aroma of the curry made her mouth fill with saliva. Just a few minutes in the microwave and it was ready to eat. 

Lynne was tucking into the curry when Kamila entered with a panting Pomeranian at her side. She unclipped Missile's leash and he scampered over to Lynne's feet, turning his pleading eyes on her.

"Hi, Lynne." Kamila came over to the table. "I'm glad to see you."

"Thank you so much for this, Kamila. Seriously, you have no idea how grateful I am."

"No problem." Kamila clasped her hands behind her back. She smiled, letting out a small chuckle. "I'm always happy to help my big sis out. Uncle Cabanela told me you might be late home tonight so I figured I'd lend a hand."

"I'm sure Missile was happy to see you. I really should have let you know I was going to be busy." Lynne rubbed Missile's head. "Good thing Cabanela said something. Sorry, Missile, sometimes I just get lost in my work."

"Oh, I'm sure Missile understands. You're a detective after all. Being a hero of justice isn't an easy job." Kamila sat herself down opposite Lynne. "It's good, isn't it? The curry."

"Mmm, yes. So good."

"Mom makes great curry." Kamila rested her cheek in her hand. "I've tried making it a few times, but it's never really the same. Maybe I just need more practice."

"I think you're a good cook too, Kamila. I've always liked the meals you've made."

"Really?" Kamila's face lit up. "Thanks. I've just to keep trying. Anyway, there's something I wanted to ask you about. You think you can make some free time Friday evening?"

"I can certainly try. Why, what's up?"

"It's my mom and dad's wedding anniversary on that day and I've decided to throw them a surprise party. Uncle Cabanela's involved too. It would be great if you could be there."

"Oh, wow." Lynne's eyes lit up. "A surprise party? Alright, count me in! I'll be prepared to help in any way I can, so please don't hesitate to ask."

"You want to help?"

"Of course!" Lynne declared, her face stretching in a grin. "I'll do my best to ensure that this goes off without a hitch. You can count on me. After all, what are big sisters for? Hm." Placing a hand to her chin, she looked thoughtful. "You'll have to get party things, and-"

"We've got the whole week to figure it out, so you don't need to think about it now."

"Alright, alright, but, wow, a surprise party. Thinking about it just makes me so excited." Lynne pumped her arms. "I love parties! Especially surprise ones!"

Missile joined in with a bark.

"And of course you're invited too, Missile." Kamila reached out to pet him, laughing gently. She got to her feet. "Well then, it's getting dark, so I'd better head home now. We'll talk another time, alright?"

"Alright then. Bye, Kamila! And thanks again!"

With a wave, Kamila made her exit. Lynne gazed at the door, then looked down at Missile, who was still staring in the direction Kamila had gone. She reached down to rub his head, causing him to look up at her. Missile's tail thumped against the floor as he started licking her hand.

"Kamila is amazing, don't you think? I'm so glad to have an honorary little sister like her."

Missile barked again, wagging his tail even harder.

***

The week flew by, with Kamila, Cabanela and Lynne preparing for the party behind the scenes. At no point did Jowd or Alma come to suspect that there was anything going on. Finally, the day itself came around and the adults all went to work as usual. In the evening, Jowd and Alma arrived home and waited for Cabanela, who soon came along on his bicycle. They were just about to leave for the bar when Lynne turned up with Missile in tow. 

Once the door had closed behind the trio, Lynne turned to Kamila, who was currently indulged in receiving a torrent of affection from the exuberant Pomeranian, valiantly defending herself against an onslaught of licks.

"Okay, Missile, that's enough." Kamila patted his head, laughing. "Lynne and I have got work to do. We're throwing them a party, so we've got to get everything ready."

Missile gave a short bark and backed away, wagging his tail.

"Alright, it's finally time!" Lynne put her hands on her hips. Her face was glowing with a big smile stretching from ear to ear. "We're going to throw them a great surprise party!"

"You've got everything, right?"

"Yup, it's all here. Cabanela brought everything over and it's in the trunk of my car, so let's go get it all out."

"Okay." Kamila followed Lynne out the door. "We'd better hurry, it won't be long now before the guests start arriving."

Lynne and Kamila got to work, putting up decorations around the room and preparing food in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Missile occupied himself by playing with Sissel and occasionally racing out into the yard through the open back door. He understood well enough that the two ladies were not to be disturbed as they worked on their task. Soon enough, the room was looking festive and food was on the table, with more in the oven.

"It looks great," Kamila said as she surveyed the room. "Mom and Dad are going to be so surprised. They don't suspect a thing."

"Haha. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces." Lynne carried some cutlery and napkins out of the kitchen, which she dropped onto the table. "We did well keeping it a secret. Detective Jowd is pretty sharp so I was worried he might figure it out."

"Yeah, but we were really careful not to give it away. Whew. I'm so glad we pulled it off." Kamila glanced down at the kitten weaving around her legs and picked him up, stroking his fur. "Now we just wait." The words were barely out of her mouth when the doorbell rang. "Oh? Looks like the first guests are here." Kamila set the cat down and hurried over to answer the door. The justice minister, Emma and Amelie stood on the other side.

"Amelie!" Kamila exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend. ""It's good to see you. I'm glad you could all make it."

"Hi, Kamila." Amelie flashed her an equally happy smile. "I've really been looking forward to this. I love parties."

"I had to twist my husband's arm to get him to come," said Emma. "He gets far too wrapped up in his work sometimes."

"This coming from the woman who stays up all night working on her novels?" The justice minister shook his head with a smile on his face. "You know fully well how busy the job of a justice minister is."

Emma responded with a light scoff. "Come on, dear, you can afford to take an evening off once in a while. As for my novel writing, deadlines are a very big deal in the world of publishing. Every minute counts."

"Oh, boy, there they go again. Mama, Papa, can't you stop talking about your jobs for five minutes?" Amelie rolled her eyes as she stepped into the house. Her parents followed her in and Kamila closed the door behind them. "It's a party, you know!" she added. "We're here to enjoy ourselves, so what does it matter if you take just one night off?"

Emma picked an empty wine glass off the table. "Ahh, to be young and unaware of the troubles of living in an adult world. Here's to my innocent and oblivious daughter!"

"Darling, you're toasting with an empty glass."

"I know that! Now where's that wine? I need a glass of red."

"Coming up!" Lynne hurried over with a bottle. "It's so nice to see you both. Thanks for coming."

"Who are you calling innocent and oblivious?" Amelie muttered with a slight scowl, blowing out a puff of air that ruffled her bangs. She looped her arm around Kamila's. "So, what's been happening? Anything interesting?" The two girls walked away as they launched into a conversation, leaving the adults to talk among themselves.

A short while later, the doorbell rang again. This time, Yomiel had turned up with Sissel.

"Mr. Yomiel! And Miss Sissel too!" Kamila greeted them. "I'm so glad you could both make it."

"We wouldn't miss this party for the world," said Yomiel, as they came inside.

"Hello, Kamila. It's so nice to see you." Sissel embraced her, pecking her cheek. "Throwing a surprise party for your parents, that's so incredibly sweet of you."

"Hehe." Kamila's smile turned bashful and she clasped her hands behind her back, fidgeting. "I just wanted to do something nice for them. I'm really glad you could come, I'm sure Mr. Yomiel is very busy with his computer stuff."

"I have the option of working from home at least so that helps," said Yomiel. "If you like, you could come over sometime soon, we could fly drones again. You had fun doing that, didn't you?"

"Uh huh." Kamila nodded. "I really did. Maybe one day I'll try making my own. But, you know, what I'd really like to do is learn how to make a game. You are going to teach me someday, aren't you?"

"When I have the time. It's alright, I haven't forgotten, it's just not something you learn in five minutes."

"Okay, but I'm supposed to be a really fast learner, you know?"

"Oh, I know. I'm sure you would pick programming up in no time at all."

"You really like to make things, don't you?" Sissel tilted her head.

"Yeah, I can make all sorts of cool toys and gadgets. I like to make things that are fun and that people will enjoy."

"Very impressive." Sissel patted Kamila's shoulder. "A bright girl like you is going to do really well in the future."

"Yeah, I don't doubt it," said Yomiel. "We'll be cheering you on. I'll be ready to help you whenever too."

"Thanks. I'm going to work really hard."

"Well, hello there, Sissel dear!" Emma came over to embrace Sissel with one arm, pecking her cheek. "It's so lovely to see you."

"And it's great to see you too." Sissel hugged her back. "How are things?"

"Fantastic. I've just started a new romance novel and it's going brilliantly. I'm sure it's going to be a real hit."

"Is that so? I look forward to reading it."

"Hello, Yomiel, Sissel. Thanks for coming." Lynne had drifted over as well. "Can I get you two a drink?"

"Hello, Lynne. Nice to see you," said Sissel. "A glass of white for me, thanks."

"I'll have a beer."

"Sure thing!" Lynne hurried away.

"Well, hello." The justice minister approached. "It's nice to see you, Sissel. Ahh, and this must be your husband, I take it?"

Yomiel swallowed, shifting his head in a small nod. "Yes. I'm Yomiel. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Minister."

"Oh? You're quite sharp." The justice minister raised his eyebrows. "You've already figured out that I'm the justice minister."

"Oh. Uh. Er." Yomiel averted his gaze, eyes meeting with the kitten's.

"Whoops." The world flared red around him and he found himself looking at Sissel's spirit form. "You slipped a little there, didn't you?"

"I can't believe I just messed up like that! I've been so careful about not saying the wrong thing, and now to go and slip up!"

"It's not that bad, Yomiel, relax. It isn't that weird you'd know who he is, your wives are friends. Detective Jowd used to keep messing up too. New timelines can be a really confusing thing. I'm impressed you've lasted this long."

"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose you're right." Yomiel drew in a deep breath. "It's not that big a deal. I just feel so awkward right now, thinking about how I manipulated this man, caused him to wallow in agony for a whole month, and even tried to have his daughter kidnapped. Gods. This isn't easy, Sissel."

"I know. You're doing very well, Yomiel. Hang in there."

"I'm glad you're here." Yomiel smiled. "It really helps. Believe me, I wish I could just put it all behind me and not think about it. I really appreciate Jowd, and even Kamila, trying to include me. I'm not sure I deserve it sometimes."

"Come on, Yomiel, don't start wallowing in self-pity now. It's a party. Enjoy yourself."

Yomiel gave him a wry look. "You make it sound so easy."

"Well, just do what you can. Anyway, you're not going to spend all evening talking to a ghost, are you?"

"Alright, alright." Turning his attention back to the justice minister, Yomiel coughed and forced a smile. "I mean, it looked as if you were here with Emma so I just assumed."

The justice minister chuckled. "It's quite alright. A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Yomiel shook the hand that was offered to him.

"Here you go." Lynne had returned with the drinks, which she handed over.

"Thank you." Yomiel took a sip and smacked his lips, exhaling. 

Sissel looked around at the cluster of adults. Kamila had already slipped away to join Amelie in fussing over Missile. "Well, we've got a lively gathering going on here now, haven't we? I can't wait to share my good news."

"Oh, good news?" Emma swirled her wine around. "Now you've got my interest."

"Sorry, but I think I'll wait for Alma and the others to turn up first."

"Ah, yes, fair enough. Then we can all celebrate together."

"There's plenty of champagne too," Lynne added. "So you don't have to worry about that."

"Great!" Sissel beamed.

"Better keep an eye on Amelie, she might try to sneak some. That girl, I swear." Emma shook her head. "She really thinks I don't notice if she goes sneaking sips here and there, but I do."

"Teenagers, huh?" Sissel smiled wryly, looking over at the two girls. "She seems quite taken with that cute little dog."

"Ugh. Dogs." Emma shuddered. "I can't stand their incessant barking. And those people who don't pick up after them! It's infuriating, let me tell you! Even though there are severe fines for dog fouling, they do it anyway." Pausing to take a sip, she added. "That dog is a little odd, you know?"

"Er, how so?" Lynne asked. 

"I've only met him a few times, but every time, I swear it seems like he's afraid of me or something! I've only ever been nice to him, so what's up with that?"

"Hm. I can't imagine why," Lynne replied, keeping her face blank.

"I take it you're never going to have a dog in your family then?" Yomiel asked in an aside to the justice minister.

"No chance," the minister replied. "Amelie's often asked for a pet, but it's difficult. Emma dislikes dogs and cats. She might consider a caged animal though."

"Why wouldn't she want a cat?"

"She likes to keep things clean and tidy, and we have a lot of expensive furniture and stuff, you see. Also, imagine if it was to jump onto her typewriter. That would be the end of the poor thing."

"Ah." Yomiel swallowed, glancing at Emma. "Yes. I see. Better not to get one, then."

The doorbell chimed once more. Kamila hurried to answer the door, finding the professor standing there. Lovey-Dove, perched on his head, flapped her wings and cooed.

"Hello, hope I'm not late."

"Grandpa!" Kamila threw her arms around him. The professor brought an arm up to pat her back. She released him and stepped back. "I'm glad you could come. Come on in."

The professor shuffled in, surveying the room. "Well, I see you've got quite the gathering already. Looks like this party is going to be a success. Jowd doesn't suspect a thing, eh?"

"Not at all." Kamila grinned. "Mom and Dad are with Uncle Cabanela right now. Actually, now that you're here, I'd better make the call." She hurried away.

"Hmm." The professor's gaze swept around the room, taking in the brightly decorated scenery. "How long has it been since I last saw a scene like this?" It was a heartening thing to see, especially knowing of another reality, one where his career change came about because of a strange corpse. In this particular timeline, it had been an urge to retire. Jowd had suggested he research a mysterious meteorite and shown him his undead, magical cat. He'd still ended up a junkyard superintendent, but at least this time he wasn't keeping a murder machine in the basement.

Something soft rubbed against his leg and he heard a mew. "Well, hello there, little black cat." Kneeling down, he held up his hand. "You want to say hello, Lovey-Dove?" The pigeon responded by hopping onto his finger. "There we go." He lowered his hand until the pigeon and kitten were face to face. Lovey-Dove let out a soft coo and Sissel responded by rubbing his head against Lovey-Dove's chest. "There's a good kitten." Of course, Sissel was the only feline the professor could ever trust around his beloved pigeon. He still remembered the day Jowd brought the kitten to his house. He had been terrified for Lovey-Dove's sake in spite of Jowd's reassurances. Now he knew well enough Sissel would never so much as lay a claw on her. 

"Now then." The professor straightened himself and Lovey-Dove returned to his head. "Let's get started with this whole socialising thing. Hope I'm not too rusty." He shuffled over to the group of adults, with the cat tailing him. "Hello. Having a fine party so far, are we?"

"Hello, professor," said Yomiel. "Good to see you." He picked up Sissel and started stroking him. "Life treating you well?"

"I'd say it's about the same as ever."

"Hi, there!" Lynne said cheerfully. "Do you want a drink?"

"Just water for me, thanks, I don't drink and drive."

"Same here, I'm staying sober while my wife gets to drink the night away." The justice minister cocked a glance at Emma, who was deep in conversation with Sissel, telling her all about the antics of her neighbours. "Not supposed to drink too much anyway, medical reasons and all that. You're a friend of Jowd's then?"

"That I am, used to be a coroner and worked with him on the force. Now I'm a junkyard superintendent who studies space rocks in my spare time."

"Ahh. That sounds like an interesting hobby," the justice minister said, smiling. He looked at Yomiel. "You're into computers, right?"

"Yes, I do programming, systems engineering, that sort of thing. One of the best in the industry actually, caused me quite a spot of bother. You've heard of that, right? How I was accused of being a spy. Ended up taking a child hostage."

"Yes." The justice minister nodded slowly. "I remember. Emma did mention something about you being a jailbird, though she didn't tell me the specifics."

"An unfortunate victim of circumstances, as it were," the professor said, sipping at the water that Lynne had brought him before returning to conversation with the other women. "I still can't believe anyone could be foolish enough to leave their gun in the room."

"Yes." Yomiel exhaled. "Well, I'm not proud of myself for the things I did. Mistakes were made, and I served my time for it."

"You have my condolences," said the minister. "I'm very sorry about what you had to go through."

Yomiel shook his head. "I have no hard feelings. I took a child hostage and got the sentence I deserved. That's all. Anyway, what's important is looking forward to the future, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right. It's no use dwelling on the past," said the professor. "Just focus on the now." Adjusting his glasses, he added, "I do wonder when the others will get here, I am quite famished."

***

Soft music swelled through the bar, accompanied by a woman's dulcet tones. When her song trailed off and the music faded, everyone began clapping, Jowd, Alma and Cabanela included. The party of three were seated together in a booth, Jowd sandwiched between the others with his arms around their shoulders.

"What a lovely song," Alma murmured. With her head nestled in the crook of Jowd's shoulder and her arm draped across his body, fingers interlocked with Cabanela's, she looked utterly content. "It really takes me back."

"Mmm." Cabanela closed his eyes, smiling. The experience was only made even better when getting to cuddle up with his loved ones. "I love this place. Comin' here to chill with your friends and listen to music, there's nothin' like it, baby. Not a baaad place to be spending your wedding anniversary, eh?"

"Not at all," replied Alma. "It reminds me of when we would get serenaded during romantic dinners."

"It does, doesn't it?" A wistful gleam shone in Jowd's eyes. "We've had such lovely times together and this was no exception."

"We should do this more often," said Alma.

"Deeefinitely."

"As nice as this evening has been, I do wonder if we shouldn't be getting home soon."

"You're hungry?" Alma looked up. "To be honest, I am too, and it's getting quite late. Kamila must be wondering where we are."

Cabanela sat up straight, a brief flicker of worry passing over his face. "Hmm, are you suuure we couldn't stay for maybe one more- hm? Hang on." Feeling a vibration in his pocket, he removed his pager and checked it.

"Is something wrong?" asked Jowd.

"Not at all, just a message from Lynne. Our baby's wondering where we are." Cabanela put away the pager, a relieved smile gracing his lips. Kamila had perfect timing. "Dinner should be ready any minute now, so off we go." With that said, he hopped to his feet.

"Honestly, I am sorry we couldn't stay longer," Jowd said, rising. "But we can always come another time, yeah?"

"It really was so nice of you to bring us here." Alma got up as well. "We've had such a lovely evening."

"No need to thank me, I just wanted to do something special for the two most important people in my life." Cabanela flashed them a smile before turning around. "Well then, time we went back home." He strutted away, Jowd and Alma walking after him. They got into the car and Jowd drove them all back home.

They were walking up the drive when Cabanela cleared his throat. "If I may just saaay something?"

"Hm?" Jowd looked back at him. "What is it?"

Cabanela slung his arms over their shoulders and exhaled. "I just wanted to say that I love you both so much. It's so wonderful, being able to celebrate your anniversaries with you, getting to see you two every day, I know how luuucky we are to have this and I just, I appreciate it so much."

"Oh, Cabanela." Alma spoke in a soft voice, placing her hand on his cheek. "We love you very much too." 

"Yes. You are so very important to us." Jowd put an arm around him, pressing his lips to Cabanela's head. "I'm so glad we have you in our lives."

"You've given us such a lovely time tonight, and we'll be having many more anniversaries." Alma rubbed her hand against Cabanela's back. "Together."

Cabanela looked from Jowd to Alma, his throat filling up. Conscious of a prickling sensation washing over the back of his eyeballs, he swallowed and lowered his arms. "Anyhoot," he said, arranging his face into a cheerful smile, "now that we've had our touching moment, I dare say we better be headin' on in. Can't wait to see what's in store for dinner tonight, can you?" "Hm, yes, I'm quite curious to see what Kamila's made for us. No doubt it's good."

Alma had already gone on ahead and opened the door. "Huh?"

"Something wrong?" Jowd came over. Alma glanced at him before venturing inside and Jowd followed, finding himself faced with a pitch black room. He slowly turned around to look at Cabanela, who strutted over and leaned against the doorway.

"Hm? The  lights aren't on?" Cabanela met Jowd's gaze with a look of pure innocence. "I wonder why."

"So, that was your game, was it?" Jowd tilted his head, smiling. "Keeping us occupied while our daughter set up a surprise for our anniversary. I'll say this much, your ploy worked. I had no idea something was going on behind the scenes."

Cabanela said nothing, smirking as he slipped inside and closed the door.

"Oh boy. What kind of contraption does our daughter have to show us this time?" Alma grasped for the switch. With a flick, light flooded the room, banishing the darkness.

"Surprise!"

Explosions followed the chorus of voices. A shower of colourful streamers flew into the air. Jowd and Alma recoiled.

A brief period of silence followed before Jowd spoke. "Okay, now that was actually a surprise. I was expecting another contraption."

"Come on, Dad." Kamila approached them with her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she smiled. "If I was going to try and surprise you, do you really think I would be so predictable?"

"Hmm." Jowd folded his arms, nodding. "Yes, I suppose you're right, that wouldn't have been a surprise at all."

Alma looked around the room, taking in every little detail. "Did you actually do this all by yourself?"

"Well, I did have some help from Lynne and Uncle Cabanela. It would have been a bit difficult to pull all this off myself." Kamila stepped forward and threw her arms around her father. "Happy anniversary, Dad." She then moved on to Alma. "Happy anniversary, Mom." Stepping back, Kamila continued speaking. "I really wanted to do something for your anniversary so I thought I'd throw you a surprise party."

"Wow." Alma put a hand on her chest. "This was so sweet of you, Kamila, thank you so much."

"I must say, I'm impressed," said Jowd. "We had no idea you were even planning anything."

Cabanela laughed. "But of course, we had to be extra careful and sneaky in order to hide it from the nation's best detective." He twirled past them, taking his place by the crowd of guests. "Now, let the paaarty begin!"

"Hello, Yomiel." Jowd approached him first. "It was so good of you to come." He held his arms out and Yomiel embraced him. The two patted each other on the back. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you," he murmured, before they pulled away.

"Yes, well, I could hardly pass up an invitation." Yomiel shrugged, with a smile on his face. "I would never want to disappoint your little girl. Happy anniversary."

"Well, thank you for coming. I really do appreciate it."

"Happy anniversary, Detective." Those words came from the justice minister, standing slightly to the side.

"Well, if it isn't the justice minister," said Jowd. "Good to see you could take time off for the party. I know you have a busy job."

The minister smiled in resignation. "Yes, well, my wife was very insistent that I come and I really am glad that I did. She's right, really, I do need to try and get out more often. It isn't good to be wrapped up in your work."

"Indeed." Jowd's gaze shifted to their elderly guest. "And I see that the professor is here too. It's good to see you. Nice to get out of that stuffy junkyard, isn't it?"

"Actually, I find my office quite cosy." The professor pushed up his glasses, peering through them at Jowd. "Your little girl was kind enough to invite me to this party and, well, I suppose I couldn't very well refuse. It was very thoughtful of her."

"Well, I'm glad that you were able to come. Kamila really thinks of you as part of the family now, you know?"

"Yes, she does, doesn't she? Happy anniversary, Jowd. I hope you'll have many more to share with your wife."

"Yes, me too." Jowd turned, meeting Lynne's gaze. She had a wide grin on her face. "Lynne. I hear that you helped out as well. And here I thought you were just keeping Kamila company."

"Heh heh. That's right, I helped out with getting everything set up. You really had no idea that anything was going on at all, did you?"

"I certainly didn't. An impressive feat indeed. Thank you, Lynne."

"No problem. I just love surprise parties. Getting to see the looks on yours and Alma's faces was so worth it." Lynne laughed. "Happy anniversary, Detective Jowd!" Missile, who was sitting at her feet, joined in with a bark.

The world around Jowd turned red. Sissel appeared before his eyes.

"Happy anniversary, Detective Jowd."

"Ah, Sissel." Jowd smiled. Before he could say anything else, a certain Pomeranian appeared.

"I already said it just now but why not, I'll say it again! Happy anniversary!"

"Thank you. I suppose you both knew all about this too, didn't you?"

"I knew from the very beginning, when I overheard Miss Lynne and Miss Kamila talking about it! Oh, I was so excited to hear it, I just love parties!"

"And of course, when this little doggie next came over to the house, he proceeded to tell me everything he heard. I'm sure I would have found out anyway. Hard to keep secrets from a ghost, you know."

"Indeed." Jowd chuckled. "I was expecting a quiet evening, but having a party isn't so bad either."

"It's your anniversary after all!" said Missile. "Those are kinda like birthdays, right? And birthdays should be celebrated! I love celebrations. They mean more people to say 'welcome' to, and more pats, and sometimes food scraps from the table! Although, having that scary lady here is a bit..."

"We've been over this, Missile. She's not going to do anything to you."

"But, still...!"

Jowd laughed again. "Ahh. I really am so lucky, having family and friends to celebrate with, aren't I?"

"Yes." Sissel gazed at him. "You are."

"And I'll never forget that. Well then, I'll get back to talking to the guests and enjoying this wonderful party my daughter threw for us."

Alma had gone over to talk to Emma and Sissel. Amelie was there as well, hanging by her mother's side.

"Emma, Sissel, how nice to see you."

"Hello, dear." Emma came forward to embrace Alma. "It's so lovely to see you. The look on your face when you saw us, we really did give you quite a surprise, didn't you?"

"Oh, yes." Alma laughed. "I had no idea whatsoever. I thought we'd just have a quiet evening." 

Sissel came forward for a hug as well. "Happy anniversary, Alma. You've got such a lovely daughter. Throwing a surprise party for you! Oh, it's just so sweet."

"Yes, it was quite a nice surprise."

"So, are you going to be sharing your big news with us?" asked Emma.

"Ooh, what big news?" Alma regarded Sissel with keen interest.

"Alright, guess I'll go ahead and say it. I've been picked up by a recording studio. They want me to actually record songs for them."

"Oh, my, that's marvellous, quite marvellous indeed, Congratulations, dear."

"That's wonderful!" Alma hugged Sissel again. "I know you've dreamed of this for so long. Congratulations. You really deserve this, you're such a good singer."

Sissel smiled bashfully. "Thanks."

"May I have your attention please?" A chime rang out and everyone turned toward Cabanela, who held aloft a bottle of champagne. He stood by the table where several flute glasses had been placed. "I do believe that it is tiiime for a toast. Come and get your fizz, everyone!"

While the guests queued up for a glass, Amelie gently tugged on her mother's arm, turning beseeching eyes on her. "Can I have some too, Mama? Please?"

Emma gazed at her with a pensive frown then sighed. "Alright, fine, but only one glass, and you had better not think of sneaking any more booze! I've got my eye on you!"

Alma leaned toward Emma and murmured. "It sounds like you have your work cut out for you."

Emma expelled a puff of air, giving her head a slight shake. "My darling angel has always been a handful but now that she's thirteen, she's trying too hard to be like an adult. It's exasperating."

"Please don't talk about me like I'm not standing right here." Amelie narrowed her eyes.

Alma flashed her friend a sympathetic smile. "Well, I think Kamila could have a glass too. It's a celebration after all. Kamila, would you like a glass of champagne?"

"Okay, Mom!" Kamila caught Amelie's eye and they exchanged grins.

Once those were drinking had all got their glasses, Cabanela raised his own. "I have known Jowd and Alma for a very long time. They are the most important people in my life and I love them more than you could ever possibly know. I am so thankful to have them, and every moment I spend with them is precious. I wish you many more anniversaries together in the future. To Jowd and Alma!"

A chorus of voices filled the air, followed by the clinking of glasses. Jowd and Alma embraced each other, sharing a tender kiss. 

"Speech!" Lynne called out, thrusting a fist into the air. 

"Yeah, give us a speech!" Kamila joined in.

"A speech, huh? Very well." Jowd stepped away from the crowd and turned to face everyone, clearing his throat. "I'll just warn you, I'm not terribly used to giving speeches so don't expect an eloquent masterpiece from me." He gazed at Alma, mulling over the words in his head. "Sixteen years ago, I married Alma and we've been together ever since. She is kind, smart, and caring, and she has always been there for me, supporting me in hard times. Alma is an amazing woman. Why, she even puts up with my personality quirks."

Scattered laughter rippled through the crowd.

"Thank you for staying by my side, Alma. I love you." Jowd raised his glass. "I also want to give thanks to Cabanela, our dear and precious friend, who's also put up with me for all these years. I'm so grateful for your friendship."

"Aw, shucks." Cabanela ducked his head, his cheeks turning pink.

"And thanks to the rest of you for coming." Jowd raised his glass again, before returning to the crowd amid their claps.

Alma moved to the spot where Jowd had been standing. "Hello, everyone, and thanks to our guests for coming. Also, thank you to our lovely daughter, Kamila, for throwing a surprise party, and to Cabanela and Lynne for helping out." She drew in a long breath, then released it. "I'm not sure what to say, honestly. Um. Jowd is... well, he's Jowd. He's funny, even if his sense of humour can be a bit dodgy at times. While he can be kind of blunt, he's also very loving and caring, and he really is a sweet man, and I love him so much." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not really any good at speeches either, am I?"

"You're doin' fiiine, baby, don't worry about it!"

"Er, okay." Alma cleared her throat. "I'm very glad that I married Jowd. I couldn't imagine life without him." Running her tongue over her lips, she continued. "Cabanela too, he has always been there for me and Jowd through the years and I am so thankful to have both of them in my life. I love you both." She stepped away from the table, receiving a bout of applause as she did so. 

"Well then, let's get stuck in, shall we?" asked Jowd. "I'm famished."

Everybody flocked to the table, picking up plates and cutlery, helping themselves to the various dishes that had been put out for them. They ate and drank, talking merrily all the while. When their plates were empty, Kamila and Lynne headed into the kitchen and returned with two different desserts, which were swiftly demolished. Now that they had eaten and their bellies were full, Cabanela declared that it was time for dancing, changing the music as he did so. Slow, romantic music filled the room.

"This is our favourite song," Alma said, looking at Jowd.

"Hm, I guess he's expecting us to dance." Jowd shrugged. "Maybe it will go better than it did at our wedding."

"I hope so," Alma replied, draping an arm over his shoulder and holding his hand. Closing their eyes, they began to waltz, soaking in each other's warmth as they moved in slow circles with careful steps.

Before they knew it, the song had ended. Jowd and Alma stopped, blinking at each other.

"Well, you didn't step on any toes this time."

"Huh, what do you know, I'm getting better at this."

Alma looked over at the others. "Come on, all of you join in already."

"It just didn't seem riiight, not letting you have the first dance." Cabanela twirled over. "It's your anniversary after all."

The next song started, its soft pulses flowing through the room.

"Ready to dance?" Yomiel asked his wife, smiling.

"Naturally," Sissel responded, taking his hand in hers. They hurried over and started moving their bodies in tandem.

"Darling wife, would you do me the honour of a dance?" The minister offered his arm.

"But of course, my darling husband." Emma put her arm in his. They walked over and began to do a slow waltz.

Lynne, Kamila and Amelie joined the dancers. The professor was left standing on the sidelines, watching on. He gave a start when he felt Missile's paws on him. Missile yapped, wagging his tail.

"Oh, no, I'm quite fine, thank you. I'm happy to watch."

Missile barked again and whimpered. He stepped back and reared up several times.

"Don't tell me you're asking to dance with me. I'm not dancing with a dog. That's just daft."

Kamila approached them. "I think he's trying to say he wants you involved too. It's too sad if you're left out, grandpa."

"These old bones of mine aren't what they used to be."

"Well, you can dance slowly then. Come on." Kamila gently tugged his arm.

"Alright, if you insist." The professor shuffled over with her. Missile twirled ahead of them into the throng of dancers, where he repeatedly reared up and let out the occasional bark.

The merriment continued for a good while with everyone dancing, talking, laughing and drinking while the hours passed by. As the night went on, they started making their leave. The professor was the first to leave, conscious of the fact he had to drive. Kamila gave him a hug, promising that she would come to see him again very soon. Next were Yomiel and Sissel. Finally, the justice minister and family departed on the minister's insistence as his wife had clearly had too much to drink.

Now that all the guests had gone, the house was feeling oddly quiet. Lynne stood still, just gazing at the scene for a while. Quietly sighing and thrusting her hands into her pockets, she ambled over to Kamila. Her lips curved in a gentle smile as she looked upon the focus of Kamila's attention. Missile and Sissel were curled up side by side in the basket. "It was a fun party."

"Yeah, it really was." 

"Well then." Lynne clapped her hands together. "I'll clear up the dishes."

"Let me help. The sooner we can go to bed, the better." Lynne would be sleeping in the spare bed in Kamila's room, an addition that had been suggested by Kamila herself.

"Thanks, Kamila." Lynne yawned. "I'm pretty beat."

While the girls were cleaning up, Jowd, Alma and Cabanela were slumped on the couch in a mesh of limbs, languishing in a sleepy haze brought on by booze, food, and the lateness of the night. 

"It's been such a looovely evening."

Jowd peered at Cabanela through half closed eyes. "I couldn't agree more." 

Alma's mouth gaped in a yawn. "Suppose we should get to bed soon."

"I'm not sure I could move even if I wanted to." Even if Jowd wasn't weighed down by fatigue, he would have found extricating himself from the embraces of his loved ones an impossibility.

"Oh well." Cabanela shifted his hold on Jowd, burrowing further into the crook of his arm. "Guess we'll just have to stay like this all niiight."

Alma chortled through closed lips. "Sure, why not." Her voice came out heavy with exhaustion. 

Jowd gazed at Alma, then Cabanela, etching their faces deep into his memory. Closing his eyes, he released a loud exhale. "You know, I really could not think of any better way to sleep."

[prorevenge]

Never f*ck with the quiet kid.

Before I begin the story, I would like to say that first and foremost, I regret nothing.

All throughout my time in school I had always been the shy awkward quiet kid. Might have some form of undiagnosed autism, not really sure. Anyway, I have never had any trouble out of any teachers whatsoever. As a matter fact I was the teachers pet for quite a few of them. Till I came across Evil Eva that is.

My first run in with this teacher and first example of her singling me out was in 5th grade Computer class. It was roughly the middle of the year when everybody’s class schedules would start to change when I first walked into the classroom and saw her. There was a large group of the other children in the class ahead of me and by the looks of her I thought that she was going to be genuinely nice. She had a sweet smile, and looked happy to be there. Then she laid eyes on me, and that smile turned into a look of scorn.

During this first example of her abuse towards me, I was singled out from everyone else and made fun of because I had never used a computer before. (Poor family, and this was going to be a constant theme in her berating me) This was a bit of light teasing, I will admit. But it progressively got worse as the year went on. Getting so bad to the point of if I got out of line even in the slightest little bit for any reason from not sitting properly to coughing or breathing too loud while she spoke I would get sent to the detention hall for seemingly no apparent reason.

But it gets EVEN worse, it eventually got to the point where she was singling out not only me, but everyone I was even remotely associated with. Further isolating the already shy quiet nervous kid as it was. This eventually led to open ridicule and bullying by people I once called friends, much to Evil Evas delight.

The year ended, and I thought that surely moving into a separate building on campus would stop me from having to see her ever again… Boy was I wrong. All the way up until I was almost out of high school she transferred into each progressive grade seemingly just for the purpose of continuing her campaign against me.

This obviously started to have severe psychological effects on me. Everything from depression to suicidal thoughts and self harming to cope with the feelings I had deep inside. Me being the quiet reserved person I am, I never told anybody about any of this and just kept it to myself while putting on a brave face.

Now, I didn’t learn why she was singling me out till 8th grade. Turns out, my biological father who came back into the picture a couple of years prior to all this starting had an ex-wife with two kids I knew nothing about. I did some digging and found out I was the oldest of his kids, AND that Evil Eva was ex-wifes Sister. I didn’t quite understand all of this at first… Then it hit me like the bomb that hit Nagasaki.

Yes, that’s right folks. I was hated for being born.

This realization devastated me. It broke me to the point of attempting suicide. But just before I kicked the stool, I had an idea.

I remembered that my mom had an old voice recorder from when she caught an old boyfriend cheating. A💡 went off.

For the next few years, gathering evidence against this putrid excuse for a person the only thing that kept me sane. Everything, and I mean everything. Detention slips with bullshit excuses. Voice recordings of her belittling me in front of my class. I even managed to get a clip of her throwing an apple at me in her office and laughing it off like she was playing ON VIDEO. But thanks to her good standing in the school, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to paint her as the villain I knew she was unless I got her doing something truly despicable.

Then it happened.

Another rainy morning in April of my Sophomore year. I was walking to school like I usually did. I had just started a test recording like I usually did to double check my recorder was working when the cunt herself came rolling up.

“Hey, urchin!”

As soon as I heard those words I knew I had her. And I almost failed keep my elation hidden.

“Who the fuck..?“ “You’d best watch who your talking to you little shit! Or I’ll give you more to worry about then detention!” “Why do you do this!? What the hell did I ever do to you?” “You existed when your mother clearly should have swallowed, that’s what. Now get in, I wanna make myself look good for picking up the homeless boy in the rain.”

We exchanged a few more stabs at each other and as soon as I reached for the door handle she sped off, leaving me alone with my prized piece of evidence.

I stopped at the recording as soon as she was out of sight and began laughing madly to myself all the way to the school building. I was still chuckling all day long that day. Even during her usual tongue lashing, which upset her all the more.

Didn’t matter, I had exactly what I needed. And the next day I showed up to school a full two hours early, to make sure that I could meet the woman who is going to be my savior before her day got busy. School Superintendent Mrs. Caster.

With me I had brought my binders of detention slips, notebooks detailing times and places where I was when abuse would happen inside and outside of school, three flash drives worth of voice recordings and of the voice recorder it’s self with “your mother should’ve swallowed“ queued up and ready to play.

When Mrs Caster arrived, I immediately broke down into rage filled tears. It was at least 30 minutes before I was finally able to calm down enough to explain everything. At first she didn’t believe me, until I played the voice recording for her.

By far the sweetest part of this entire ordeal was watching the look of doubt on her face change to one of anger. Police were brought up to the school to take my statement And gather the evidence. I was sent home for the rest of the day and miss caster assured me that I wouldn’t have any make up work to take care of when I got back the next day.

It was over. That sorry excuse for a human being got five years, and lost her teachers license for good.

I transferred to another school out of state and haven’t looked back since.

(source) story by (/u/CaptnNuttSack)

[penninstitute]

CASE # 0180503

Statement of Anita Baker regarding the missing Victoria Winston. Original statement given May 3rd, 2018. 

Are you sure the doctors said that I can be here? Alright then. 

I don’t actually remember the exact date that it happened, just that it happened without me fully realizing it until after the fact. I do remember that it was after our old superintendent, Mister Madina died of a stroke, and a new one was put in his position. 

The new man was strange, and nobody got good vibes from him, not even the friendly kids. His name was Carson, and he all but demanded that we call him that, and nothing else. It threw us all off, due to the fact that he was such a bastard when it came down to following rules. Dress code was to be followed, no PDA, no wandering the halls. 

The thing was, he was also a firm believer in ‘keeping fit’ despite the fact that he always looked a sneeze away from popping the button off of his shirt. The school cafeteria staff was replaced the same week that he arrived, and the nice older lunch ladies were replaced by meaner and younger ones. I suppose it’s unfair to call them mean, but I’m still mad about all the changes. 

Carson even got rid of the chips that were sold at the register, as well as the sandwich station, which made many kids begin to protest. 

On the other hand, lunches that the women gave us were always both hot and cold, even if it was on the same plate and same metal container. It was always the same consistency and had a strange look to it, somewhat mealy and had a taste I could never put my finger on. Most kids just stopped buying lunch.

I remember the day Victoria went missing though. It had happened towards the end of senior year, and we were excited to begin our gap year. Early one night she couldn’t stop  fidgeting  with her pentagram shaped necklace. She never took that thing off! When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that she had failed her English exam, and complained that her parents would ground her . I reassured her that it was going to be fine, and reminded her of our riveting plans that would go down within the next few months.

The next morning, she didn’t come to the library like she usually did. For a moment I assumed she had caught a cold or something, but Vicky never got sick. I messaged her phone until first bell, and then let it be. Maybe something came up? 

Carson was in his usual mood that day, happy one moment and chewing a student out the next. He acted more like a principal than a superintendent. 

Anyway, I went about my day as usual, most kids looking rather pale in the face for some reason. Nobody seemed to have any sort of cold though, no coughing or sneezing, just pale and queasy. 

I’ll save you the time and say that this same routine continued until Friday, with still no sign of Victoria. I’d asked around to see if anyone knew what had happened, but the answers scared me even more. The conversation was usually me asking if they’d been Vicky, then the opposing person shaking their head and asking if I’d send their friend, who had also gone missing. I lost count of how many of these encounters I’d had.

On Friday when lunch rolled around, I noticed that the cafeteria held fewer teens than normal, and those who were in attendance looked tired, and again, pale. I had gotten school lunch that day, since I left my lunchbox at home by mistake. It was supposed to be tacos for lunch, but it still had that mealy texture and distinct taste I couldn’t place. I barely ate the stuff and instead moved it around on my tray with a fork while my other friends droned on in the background. 

The next minute is the clearest memory I have of everything, and I wasn’t just seeing things, I swear it. I moved whatever mush was on the tray from side to side, then a glint caught my eye. I screamed so loud I’m almost certain that the kids on the upper level of the school heard me. Vicky’s pentagram charm was sitting at the bottom of the tray, practically looking up at me. Needless to say, I didn’t have a full stomach after that. 

I was dragged to the nurse by one of the math teachers that were on lunch duty, and I told her everything. After that, you know the rest. Ended up in the psych ward, the superintendent was looked into just in case, Carson and all the lunch ladies went missing, the other kids who were missing never showed up again. 

I don’t eat meat anymore, even after the therapy and my parents poking fun of it. I can still feel the mealy texture of the school lunches when I eat an overripe apple or something. 

I still wonder though, did Carson only get students whose grades were slacking, or just pick at random? Maybe I am crazy, maybe Vicky is still out there. Either way, Carson is gone. 

Can I be done now?

FOLLOW-UP NOTES

- Over 15 missing students were reported during this time, including the mentioned Victoria Winston.

- We were unable to reach out to Anita again, and her doctors were firm on not allowing us to speak with her again.

- We did speak with the parents of Miss Winston, and they reported that Victoria had been acting strangely before her disappearance, acting paranoid or asking if they felt watched. I think I understand the feeling.

[lfthinkerwrites]

High School AU: The Monthly Doctor’s ‘Conference’

At the monthly Doctor's 'Conference', certain members of the faculty make decisions.

The Tuesday night before the arrival of Superintendent al Ghul and his entourage saw Jonathan, Pamela, Harley, Penelope, Victor Fries, and Kirk Langstrom all gathered around a table in the Teacher's Lounge for the monthly Doctor's 'Conference'. Except the 'conference' was actually a poker game that only those who held PhDs were allowed to participate in. It had been a long-standing tradition that predated even Strange's tenure as principal, hence why he'd never bothered to get rid of it.

At the head of the table, Victor dealt the cards. "The usual rules apply, ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps tonight, someone other than a psychiatrist will win."

"Not a chance," Harley crowed, eagerly looking at her cards. "I'm gonna beat the pants off of ya!"

"What's the prize tonight?" Pamela asked. "Better not be a tie again."

Victor reached into the bag by his feet and pulled out a bottle of fine red wine. He placed it in the center of the table and Harley let out an appreciative whistle. "Nice. Now I'm definitely gonna win!"

"We'll see," Jonathan said. "We'll see. Who's hand is it?"

"Mine," Kirk said. He looked at his cards and grimaced, which made Jonathan cluck his tongue.

"You can't exactly complain about losing to psychiatrists all the time when you make it this easy for us."

"Not now Jon," Kirk said. He frowned, then placed three cards back into the stack before taking a three more. "I've got enough on my mind as is. Francine wants me to start putting in applications to other schools and universities ahead of tomorrow." He threw a red chip into the pot.

"Nora's expressed some concern to me as well," Victor said, reviewing his own cards. "She's become rather fond of Gotham. She doesn't want to leave." He peered over his cards to look at Jonathan and Penelope. "Have you informed Nashton?"

"We did," Jonathan answered, taking a card from the deck after Victor had finished. "He tried to get us to sign him a doctor's note excusing him from tomorrow."

Pamela made a disgusted noise. "Coward."

"Jonathan," Penelope asked after reviewing her cards. "Do you still have that whiskey?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"May I have some?"

Jonathan nodded, pulling the half-empty bottle from his bag and setting it on the table. Penelope grabbed the bottle and took a long swig out of it.

"Whoa, take it easy Penny," Harley said. "That stuff'll knock you out."

Penelope finished her drink, then shot Harley a long-suffering look. "I had to listen to Jason Todd go on for over an hour about how Bruce Wayne was ruining his life and how he was going to make him pay. I've earned that whiskey."

Harley cringed. "Yeesh. Jason. He's a nice kid, really, but he could write the book on Daddy Issues." She took a look at her own cards and her eyes lit up. "I'm bettin'!"

"Now who's making it easy?" Pamela grumbled.

The other players made their bets, only to not be surprised in the slightest when Harley won with a squeal of delight. "Who's turn is it to deal?" Kirk asked.

"Mine," Jonathan answered. He dealt cards to everyone around the table then sat back.

Penelope interrupted the game by asking a question. "Just how bad is Superintendent al Ghul?"

Harley gave her a surprised look before settling back down. "I keep forgettin' how new you are here, Penny. Anyway, Superintendent al Ghul is the absolute worst. He's some old school, hardline guy. His family's like this seven-hundred-year-old line of princes or somethin' from Saudi Arabia. They run a big global company. He used to be the top dog himself before he decided to take a step back and 'improve the minds of the future generations."

"He wants to use the school system to promote his vision of the world," Victor added. "He was the one who hired Strange. That should tell you all you need to know."

"And one more thing!" Harley said. "You know Wayne's youngest?"

"Damian? By reputation, yes," Penelope answered. "Whenever Jason's not complaining about Bruce, he's usually complaining about Damian."

"Well, Damian's Mom is al Ghul's daughter," Harley said. "So yeah, he and Wayne are kind of tight." Penelope grabbed Jonathan's whiskey bottle and took another long swig. Harley shook her head. "This sucks that he had to show up now, just when you and Eddie were finally startin' to go out."

Penelope nearly choked on the whiskey, which prompted Jonathan to pat her on the back. She put the bottle down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Dating-me and Edward-we are absolutely not dating, Harley!"

Harley arched an eyebrow. "No? Then how come you rode with him to the hospital?"

Penelope looked back down at her cards, willing the flush on her face to go away to no avail. "That doesn't mean I have any feelings for him. Jonathan and Tetch were making their statements to the police and Ellen was almost hysterical. She needed an adult with her. That's all."

"She didn't look that hysterical to me. She and Dent's daughter were takin' pictures of the whole thing on their phones," Jonathan piped up, which earned him a glare.

Harley, as always, wasn't about to give up that easily. "Oh come on, Penny! Don't act like I haven't caught you taking a look at Eddie's-"

Kirk held up a hand. "Please, Harley, don't finish that sentence."

Penelope's face was burning hot now. "I haven't-that still doesn't mean anything Harley."

Harley gave her a sneaky look. "Yeah, right. Besides, everyone and their mother knows that Eddie's crazy about ya! You two just make sense!"

Penelope dropped her cards on the table. "He...is?"

The rest of the table gave her a wide-eyed look, even stoic Victor. "He's been pining for you the second he laid eyes on you," Pamela said slowly as if she was speaking to a child. "You really didn't know?"

"He ain't exactly been subtle about it either," Jonathan grumbled, taking advantage of the distraction to sneak a peek at Penelope's cards before discarding one of his own. "He's been a goddamn nuisance."

Harley brought a hand up to her face. "Geez Louise, Penny! I thought all this time you were just playin' hard to get!"

"I thought you actually had taste," Pamela added.

Penelope quickly gathered her cards. "He's been absolutely insufferable half the time towards me from the moment I started here, how was I supposed to know?"

Pamela reviewed her cards before throwing a few chips in the pot. "Yes, well, Edward unfortunately never graduated above pulling a girl's pigtails when he liked them. How that man managed to find someone willing to have his child is a mystery I'll never be able to solve."

Kirk and Victor exchanged a long-suffering look. "Aren't you glad we're not still in the dating scene, Vic?"

"Immeasurably," Victor answered. "Is anyone else betting?"

"I am," Penelope added. "Now, can we please just get back to the game?"

"Nuh uh," Harley said, throwing another chip in. "So now you know. What're you gonna do?"

Penelope showed her hand. Full house. She took a breath. "Before I do anything, I want to hear it from Edward himself."

"You better hurry then. After al Ghul gets through with us, you might not get another chance!" Harley sighed. "We might all get separated. You and Eddie. Jonny, Eddie, and Jervis. Me, Red, and Lina." She let out a sniffle. "Me and Mistah J!"

Pamela rolled her eyes. "How is it that two trained psychiatrists," she pointed at Penelope and Harley, "Can't tell when someone is in love with them and when someone isn't?"

"Oh, lay off of Mistah J, Red! We're takin' it slow, that's all!"

"More like glacial," Jonathan said.

"Whatever," Harley grumbled. "At least he's not takin' al Ghul lying down!"

This actually piqued Jonathan's interest. "Oh? What's the Clown got planned this time?"

Harley grinned. "He said that if he's gonna get punished anyway, he's gonna go out on his own terms! He's just gonna be himself tomorrow!"

Pamela opened her mouth to respond when a determined look came over her face. She put her cards down. "I can't believe I'm saying this," she said. "But I actually agree with him. Strange, Wayne, al Ghul and everyone else on the school board has had it out for us for years. Why not end it on our terms?"

Jonathan played with his pile of chips before he nodded. "Yeah. You're right. If not now, then they'll get us at some point. Might as well go out swingin'."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "That may all be well and good for you lot, but some of us have spouses and families to consider."

"You can be good little sheep if you like," Pamela said. "But some of us would like to keep our dignity intact."

Harley clapped her hands. "Yeah! Fight the power! Are you in, Penny?"

"I'm not sure," she said quietly, obviously still thinking about someone else entirely. "But you do what you think is right."

"First thing's first," Kirk said. "Let's win this wine."

[classyfoxdestiny]

As Childhood Covid Cases Spike, School Vaccination Clinics Are Slow Going

As Childhood Covid Cases Spike, School Vaccination Clinics Are Slow Going

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — There were no cheery signs urging “Get your Covid-19 vaccine!” at the back-to-school immunization clinic at Carey Junior High School last week. In the sun-drenched cafeteria, Valencia Bautista sat behind a folding table in a corner, delivering a decidedly soft sell.

Hundreds of 12- and 13-year-olds streamed through with their parents to pick up their fall schedules and iPads. Ms. Bautista, a county public health nurse, wore a T-shirt that said “Vaccinated. Thanks, Public Health” and offered vaccines against ailments like tetanus and meningitis, while broaching the subject of Covid shots gently — and last.

By day’s end, she had 11 takers. “If they’re a no, we won’t push it,” she said.

Vaccination rates among middle and high school students need to rise drastically if the United States is going to achieve what are arguably the two most important goals in addressing the pandemic in the country right now: curbing the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant and safely reopening schools. President Biden told school districts to hold vaccination clinics, but that is putting superintendents and principals — many of whom are already at the center of furious local battles over masking — in a delicate position.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for people 12 and older, but administering it to anyone younger than 18 usually requires parental consent, and getting shots into the arms of teenagers has proved harder than vaccinating adults. Only 33 percent of 12- to 15-year-olds and 43 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated, according to federal data, compared with 62 percent of adults. Yet some school districts offering the shots, along with pediatrics practices, appear to be making progress: Over the past month, the average daily number of 12- to 15-year-olds being vaccinated rose 75 percent, according to Biden administration officials.

As the school year begins, many superintendents do not know how many of their students are vaccinated against Covid-19; because it is not required, they do not ask.

It is no surprise that nurses like Ms. Bautista are circumspect in their approach. In Tennessee, the state’s top immunization leader, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, said she was fired last month after she distributed a memo that suggested some teenagers might be eligible for vaccinations without their parents’ consent.

In Detroit, where county health officials have been running school-based clinics all summer, nurses discovered “strong hesitancy” when they made more than 10,000 calls to parents of students 12 and older to ask whether their children would get the shots and answer questions about them, said the deputy superintendent, Alycia Meriweather. More than half said no.

In Georgia, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools held their back-to-school clinic at the mall — a “neutral location,” said M. Ann Levett, the superintendent. She is also planning school-based clinics, she said, despite some political pushback and “Facebook chatter” accusing her of “pushing the vaccine on kids.”

Ms. Levett said she was deeply concerned about whether she would be able to keep schools open.

“This is only the second day of school, and already we have positive cases among children,” she said in a recent interview. Her district has a mask mandate, but with 37,000 students, “I just introduced 37,000 more opportunities for the numbers to rise.”

In Laramie County, the center of the Delta surge in Wyoming, the Health Department proposed back-to-school clinics to Janet Farmer, the head nurse in the larger of the county’s two school districts. Ms. Farmer knew she would have to tread carefully. The flier she drafted for parents of students at the county’s three middle schools made little mention of Covid-19.

“Vaccines — NOT Mandatory,” it declared.

Nationally, more children are hospitalized with Covid-19 — an average of 276 each day — than at any other point in the pandemic. In Laramie County, Dr. Andrew B. Rose, a pediatrician at the Cheyenne Children’s Clinic and the president of Wyoming’s chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said two newborns — one a few days old, the other younger than two weeks — were recently admitted to the hospital with Covid-19 symptoms after their parents tested positive.

Wyoming, a heavily Republican state where nearly 70 percent of voters cast their ballots for former President Donald J. Trump in 2020, has one of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, with about a third of its population fully vaccinated. Laramie County has about 100,000 people and Cheyenne, the state capital, which bills itself as “home to all things Western” including “rodeos, ranches, gunslingers” and eight-foot-tall cowboy boots.

At Casey Junior High, few children or adults wore masks at the recent clinic, despite a sign on the door saying they were “strongly recommended.” Parents seemed to have visceral reactions; they were either enthusiastic about the Covid shot or adamantly against it. Those who were wavering were few and far between, and not easy to persuade.

A nurse in blue scrubs and her husband, a nuclear and missile operations officer at the nearby Air Force base, who declined to give their names, wandered past Ms. Bautista’s table with their 12-year-old son. Their daughter, 13, has cystic fibrosis and is vaccinated. But their son was reluctant. They chatted amiably with Ms. Bautista, but decided to wait.

Cheyenne Gower, 28, and her stepson Jaxson Fox, 12, both said they were leaning toward getting the shot after talking with their doctors. Ms. Gower, citing the Delta surge, said she would get vaccinated soon. Jaxson said he was “still thinking about it” after his pediatrician discussed the risk of heart inflammation, a very rare side effect seen in young boys ages 12 to 17.

Updated 

Aug. 20, 2021, 7:34 a.m. ET

“Put down that I’m more on the getting it side,” he instructed, eyeing a reporter’s notebook.

Although the vaccines were tested on tens of thousands of people and have been administered to nearly 200 million in the United States alone, many parents cited a lack of research in refusing. Aubrea Valencia, 29, a hair stylist, listened carefully as Ms. Bautista explained the reasons for the human papilloma virus and meningitis vaccines. Ms. Valencia agreed that her daughter should take both.

But when it came to the coronavirus vaccine, she drew the line. “The other two have been around longer,” she said, adding that she might feel “different about it if we had known someone who died” from the coronavirus.

Every once in a while, the nurses encountered a surprise, as when Kristen Simmons, 43, a professional dog handler, marched up with her son, Trent.

“He turned 12 on Monday, and so we want to get his Covid vaccine,” she declared. Ms. Bautista and the other nurses looked stunned.

“We tend to be more liberal,” Ms. Simmons later said — a statement that would have sounded odd in explaining a medical decision before the pandemic.

In the spring, when vaccines were limited to older Americans who were clamoring for them, officials including Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, envisioned fall 2021 as the last mile of a campaign that could produce “herd immunity” by year’s end. Vaccinating children was crucial to that plan.

Now it is clear that will not happen. Children ages 11 and under are not yet eligible, but if and when the vaccine is authorized for them, experts expect it could be harder to persuade their parents than those of older children. A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that parents of younger children were “generally more likely to be hesitant to vaccinating,” said Liz Hamel, who directed the research.

Understand the State of Vaccine and Mask Mandates in the U.S.

Mask rules. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July recommended that all Americans, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in indoor public places within areas experiencing outbreaks, a reversal of the guidance it offered in May. See where the C.D.C. guidance would apply, and where states have instituted their own mask policies. The battle over masks has become contentious in some states, with some local leaders defying state bans.

Vaccine rules . . . and businesses. Private companies are increasingly mandating coronavirus vaccines for employees, with varying approaches. Such mandates are legally allowed and have been upheld in court challenges.

College and universities. More than 400 colleges and universities are requiring students to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Almost all are in states that voted for President Biden.

Schools. On Aug. 11, California announced that it would require teachers and staff of both public and private schools to be vaccinated or face regular testing, the first state in the nation to do so. A survey released in August found that many American parents of school-age children are opposed to mandated vaccines for students, but were more supportive of mask mandates for students, teachers and staff members who do not have their shots.  

Hospitals and medical centers. Many hospitals and major health systems are requiring employees to get a Covid-19 vaccine, citing rising caseloads fueled by the Delta variant and stubbornly low vaccination rates in their communities, even within their work force.

New York. On Aug. 3, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York announced that proof of vaccination would be required of workers and customers for indoor dining, gyms, performances and other indoor situations, becoming the first U.S. city to require vaccines for a broad range of activities. City hospital workers must also get a vaccine or be subjected to weekly testing. Similar rules are in place for New York State employees.

At the federal level. The Pentagon announced that it would seek to make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for the country’s 1.3 million active-duty troops “no later” than the middle of September. President Biden announced that all civilian federal employees would have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel.

For school superintendents and public health officials who are intent on bringing students back to the classroom — and keeping them there — the low vaccination rates, coupled with the Delta surge, are worrisome.

Wyoming won national praise for keeping schools open all last year. Gov. Mark Gordon, who contracted Covid-19 last year and has encouraged people to get vaccinated, imposed a statewide mask mandate in December that he kept in place for schools even after he lifted it in March, which helped limit the spread of disease in classrooms. Despite the Delta surge and a recommendation from the C.D.C. for universal masking in schools, Mr. Gordon, a Republican, said this month that he would not impose another mandate and that he would leave it to each district to decide.

In Laramie County School District 1, which has about 14,000 students, including about 840 at Carey Junior High, the school board recently cut short its public meeting about masking when a man began ranting about another hot-button issue: critical race theory.

“Fifty percent of the calls here have been, ‘Please mask our kids,’ and 50 percent of the calls have been, ‘We’re not wearing masks,’” said Margaret Crespo, who left Boulder, Colo., about six weeks ago to become the new District 1 superintendent. “There’s no gray area.”

Dr. Crespo plans to make an announcement on masking on Friday, just before the school year starts on Monday.

Fights over the masking issue are even more divisive than the vaccination campaign, “and that is playing out in front of our eyes,” said Ray Hart, the executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents the country’s largest urban school districts.

“Everywhere I go this summer, that’s part of the message: Let’s get vaccinated,” said Allen Pratt, the executive director of the National Rural Education Association. But “because it’s government, you’ve got a line in the sand where people don’t trust you, and you’ve got to be understanding.”

White House officials have also been encouraging pediatricians to incorporate coronavirus vaccination into back-to-school sports physicals. Many districts are offering the shots during sports practice, with a reminder to athletes that if they are vaccinated, they will not have to quarantine and miss games if they are exposed to the coronavirus.

Laramie County District 1 offered coronavirus vaccines at mandatory clinics to educate high school student athletes about concussions; 32 students accepted shots, said Ms. Farmer, the nurse. The numbers were better at the junior high clinics; over two days at three schools with a total of about 2,400 students, more than 100 took their shots.

Ms. Farmer was satisfied.

“If it’s 100 people,” she said, “that’s 100 that didn’t have it yesterday.”

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[orbemnews]

The two FBI agents killed in a Florida shooting were dedicated to preventing crimes against children The two were killed at an apartment complex executing a federal search warrant. Three other agents were wounded, two of whom were transported to the hospital and have since been released. The suspect in the shooting died at the scene and the FBI has said the investigation is ongoing. The agents were known for their exemplary efforts in the field, curbing child abuse with their investigatory work and educating students to the perils of sex crimes. “Our chosen profession is fraught with danger. Today this grim reality has taken two of our best from our family,” Piro said. Alfin played a key role in an ‘unprecedented’ child exploitation investigation Alfin, 36, was a New York native and started his FBI career in the bureau’s Albany, New York office in 2009. He was assigned to the Miami office in 2017, investigating crimes against children. According to federal court documents, Alfin said he was “recognized as an expert in federal court in areas relating to computer forensics and the investigation of child exploitation crimes.” The documents added that he had testified on more than 20 occasions as a witness, across more than 10 federal jurisdictions. Alfin played a critical role in a massive investigation that led to hundreds of child pornography arrests, according to a 2017 FBI statement. Officials at the time stated, “The case — and the thousands of follow-up investigations it has launched — is unprecedented in its scope and reach.” The case involved “Playpen,” described by authorities as a “highly sophisticated, global enterprise dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children, organized via a members-only website that operated on the dark web.” Alfin and his team’s investigation resulted in the arrests of at least 350 people based in the US, the prosecutions of 25 producers of child pornography, the arrests of 51 “hands-on abusers” and the identification or rescue of 55 American children, the FBI said. Abroad, the investigation led to 548 arrests and the identification or rescue of 296 sexually abused children, the FBI said. Alfin is quoted in an 2017 FBI statement about the case. “It’s the same with any criminal violation: As they get smarter, we adapt, we find them,” he said. “It’s a cat-and-mouse game, except it’s not a game. Kids are being abused, and it’s our job to stop that.” In 2018, Alfin was honored as part of the team involved in the case, and then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein spoke warmly of the award recipients. “Today’s honorees earned the esteem of their colleagues. But most importantly, they earned the gratitude of our fellow citizens — the people whose communities you made safer, whose lives you improved, and whose trust you rewarded. Today, we pause to honor and recognize a small portion of your work,” Rosenstein said. Alfin is survived by his wife and one child, the FBI said. Schwartzenberger worked with schoolchildren to keep them safe Schwartzenberger, born in Pueblo, Colorado, joined the FBI in 2005 and was assigned to the Albuquerque, New Mexico office. She served in the Miami office since 2010, according to the bureau. She worked on cases of crimes against children for more than seven years, the FBI said. Schwartzenberger’s scope of work included other sex crimes. In 2018, she discussed with CNN affiliate WPEC the dangers of sextortion, a scam using the threat of illegally obtained images. “It is very traumatizing for the victim,” Schwartzenberger told WPEC. “Their reputation is on the line.” This form of blackmail by criminals includes “cases where they’ve hacked into the victim’s computer and hacked the person’s camera. That is where they got images or videos,” she said. Schwartzenberger worked in the community to educate schoolchildren about protecting themselves and others online, as noted by Alberto Carvalho, the Superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “From speaking to @rmsfalcons students about cyber safety, to fighting crimes against children, @FBI Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger was deeply devoted to her work,” Carvalho posted on Twitter. “Our hearts go out to her family, as well as that of SA Daniel Alfin.” Rockway Middle School in Miami-Dade County, where Schwartzenberger spoke to assemblies, expressed its remorse in a statement. “As an FBI agent, Laura taught our students each year about the dangers of social media and much more. She would always say, ‘I feel that coming here and talking about the hard stuff means that I won’t see you guys on my end.’ “With her presentations, students would gain an awareness of online safety, cyberbullying, and experience the evidence response process of an FBI agent. “She would always answer all the students’ questions directly with care, but with firmness, to always remind them of the real world.” She is survived by her husband and two children, the FBI said. A GoFundMe page established in honor of Schwartzenberger has raised tens of thousands of dollars in its first 24 hours. “Laura was a light in this world. A true warrior, a long time CrossFitter, a wise woman, wonderful mother and beloved by our CrossFit VICE community,” its organizer said on the page. A community in shock The crime scene tape where the shootout occurred was still up Wednesday as agents gathered additional evidence. The entrance to the complex remained guarded by police. Complete details of what happened remain unknown at this time, yet it has been revealed that the search warrant was related to suspected possession of child pornography, according to the FBI Agents Association. The suspect had barricaded himself in his residence, according to Sunrise police. It is not yet known the exact circumstances that led to the exchange of gunfire, which the FBI says resulted in the shooting deaths of Alfin and Schwartzenberger by the suspect. In order to safely retrieve the other wounded officers, a SWAT vehicle had to be crashed into the building to provide cover, a law enforcement source familiar with the shootout said on condition of anonymity. Some nearby residents, including Jorge Castillo, were in disbelief that the killings happened so close to their homes. Castillo has lived at the complex for five years, alongside families with children as well as police officers, he said. The 76-year-old found the scene concerning. “It worries us,” Castillo said, noting that authorities were still discouraging residents from leaving their homes and moving about the complex. William Beller, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association’s local chapter president, told CNN on Wednesday the association is supporting agents still working the crime scene, and is also taking care of the families of Alfin and Schwartzenberger. Speaking just outside the apartment complex where the shooting happened, he and his colleague had brought lunch to the law enforcement agents working the scene. He said the leftovers would be donated to a local shelter since times were hard for everyone. When asked by CNN how the families were doing, his voice quavered as he said, “The families are grieving.” He added, “We are all brothers and sisters in law enforcement.” Overcome with emotion, he said, “All I know is I was able to hug my kids today,” and walked away in tears. CNN’s Rosa Flores, Sara Weisfeldt, Jason Hanna, Amanda Watts, Shawn Nottingham, Jamiel Lynch and Christina Carrega contributed to this report. Source link Orbem News #Agents #children #Crimes #dedicated #FBI #Florida #FloridaShooting:FBIagentskilledwerededicatedtopreventingcrimesagainstchildren-CNN #killed #preventing #shooting #us

[hendrix-shop]

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Our way succeeded that America can still rise to the occasion we can put our differences aside and find commonality government can tell the truth and can build trust we can judge by content of character rather than color of skin we can care for one another that Americans can work together and forge community and a Morning Wood Running Team Start Hard Stay Hard Carpenter Vintage Retro T-Shirt competent government and of course we will wear masks because we are smart and because I care about you and because you care about me of course we will socially distance because staying away shows how close we actually are yes we will set up testing and tracing into whatever we need to do to mobilize to win this battle because we are America we win wars and we are the greatest country on the globe and for all the pain and all the tears our way worked and it was beautiful we show that our better angels a strong and that Americans will rise to their call we saw that even at the end of the day even if it is a long day that love wins America’s eyes have been opened and we have seen in this crisis the. Number and I look forward to that election and then that was just made up propaganda nap I am but by some of the many people that are working writing little statements I see all the time statement made you say says statement made per Joe Biden sleepy Joe he did make the statements that somebody did but they said he made it now I let him know I I’m not thinking about it or not it’ll not allow Madison in the report I haven’t seen the please go ahead and say anything this Saturday only nobody knows where he is so he obviously couldn’t have said it if you have a this is breaking news give Yellow Medicine on Saturday at oh thickset okay go ahead and listen to Leslie one more place in the back so yeah we’ve lost a lot of people but if you look at what original projections were 22 million were probably heading to 60 007 it has its far too many one person is too many for this and I think we met a lot of really good decisions the big decision was closing the border doing the band people coming in from China obviously. It hears that big showdown over Obama care which is the week after election day but the Republican rush to get her confirmed and the Senate’s refusal to even consider president Obama’s election year nomination to fill Justice Scalia’s vacancy has led to calls from many Democrats to increase the size of the Supreme Court if Biden is elected which of course the ideas to dilute the strength of the conservative justices so Biden saying he would have a commission to study at the Constitution does not specify how many justices the court should have that is set by Congress that number is changed half a dozen times it’s been nine for about 150 years but making the court bigger remains a highly controversial idea even among Democrats and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opposed that she said last year that nine seem to be in the number savanna cam course is not just the presidency at stake is the makeup of Congress as well with Democrats obviously helping a strong performance in Job I would help them retake control the

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People that want to do harm we say stay the hell out its berries and when I can open the floodgates radical Islamic carriers and when I doing identity influx of refugees from terrorist regions you know that and I’m keeping the jihadists and the violent extremists the hell out of our country Tijuana maybe Michigan I think about what anybody like them to come to the wonderful sentiments I thought I knew you pretty well is not easy to of the evidence is very unpopular they people go after him again ultimately it what’s right people understand the together we will continue to protect American families fight for American workers support our police defend our Second Amendment which has been under say if I were not your president you wouldn’t have a Morning Wood Running Team Start Hard Stay Hard Carpenter Vintage Retro T-Shirt second amendment secure our borders as you are more broader on proudly stamped with the beautiful phrase may in the USA soaking wet because the media is getting it on the thing you look like how the day his hair was terrible it was all horrible bad man like he was named as. Medical care they quoted many of them and if we can help Republicans the superintendent running Simone F Mann North America correspondence to those who joins us at life in Los Angeles at the coming of the programs that give us an idea of how the president’s return has been received good morning Don it’s been received with the funky load of anger when he goes home and tells Americans not to let the virus donate them to be afraid of the reaction from other people as they will try telling that to the families of the 210 000 Americans dives because of the nine taking it was an extraordinary choreographed return to the White House from the moment they stepped out of the hospital it was primetime evening news time in America to the moment they got back to the White House walking up to the balcony immediately taking off his mosque and posing for that only pictures but it seemed as if he is making some sort of video succumb paying video it will stay in the coming days and is been strongly criticized for taking. Is Jesus a great big ovation worse you to their room with you on the back you’re not just Wilmington or Memorial campus right now also go alive Cypressand Katieand around the world will give everybody a great big ovation love you guys by that is that everyone of your here in fact very for some with this on my name is Jeremy this is my sweet beautiful lovely amazing wife Jennifer you like I like your hair like a rise of acceptance review with all of our kids this is this is my beautiful wife taking care of all of our kids to give her great big head Mother’s Day you have a lunch iron but were were we got an amazing weekend on the fact that we can crazy for us this week you all last night was Jaden’s James promand she would sure the problem do you still with us you still allow for now all actually see you were so busy all week to get all that readyand yesterday when it like we had a freedom cop riddle crazy stuff thought you may sod as the home to to make sure that I was in the picturesand make sure that up with the Bureau of God your boyand all subject was like dad to the British deputies at the door the doors like you will meet you at the door she was again accused with the doorsand I will give oceanographers know what she was like that oh my God do not do the shotgunand my dad was in town but that was still there but I was like as all good I got right hereand my dad had a piece like right there like that you’re in the house why are you so country where you will moment that my dear Dr McGrady began fighting Gaza was in high happy Mother’s Day one weekendand it was prominent with our still in only that no girl is extraand so we had we the disease in the makeand hairand many many epic talk a lot of money but I was right there beside her taking her wish to go monthly for this nominatesand so we were doing on thatand then only wrap them off like the fourth time I had a moment where I thought to myself I didn’t say that thought to myself weekend by in the world you now that I quickly came out outand got back into reality because you know what we were mom they were 24 Saturday we rarely get a breakand when I break is offered to us we pretty much probably won’t even take it in so it is great is great being a momand we we got it all taken care ofand she looked beautiful that I even with beating myself up over the fact that I wasn’t able to be there when she was putting her makeup on her she was getting dressed because we were behind on thingsand I was doing some running around steel like you that the house getting ready but that’s what we do we beat ourselves that over the slightest little thing so if your mom after reading the paperand just repeat after me say I am dealing a good joband you are my man you are doing God Aliand get everything right every not always the perfect okay you can let your baby the way that you can let them write only you can raise your babies can do it like you said don’t believe anybody they try to tell you you’re not doing it right that you’re not doing a good job you are in here at city we honor you guys today we honor all the nonsense that mom the foster mom than the others who maybe have lost their babyand that is Angel baby there shining down on you right now from heavenand they let you images on you kindly want you to have a very blessed day happy Mother’s Day to all the otherand our hope city kids team collaborated with our hope city worship team we use some of your kids at our worship teamand to gather they wrote an amazing song that I think you just gotta blow your socks offand so right now we captured it all on video without further ado IS perchance together city kids but also for our team is so weird to moms from the world what was the best meal that you won’t pursue dressing O Jesus is okay too much right as you timesand penetrating your mom first Godand is your mom one word is mom rhymes home on you as a result Simon with a you will we went to Joeand I gave you what’s your favorite thing to do with you all know what your most is is your monthly result formation just as a note in an inand out in the words this video will be going viral later todayand I’ll promise you will be walking in HEB this week to be like yours so majestic I just want to hug the white wears a gem like you don’t even know will give a great big candidate awesome job I think is funny but that’s actually the first recorded song from the city worship so guys can we please do an album hello amazing we we love mom’sand we we honor youand my mom is in the building it blessed you know I don’t know about your mom I don’t know your story I know that many of you come from varied backgroundsand with you knew your mom or not whether your mom was a challenge live with or not or maybe your mom was amazing I want to share account want to share my mom with you on this we can only give you some things that my mom has always told me my mom is always said mama momand my dad have always been reinforcers of faith I come from a long line of pastorsand preachers in church plantersand I remember when I was a kid we started the church in Winston Salem North Carolinaand when you start a church kind of weird people account to come out of the woodwork I don’t know if the enemy sends him like all the weird people are like hatersand of the church start let’s go try that one out would be kicked out of every other oneand so like this dude shows upand on like the first year there’s like 80 people in the church where this little building the center aisle in his blue pewsand that what you know the church was cut a smaller’s back door in the the stage in the right next to the stages of the outside doorand this dude comes in a startling part will down the middle on white rolling in the know we have a security team here we did have a security team therefore we how is my momand that might like this during worship but that such a gangster he just goes back there instead of stopping the got the start had to go back as I go okay so you keep doing part wills but I was gonna grab themand call them out his pats on the back all the way down the middle all the way across a broad that spat them on the backand the dead is open the side door padding right outand shut the doorand locked it that’s a thought he was strong arming a great job great job awfully sure you know my mother remember what’s on this specific we can service we had this guy come inand I don’t know there was mental deficiencies or challenges what he was going through at that time but he wore trenchcoat that day the churchand I was that was that there there was nothing elseand ought was telling everybody it was his birthday which was just wasn’t a good dayand we did have a security teamand auditors did know what to do so I go to my momand the like what we do shoes like all handled this right now I’m a mother will walk out the lobbyand my mom is small but your daughter Mike comes in small packages we have a great security team here at our church are pretty sure my mom could take all of them at once on the problem prayer Jesus in mom’s karate chops she walks up the stairs she says I don’t think so not to dice are not in the house of the Lord your God will act like this he looked at it is that you’re too littleand she stepped to him she said may be little but my God is bigand I tell you when I get out of this chart right now go get some clothes out there was like okay that’s that’s what was raised by I couldn’t help but live for God to automate but I of a mother or father report big faith into me the parade big prayers for me my mother would tell me this is she told me thisand she still says that she says God’s you usually got to do great things in your gotta learn to trust him she would say this you you can make a difference even when no one else’s first my next is that you can make a difference you can make a difference you can make a difference even if nobody else’s I believe it mother told me she got got something special for you these got an amazing anointing on you he’s going to use you to change the world powerful anointing on how believe it but I thought I was the only one also given a liaison to happen I gotta do something great for God he needs me I had no idea the got is a great anointing for every person has a great plan for every person God has a powerful moment a powerful anointing for every person before that verse of Scripture that says many are called but few are chosenand I’ve lived long enough to learn that those were chosen choose to be chosen at some point you gotta say I’m not going to go along to get along anymore I’m not going to just live to get to get bought home to say Lord here I am use me I’m going all in to whatever whenever however wear whatever you want from me that you were doingand hope city you’re never going to come hereand feel quite all the way comfortable drop jokes is okay not do that I tried to preach super series before work drive but I’ve always been a push you little bit outside your comfort zone because as regards pulled your callingsand comfort zones don’t go hand in hand Scott’s called you to go all inand do something amazing at our church we try to make it easy for you to do that we give your growth track AS you go through growth track you can learn more about our churchand you can learn more about yourself is ultimately got called you to do something specific that is some point you gotta say okay I can just be anonymousand the kingdom you got a plan for me you got a purpose for meand I want to go all in what would happen if today you went all in I asked people at our church but say this is the beginning of our church if you just give me one year just give me your go through growth track get in a group get in the group turns my next is a unique group saw me on the life or Bob group she automateand integrate to be in a group of people are helping you grow or help you learn your help you study the word of God Jesus when Jesus is first whenever he started his earthly ministry to go to group to follow disciples 12 he built a group he left his his kingdom he left the expansion of the church to a group you need to be in a group jump on the dream team watch what God does in your life in a year will happen if you went all in there many of you were here at one of our campuses for the very first timeand you came because your mama use the mama car on youand she was like the only thing that I want for Mother’s Day is for you to get yourself in church like I mama go to churchand you’re hereand you know what were not agreed upon you went on to make you feel bad for the honorand celebrate you become the church today thank you for what would happen if next week if you blow your mom’s mindand you showed up at just walked in this episode as I find joy last week on here this weekend for me not just for you your mom but you never know God called you to do something great you want to just go all in stop making excuses also part of the hard things got got great things for you but sometimes you gotta make a commitment Thomas Edison said most people miss opportunities because it’s dressed in overallsand looks like work what if you went all in it’s okay God I know this thing they look like a challenge him actually give you my life to give you my future to give you everything that I have all of me what would it unlock in your life if you just said okay I believe that I can make a difference even when nobody else’s nobody else in my families ever done this or maybe nobody else in my friend group is ever done is is going to go all in the challenges oftentimes we don’t we don’t want to take personal responsibility actually go all in words a dads that was all the dads that were your dad list of all of our dads a great big guys so you’re saying why are we honoring fathers on Mother’s Day that’s weird I will tell you here’s why because I want I want to encourage men or encourage our men because oftentimes this out outside of Easter the second typically the second largest attended weekend service in a year in American churches is Mother’s Day because mom is like everybody’s going to church with me todayand we honor moms like mom you’re amazingand one of the lowest attended weekend servicesand all the year is Father’s Day I don’t know why that is but I tend to think that is because on Mother’s Day weekend churches like mom you’re amazing chocolate covered strawberries or some sorbet we love you hear some rosesand a policy right about yourself a lot lately but I think would be an idiot not hope city we honor fathers were grateful for the men here who believe we love our menand our chart having said that some thousand sometimes bills because certain responsibility right now not your work in a condo city are hard working men all miss that you were hard working men but when we get home like hard Reston manual me like mom is never quit they never stop working it’s constant they can work 87 hours during the week will make somebody’s bed both bodies of dirty clothesand change 17 dirty diapers kicked somebody in the seat of the pants like predicate inadequate acting crazy that comes always I was remote list you know intelligence because like that Amy you come home you go get that plastic cup that weird plastic of this like faded but you keep itand you go go to the refrigerator you go get some ice in it because the mice in your overflow lies in it falls on the floor going to pick it up to you now kick it on the fritz don’t to death know why I know is what your boy does know what was wrong with you what came to pick up unlike us water is evaporated to go become a cloud on the help of Jesus some of we like to take responsibility not just meant everybody manual me like wherever we go shopping with our wives bless America my wife told me couple years ago she said I must go to the mall’s like your boy don’t do the ball so we’re on our way to the mall I already pantyhose my family don’t you don’t you be questioning with the malland would win when moms go to the mall like looking for a sale they’re looking for a deal they’re looking for the discount rack promote somebody you spend just as much money you just want more for your money right men when we go shopping with you we are not looking for a deal were not looking for sale not looking for the discount rack will look at one thing what are we looking for fellows for chair that’s right perch I just want to see a godforsaken chair that is not in the shoe department all the way over there effective you own a department store on his will give you something extra to sprinkle chairs liberally throughout your store we would love to go shopping at your store if there’s a chair will sit on anything your domain willing to push some for some shirts are likely to we find that share that share is like a waste is in the desertand we run for were like they are more sinister one because we know that other men are like vultures looking for that chair to get a firstand then you trick us trick is to sit in the chair for 30 minutes what I’m ready to goand we know the story those if your newly married let me educate you just a little bit okay when she says I’m ready to go site are you going to the checkout line yes I’m going to check out liable right do you have everything you need to start naming off places in the store that she might’ve forgot to go because once you relinquish your chair is fair game I think there should be like a 10 foot rule you want me what you get 10 feet off the check is us what happens to me all the church is like all honey I forgot you turnaround is like a 78 year old man Artie sit in your territory like finders keepers alike best playgrounds are should give me a chance few years ago we were in a department storeand I’m looking for a chairand I found one but it was a part of the decoration it’s a benchand they actually have manikins sitting on unlike why I saw this is just a number of moving your resolve this matter manikin so as I moved in beside the medicand I guess I’ll brush your arm I don’t know what happened in her arms like thisand whenever I set up so she was like like it my leg is if you do you gotta know what was in our raw guys are starting to move her arm back upand when I try to move your arm back up her arm came off in my head like youand I like looking women try to put her arm back on to try to put her on the whole upper body fell overand this is what I ended up with you right here Soma picture this when I in the prior site is legal because the bids like she was prayingand if you look at the you see her forearms is laid out on thereand I was like walking awayand as the walk away as managers like when I was a kid undecided See Other related products: Jesus These Bones Will Come To Life Again T Shirt

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CAL ED

How Los Angeles and San Diego Unified Started Driving State Education Policy

Back in May, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a new draft of his budget, based on the bleak financial outlook caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. California’s rosy fiscal position had evaporated in a matter of weeks and it was time for the bad news: Schools would take the biggest hit.

Newsom said he was left with no choice but to cut $7 billion from education. It was one of the biggest single year drops in funding ever proposed. Education leaders immediately compared it to the devastating austerity of the Great Recession.

At the time, the state’s two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego Unified, had been cultivating a partnership for weeks. And even though they had different purposes in mind for the new alliance, the moment of Newsom’s cuts was going to be a big moment for them.

“In the last recession, the entire education establishment rolled over,” said Richard Barrera, vice president of the San Diego Unified school board. “These big cuts were coming and everyone in Sacramento capitulated. Most districts were just waiting to be told, ‘Here are your guidelines. Here’s what you have to spend.’”

Barrera, a union organizer by trade, believed school districts should at the very least fight back against Newsom’s budget. Within days, Los Angeles and San Diego Unified wrote a letter saying they wouldn’t be able to physically reopen campuses if Newsom’s cuts went through. Other big districts signed onto the letter. School leaders pushed their local legislative delegations to restore the money.

The moment was ripe for a novel statewide organizing approach. Coronavirus had upended schooling and many important questions, beyond even money, would have to be answered over the course of the pandemic. In the absence of few concrete guidelines from the state, Los Angeles and San Diego Unified’s new partnership was actually setting them up to drive education policy across California.

“Education is a weird sector in that there’s all of this latent political power — because people actually care about schools more than anything else — and it never gets used,” said Barrera. “My experience with health care unions is you get in there and you fight like hell. So I was really focused on trying to get other districts on the same page and focused on this issue.”

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Barrera, along with board president John Lee Evans, started working towards this group organizing effort shortly before the pandemic.

Back in December, in the normal times, the California School Boards Association held its annual conference in the San Diego Convention Center. Superintendents and board members from all over the state were in town. Barrera and Evans saw an opportunity to gather leaders from other big city districts.

For Evans, the meeting would be about money. California ranks among the bottom half of states in per pupil funding.

“We wanted to have a discussion about longer term funding. Because now we come back every year and just fight over pennies basically to get a little bit more,” Evans told me.

Evans and Barrera gathered together superintendents and board members from some of the biggest districts in California, including Los Angeles Unified.

“Fresno, Long Beach, Santa Ana. I think Sacramento. I think we had about seven districts total,” Barrera told me.

Kelly Gonez, a board member with Los Angeles Unified, was there with another board member and some staff members from the district. She has tried to facilitate school district collaboration in various roles at the Council of Great City Schools and the state school board association.

I asked her how other people took to the idea of advocating together for better funding.

“It seemed pretty novel [to some people]. Not quite revolutionary, but close to it,” she said. “We had each been in our own silos trying to advocate with our own local legislators. But it was really exciting for people to be part of this new coalition that was forming.”

Barrera said education leaders don’t often recognize their organizing power.

“Most superintendents are educators, teachers. They come up through that system. They tend to be, for most part, non-political, great, wonderful people who care about kids,” said Barrera.

The group left the meeting with a loose plan to advocate for more funding — not manage a pandemic. But an opportunity to leverage the partnership came sooner, and under different circumstances, than expected.

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In March, as it became clear California was on the edge of a wide scale outbreak, no one was very sure what schools should do. Closing schools would be bad for vulnerable students. Not closing schools might be bad for everyone. If schools must close, when is the right moment?

School districts were scrambling — and they were getting very little guidance from state officials. Los Angeles and San Diego school officials started a dialogue. Ultimately, both districts decided it would be better to close sooner rather than later. On Friday, March 13, they issued a joint statement saying that physical campuses in both districts would close the following Monday.

Before the end of the day Friday, all of San Diego’s 41 other school districts had also decided to close. Most others across the state did the same. In a vacuum of no clear state guidance, Los Angeles and San Diego discovered they could set the tone.

“In the absence of other folks making those decisions we will go out and try to see if we’re on the same page and make a decision together,” Barrera said.

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When it came to Newsom’s proposed budget cuts in May, the partnership also worked. This time, Los Angeles and San Diego brought in some of the big city districts they’d met with in December. Five other districts signed their letter demanding more funding from the governor.

After sending their message, each of the districts went to work on their own hometown legislators. After Newsom made his initial proposal, it was the legislators’ turn to negotiate with him on the parts of his budget they didn’t like. San Diego and Los Angeles Unified were banking on the fact that legislators could turn the budget back in their favor.

The districts negotiated aggressively. “Cuts will mean that the reopening of schools will be delayed even after… clearance from public health officials is given,” they wrote.

Essentially, they were saying to legislators, “If you don’t make this budget right, we will not open our schools.” Everyone had finally realized the true value of a publicly-funded education system, free to all. It was the biggest engine for the economy and an invaluable source of childcare and stability. The legislators listened.

By the time the Legislature and governor came to an agreement, schools would not take any budget hit at all.

“You’ve seen collective advocacy from big districts before,” said Carrie Hahnel, a fellow at the Opportunity Institute, who tracks state education policy. “But I’m certain that Los Angeles and San Diego’s joint decisions put more pressure on the state.”

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Los Angeles and San Diego had clearly implied they would physically reopen if the state came through with more money. But in retrospect, they were making a commitment they had no way of knowing they could keep.

They got the money they asked for — the federal government also seems poised to kick in more money for schools — but, in their latest joint decision, both districts decided they would not physically reopen on the first day of school.

As the pandemic worsened over the summer, the lack of clear state guidance about how and if to reopen schools was creating another vacuum.

Each of California’s 1,000-plus school districts — some have dozens of students, others tens of thousands — were forced to decide individually whether or not to open. The message from the Governor was clear: The decision is yours. We won’t tell you what to do or how to do it.

“The reality is that we are school districts, not public health experts,” said Gonez. “We had to step up, in the absence of clarity at the state level.”

On July 13, the districts jointly announced they could not safely reopen on the first day of school. They would start the school year with online learning. Again, other districts quickly followed their lead.

Coronavirus cases were increasing. The first day of school was coming very near. Barrera said he and other leaders felt the moment weighing on them. “We felt like we had the responsibility to inform parents, teachers, students and the whole community. People have to be able to prepare,” he said.

Even though they got the money they asked for, Los Angeles and San Diego school officials ultimately didn’t believe they could create a safe environment on such short notice and with so little guidance.

This time it wasn’t just other school districts that followed. Days later, Newsom announced new rules that supported Los Angeles and San Diego Unified’s decision. Schools would be ordered to close in counties with a certain minimum number of new coronavirus cases. Those counties included San Diego and Los Angeles.

“I hope maybe there will be less of a need for us to step into that void, as the state steps up a little more,” said Gonez.

But if Newsom and the state Department of Education don’t step up, Los Angeles and San Diego schools have made one thing amply clear: They can and will make decisions together. And when they do, those decisions will have massive impacts for the state’s 5 million other students. *Reposted article from the VOSD by Will Huntsberry of July 28, 2020

[rolandfontana]

When Running Away From Home Means Getting Locked Up

Tabitha was on the run from her foster family when she celebrated her 17th birthday. She had been on the streets for four weeks when she finally turned herself in to Child Protective Services in Aberdeen, Washington.

“I had nowhere else to go,” she said in an interview with The Appeal.

Instead of being immediately placed in a new foster home, Tabitha was put in the back of a police car. Since she was in violation of a court order, the consequence for running away was juvenile detention.

What she remembers most are the toilets.

“The toilets are all metal and it gets really cold,” she recalled.

Detention was not a deterrent to running away, she said, but it did teach her how the system works.

She was afraid the court would extend her stint in detention because she smoked pot while she was on the run.

“[I learned how to] play nice with the judges,” said Tabitha, whose last name was withheld for privacy. “Juvie just gave me even more reason to not get caught.”

Tabitha’s story is common.

In Washington, young people, many of whom are also in the foster system, are often detained on status offenses—noncriminal actions like truancy and running away that would not be illegal for anyone over 18. Washington is an outlier among the states when it comes to locking up children for these violations.

But that could soon change.

In January, state Senator Jeannie Darneille, who has long pushed for reform on this issue, introduced Senate Bill 5290, which would eliminate the use of juvenile detention for contempt of truancy orders, dependency placement orders, or child in need of services orders by July 1.

Representative Noel Frame introduced companion legislation, House Bill 1434, in the Washington House. And a related measure, House Bill 1106, sponsored by Representative Tina Orwall, would eliminate the use of detention for violation of truancy-related court orders.

Although such measures have failed in years past, Democrats now control the state government and there’s growing momentum for reform. Darneille’s bill has already passed the Senate, and its companion bill is in committee in the House. Both bills have already made it further than they have in previous years.

“We’re hopeful that a year’s worth of work and dialogue has helped move the conversation forward and we expect that to continue during the remainder of session,” Darneille said. “The fact that a child can go into detention for something that isn’t a crime is state-sanctioned trauma.”

The Becca Bill

When the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act passed in 1974, one of its core requirements was the “deinstitutionalization of status offenders,” prohibiting states from receiving federal juvenile justice funding for detaining young people for noncriminal offenses.

But in the early 1980s, an amendment to the JJDPA granted an exception to this core requirement, allowing judges to sentence children to secure confinement for a status offense if it violates a valid court order. The unintended consequence of that exception has been the widespread use of detention for status offenses in some jurisdictions.

Washington State is one of them. Data from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention showed that Washington used valid court order exceptions more than 2,700 times during a 12-month period around 2011, which was twice as many as Kentucky, the state with the next-highest rate of detention. In 2017, around 12 percent of all admissions to juvenile detention in Washington were for status offenses, according to the Washington State Center for Court Research.

Washington’s high detention rate stems from a 1995 law known as the Becca Bill.

Named after Rebecca Hedman, a 13-year-old runaway who was found murdered, the law was intended to give judges discretion to send children to crisis residential centers (CRCs) that would provide mental health and substance use support. But budget cuts in the late 2000s significantly reduced the number of CRCs in Washington.

According to testimony from a juvenile court administrator during a hearing on HB 1434, only two counties in Washington have secure CRCs, which are locked facilities, and eight have nonsecure CRCs, which allow children more movement within the building.

When there aren’t enough beds in the treatment centers, children get sent to juvenile detention.

There is wide variation in how county courts use the valid court order exception. Clark County has stopped detaining young people for status offenses almost entirely. Other jurisdictions still do so frequently.

Naomi Smoot, executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, told The Appeal that such variation isn’t uncommon.

“There’s often one jurisdiction, or even just one judge, who is continuing to hold on to the valid court order exception,” she said, “even if the rest of the state has realized that it’s not best practice.”

A ‘Safety Net’ or Punishment?

In previous years, the proposed legislation faced strong opposition from juvenile court administrators and superior court judges who argued that removing the valid court order exception would prevent them from keeping the most at-risk children safe.

Lisa West, administrator of Skagit County’s superior and juvenile courts, and president of the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators, said her organization is opposed to the elimination of the valid court order exception until there are alternatives for youth who will not voluntarily participate in services or interventions.

“Until there are other options for our most vulnerable youth, we are not willing to remove the only safety net in place,” she wrote in an email.

King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell made a similar point. When asked during a recent public hearing on HB 1434 if the goal of detention was to keep at-risk youth safe or to punish them for disobeying a court order, O’Donnell said the purpose of detention is to get the child to comply with the order.

“It is not to punish,” he said.

Despite such attitudes toward detention, momentum is starting to shift.

In February 2019, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges adopted a resolution in favor of eliminating the exception at the state and federal levels.

“I think this year we might have a shot at changing 30 years of practice,” said Hillary Behrman, director of legal services at the Washington Defender Association.

In her experience, the use of detention for status offenses is, at best, a temporary fix. At worst, it further traumatizes a child who has most likely already been traumatized.

“Bringing them into detention for a day or two … doesn’t change anything,” she said. “They’re going right back to whatever their situation was.”

Other advocates say that using detention makes it less likely that kids will trust school officials, social workers, judges, and lawyers who are trying to help them. Not only does it fail to address underlying issues a young person is facing, they say, it increases the likelihood that children will have further involvement with the criminal legal system.

The push for juvenile justice reform in Washington State occurs against the backdrop of the re-authorization of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which passed Congress in December 2018 with bipartisan support. Although advocates hoped that the re-authorization would include a phase-out of the valid court order exception, it remained intact.

Smoot of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice said the re-authorization limits secure detention to seven days and judges need to provide a written statement about why incarceration is in the interest of justice.

About 40 states have eliminated detention for status offenses or use it sparingly.

Smoot pointed out that approximately 40 states have eliminated detention for status offenses or use it sparingly.

“Federal law has lagged behind the states,” she said. “Each legislative session, we see more and more states implement their own laws that will phase out the use of the court order exception. Utah did it last year. We’ve also seen other states across the country, like Kentucky, dramatically reduce theirs.”

Although states have decreased their reliance on the valid court order exception, the young people who are diverted are disproportionately white, Smoot said, adding, “It’s pushed the racial and ethnic disparities even further out of whack.”

Girls are also over-represented among youth in detention for status offenses. In Washington, young women make up approximately 30 percent of all youth admitted to detention, but 47 percent of all children detained on status offenses.

Francine Sherman, a clinical professor at Boston College Law School, is an expert on young women in the juvenile justice system. She said girls are more likely to run away than boys, and hence more likely to be detained on status offenses.

“Whether it’s fighting with their mother, staying out too late … and behaving in ways that are inconsistent with known social expectations,” she said, “we are a lot quicker to come down on girls for those kinds of things than we are boys.”

Community Truancy Boards

Regardless of the outcome of the proposed legislation, Washington has made strides toward reducing the number of children incarcerated for status offenses, particularly for truancy. In 2016, the state legislature mandated that all school districts create “community truancy boards” starting in 2017-18.

The boards comprise volunteers from the community who work with families to understand why their children are skipping school and coming up with a plan to encourage attendance.

“The idea of community truancy boards is to have that kind of next-tier conversation with a family about what’s driving the absences,” said Krissy Johnson, attendance program supervisor at the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Although a formal evaluation of the impact of the truancy boards will not be completed until data from the current school year is available, they have most likely contributed to a statewide decline in the number of children detained for truancy.

In Washington, there was a 16 percent decrease in admissions for status offenses between 2016 and 2017, with a 30 percent decline for truancy-related admissions, according to the Washington State Center for Court Research. Early estimates comparing the first half of 2017 to the first half of 2018 indicate an additional 16 percent reduction in the number of detention admissions for status offenses.

Tabitha might have benefited from community-based solutions like the truancy boards. Now, at 19, she is living in a shelter for young adults under 25 who have aged out of the foster care system. She’s working on finishing high school online, and has only two credits left before she graduates.

She eventually wants to go to college, and is interested in art and photography.

Charlotte West

Tabitha said there’s always a reason children run away or are truant.

“If a kid runs away or skips school, obviously something bad’s happening in that house,” she said. “People need to actually engage the kid and listen to what they have to say instead of just throwing them in jail or juvie.”

Charlotte West is a 2018 John Jay/Tow Juvenile Justice Reporting Fellow. This is a slightly edited and condensed version of her story published in The Appeal. Read the full story here.

When Running Away From Home Means Getting Locked Up syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2st8tC6

Snapchat is one of the social networks that most people have heard of, even if not everyone uses it. These days, with Instagram stories even getting their own face filters, it’s really starting to feel like Snapchat’s days are numbered. Still, there are a lot of people who are still very active on the network and use it every day. Not everyone who uses it is smart enough to realize that even a video or image that will expire after 24 hours will really be gone for good. That must be the reason why they record themselves doing things that are only going to get them into trouble. Some people have performed illegal activities on Snapchat. Some have sent lewd images and messages to people who are underage or should not be seeing that kind of message. Others have filmed themselves getting into angry rants or being rude about other people. Then there are those who make threats online, leaving the evidence there for the courts to pick up later. Snaps can easily be ‘screenshotted’ or recorded by others – even the fast-disappearing private messages that you can send directly to your friends. Even if they aren’t caught in the moment, Snapchat actually archives all of the messages that are sent. This means that if the police want to check up on you later, they can still find the proof. That’s something that all of the entries in this list should have understood before they made their incriminating videos and images.

#1 Lewis Hamilton Drove While Snapping Lewis Hamilton was very lucky only to come under heavy criticism for this snap rather than getting into actual legal trouble. While the police did investigate the video, they said that there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed with an arrest. It’s not clear enough from the video where he was or if he was taking the video (since you can’t fully see his arm holding the phone). Still, Hamilton might think twice before he pulls this stunt again. He filmed a video while driving along on a Harley Davidson motorbike in Auckland, New Zealand. He was there ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on a pre-season break. It has been illegal to drive whilst using a mobile device in New Zealand since 2009, so Hamilton doesn’t have any excuse for this behaviour. Especially considering that he would have been arrested on the spot if he tried to do something like this in his home country of the UK.

#2 A Teacher Complained About Kids A middle school teacher got into a whole heap of trouble when she put out a snap complaining about students going to the prom in a horse and carriage. Caitlin Cormack was a teacher and track coach at Heskett Middle School when she put out a snap about the party-goers from the nearby Bedford High School. On it, she wrote, “These damn kids and parents … not enough money for school supplies or passing grades but out here renting horses.” The school’s policy stated that teachers are prohibited from discussing individual students and should not air personal views in a public forum, so the Superintendent put her on administrative leave and started investigating immediately. Plenty of parents were horrified by the comment, find it disrespectful and hurtful. There was a lot of call for her to lose her job, though others were quick to point out that she was only sharing the truth.

#3 A Killer Snapped A Photo With His Victim A teenager from Pittsburgh made headlines when he took perhaps the most gruesome selfie of all time. The interestingly-named Maxwell Marion Martin, just 16 at the time, shot one of his classmates to death. He then posed next to the corpse of Ryan Mangan and took a selfie on Snapchat, which he sent to one of his friends. The friend, understandably shocked, took a screenshot of the image before it was automatically deleted. They were then able to take the evidence to the police, along with some incriminating text messages that Morton added later. After police turned up at his home, he confessed to the murder and is now being tried as an adult. You have to be a particular brand of stupid to take photographic evidence of yourself involved in a crime, whether you are a teenager or not. This is at least one murderer whose need to brag has taken him off the streets.

#4 A Model Fat-Shamed A Naked Woman This case was huge because it really shocked the world. No one expected that a model would come out with such rude behaviour, even if she was a former Playmate. Dani Mathers was put into hot water when she sent out a snap of a naked woman who was in the gym changing rooms with her. She added the caption, ‘If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either’ – a dig at the woman’s body shape and age. She was criticized roundly for the fat-shaming snap, which was taken without the woman’s permission and shared to all of her followers. Mathers was then charged with invasion of privacy, something which really has not done her career any good. It’s a misdemeanour, but a very public one, and one that people will not be quick to forgive. It was actually LA Fitness that reported the snap to the police, and they revoked her membership at the same time.

#5 Two Idiots Got A Gator Drunk Two men found themselves being charged after they forced a baby alligator to down beer and recorded it as a Snapchat video. Joseph Floyd Jr. and Zachary Brown, aged 20 and 21 respectively, saw charges of harassing wildlife after they abused the tiny creature. They were seen pouring beer into the gator’s mouth, holding its jaws and throat open, and even blowing smoke into its mouth. Friends of the duo saved the images and videos when they appeared on Snapchat and then added them to Facebook, from where word spread. The men claimed that they picked the gator up on a dirt road and then released it back into a nearby pond after they had finished messing around with it. The maximum penalty for their actions could be as much as $300 in fines. Here’s hoping the public shame along with the money helps to get the message through to their heads that it’s not okay to torture animals, especially not threatened species.

#6 Sheldon Richardson Swore Too Much Sheldon Richardson hasn’t had what you would call a spotless record. He was suspended for four games in 2015 after a positive marijuana test, and then an arrest in 2015 earned him another one-game suspension after he drove over the speed limit. Now playing with the New York Jets, the player got himself into hot water again when he appeared on the Snapchat account of teammate Rontez Miles. He shouts, “Snapchat takeover gang bang in this b—h. You know, pregame s—t. Where the h–s at?”, right into the camera. Richardson was facing disciplinary action from his team once again the next morning, after his coach was informed about the video. The statement from Todd Bowles was, “That’s not something we condone or something we encourage. That’s unacceptable.” Looks like Richardson needs to learn to keep his tongue in his mouth the next time the cameras start rolling.

#7 Students Don Blackface Paige Shoemaker was a pre-med student at KSU who was supposed to be entering her senior year. Instead, she decided to be funny on Snapchat – something which is really not recommended for those who aren’t professional comedians. She and a friend put black clay masks over their faces, adopted gang poses and serious expressions, and then added the cherry on top: a caption which read, ‘Feels good to finally be a n****r’. So, as you can probably guess, Shoemaker was kicked out of the college almost immediately. She and her friend, Sadie Meier, put out an apology post on Facebook – though it was not enough to undo the damage done when the image went viral on both Twitter and Facebook. Another student at KSU had screenshotted and shared it. Not only was she sent packing from college, but she also faces a lot of animosity from the student body in general, who have told her never to attempt coming back.

#8 A Student Threatened A School Shooting A student from Anna in Texas made the crucial mistake of threatening a school shooting. Much like joking you have a bomb in your luggage while at the airport, it’s something you shouldn’t ever do even if you think it’s funny. The student took a photo of himself holding a pellet gun, which was designed to look identical to a real gun. On it he added the caption, ‘Don’t come to school tomorrow’. The 13-year-old was tracked down after police were shown the snap by another concerned student. He claimed he meant it as a joke, which didn’t come off as funny as he thought – he ended up being charged with a misdemeanour and put into juvenile custody. The police officers involved were quick to remind the student that school shootings aren’t something to be taken lightly, and that they will process any threat as a real one even if it’s not meant that way.

#9 A Teacher Sent An “Obscene” Snap To His Student As a teacher, the one thing that you are supposed to do is to look after the children in your care. Apparently, that message didn’t hit home for Joseph Lamar, who decided to contact one of his students on Snapchat. The 24-year-old teacher sent what has been described as an ‘obscene’ snap to a victim under the age of 18. We can all probably imagine what it was of. This photo was then seen by another student, and one or the other of them reported it. It took 18 days for him to be tracked down and arrested on charges of Distribution of Obscene Material to a Minor. That’s a third-degree felony, so Johnson can wave goodbye to his teaching career for good. He admitted to sending the photo and didn’t try to pretend it was an accident. There’s that, at least, though it doesn’t make him look like any less of a creep.

#10 A Saudi Celeb Impersonated A Woman In Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of laws about what you can and can’t do. You may already be aware of some of the controversial rulings which have been handed down to people suspected of being gay, sleeping around outside of marriage, or cross-dressing. A famous Snapchat personality has now been arrested for wearing women’s clothing in his comedy video clips. Though the authorities have not released his name, he could be Aboud Bad, who is also well-known on YouTube. He was arrested for “for producing and distributing material insulting to public order,” so say the police. Cross-dressing is against the strict laws on gender identity which are upheld by the Haia, the morality police in Saudi Arabia. There has already been another instance of a man being arrested for wearing a burqa in recent times, as well as another YouTuber being arrested, this time for chatting with an American vlogger in a public video.

#11 Christopher Wallace Told Police Where He Was Christopher Wallace is a man from Maine who was suspected of burglary, and who went on the run to successfully evade police. Successful, that is, until he told everyone where he was. He first went back home and posted on Snapchat that he had made it back, at which point one of his contacts called police to let them know. Deputies searched the house, but didn’t find him. As the Sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook: “While the deputies/officers were wrapping up their search, Wallace posted again on Snapchat. This time he posted that the police were searching for him in the house, and that he was hiding in a cabinet. Again, we received phone calls. A search of the kitchen cabinets turned up some food, some pots and pans, and also a pair of feet. The pair of feet just so happened to be attached to a person, and that person was Christopher Wallace.”

#12 Jeffree Star Got Into A Flame War Jeffree Star loves controversy, and he certainly started something when he decided to get into a bit of a flame war with another YouTube makeup celebrity. He was apparently at an event with MakeupShayla, who also posts makeup and beauty tutorials. Afterwards, he went onto Snapchat and ranted about how Shayla had apparently told a model that she had ugly lips and needed work doing to them. He didn’t mention any names in the initial snap, but it inflamed a discussion which went across Twitter and further. He ended up getting himself into even more trouble when he wrote threatening and abusive comments about Shayla. Considering his also recent troubles with Kat Von D calling him out and decimating his fan base, this wasn’t the best move to make. A lot of fans ended up taking sides over this one, and it soon became clear that Jeffree’s attitude during the whole exchange was causing him to lose out. We’d love to show you the snaps, but Jeffree’s legal team seem to be deleting them every time they crop up.

#13 Amrezy and Shayla Just Incriminated Themselves As the makeup war raged on, two other makeup artists managed to get themselves in trouble by incriminating themselves. First off it was Shayla, who jumped right onto Snapchat and called Jeffree out for making comments about her. At that point no one knew it was her, so she actually brought her own reputation down by speaking out. Then it was Amrezy’s turn. She got involved when Shayla sent a supposed subliminal tweet about her. She went onto Snapchat for a huge angry rant about the other make-up artist, even though once again she hadn’t been named. The result? People got pretty curious about why they were mad at each other, and ended up digging up secrets from Amrezy’s past. Not something that she probably wanted to go public as a result of her words. She’s probably wishing that she had let the tweet stay subliminal now that the story has gone viral.

#14 A Man Broke His Restraining Order 26-year-old Declan Thomas Hawthornthwaite from Darwen in the UK had a bit of a troubled past with one Caitlin McGarr. The tension between the two of them had reached such a point that McGarr took out a restraining order on him. Once ordered by the court, this meant that he was not supposed to contact or go near her at all. For some reason, he seemed to believe that Snapchat messages didn’t count as contact. He sent her a total of 13 videos through the messaging service while drunk, all of which were recorded and shown to police. He took the idiocy to a new level by including comments about her disabled brother which were highly offensive and threatening. He had been given a suspended prison sentence, but making the contact meant that he was now in breach of those terms. He has since been locked up to serve the 10-month sentence.

#15 High Friends Filmed Themselves With Weed Six residents from Gainesville in Florida were hanging out in an apartment complex with some weed, some guns, and assorted other drug paraphernalia (in this case, probably bongs). The individuals were reportedly between the ages of 16 and 23, which is prime time for getting involved with Snapchat. They put out a video of themselves enjoying their haul, which was soon reported to the police. Officers went down to the apartment and arrested them all. A spokesperson from the police reminded people that if they see anything suspicious on social media, reporting it is the right thing to do. Law enforcement agencies are authorized to obtain data from Snapchat, such as the user identity, their login information, content from their account, contact details, and anything else that they may have stored on file for you. Remember, if it’s on Snapchat for a single moment, it’s probably out there in the world for good, because of that sneaky screenshot technique.

Source: TheRichest

[politicalfilth-blog]

Mom Furious After School Handcuffed 8-Year-Old Son As Punishment

We Are Change

A North Carolina mother of a special needs 8-year-old is calling out William Warren school officials for handcuffing her child without notifying her, an outrageous traumatic experience that convinced the mother to relocate her son to another school.

The mother, who asked not to be identified, told WTVD her son was involved in a classroom disturbance at William Warren Child Development School in November, when a school resource officer handcuffed the 8-year-old and took him to another room to calm down.

The woman said that school officials never notified her about the incident, and when she confronted them they attempted to justify the imprisonment.

“The only thing the resource officer could say was that he was a danger to himself or others,” the mother said, “but when you are eight at a special needs school based on behavior, you should not be able to handcuff a child.”

Lee County Schools Superintendent Andy Bryan also attempted to justify the excessive restraints in a prepared statement for WTVD.

“ … At times, SROs, who are employed by our Sheriff’s Office, have to use different methods of intervention to keep students and staff safe,” he wrote. “I have an open door policy for any parent in our district who wants to discuss a concern about their child and would welcome the opportunity to have that conversation.”

The mother told WTVD that her son is doing better now and noted that he is attending a different school.

William Warren school employees weren’t the only ones to face criticism this week over how they restrain their students.

A teacher in Bangor, Michigan resigned Tuesday for duct taping a 16-year-old student’s arms and chest during class. An absolutely horrifying notion that a teacher in the education establishment, someone whose job is supposed to be caring for kids would ever do such a thing.

“We had some students approach us and advised that another student had been duct taped during class during the day,” Bangor Police Chief Tommy Simpson told Fox 17. “By the time we started conducting interviews, (school officials) already made personnel decisions, and the teacher involved in this had resigned.”

The incident “involved the teacher applying duct tape to a 16-year-old student’s arms and chest as a classmate recorded the prank on video,” Simpson said.

“The student who was duct taped said that he was embarrassed by it,” he said. “It was an uncomfortable moment for him.”

Simpson said that investigators are now working to determine if malice was involved or criminal charges are warranted in the case.

He also encouraged students and parents to flag authorities when they believe classroom issues get out of hand.

“They need to contact the administrators,” Simpsons said. “They need to inform their parents and, if necessary, they’re more than welcome to contact this police department.”

In both cases, the involved schools overstepped the boundaries of the educational institution to student relationship. In one instance the teacher was allegedly joking around, but in the other incident, handcuffing an 8-year-old was viewed as punishment. Years ago there were two similar cases where an 8-year-old special education student and a 6-year-old special education student were handcuffed  as punishment after throwing tantrums and misbehaving in two different locations across the country. So with the problem as wide-spread as this, it becomes abundantly clear that the schools violated the law.  All of these nightmarish stories should horrify any parent. When a kid goes to school you expect your son or daughter to be protected and to receive an education, not to be brutalized.

The post Mom Furious After School Handcuffed 8-Year-Old Son As Punishment appeared first on We Are Change.

from We Are Change https://wearechange.org/mom-furious-school-handcuffed-8-year-old-son-punishment/

[dirjoh-blog]

This is probably one of the most disturbing murder cases in history. The fact that the victim was a toddler is awful enough but knowing  that two 10-year-old’s, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson from England, who killed and mutilated the body of the 2-year-old James Bulger, makes it nearly unfathomable.Even more disturbing is that the killers have been released from jail with new identities.

The fact that the suspects were so young came as a shock to investigating officers, headed by Detective Superintendent Albert Kirby, of Merseyside Police. Early press reports and police statements had referred to Bulger being seen with “two youths” (suggesting that the killers were teenagers), the ages of the boys being difficult to ascertain from the images captured by CCTV.

Forensic tests confirmed that both boys had the same blue paint on their clothing as found on Bulger’s body. Both had blood on their shoes; the blood on Thompson’s shoe was matched to Bulger’s through DNA tests. A pattern of bruising on Bulger’s right cheek matched the features of the upper part of a shoe worn by Thompson; a paint mark in the toecap of one of Venables’s shoes indicated he must have used “some force” when he kicked Bulger.

The boys were each charged with the murder of James Bulger on 20 February 1993,[7] and appeared at South Sefton Youth Court on 22 February 1993, when they were remanded in custody to await trial. In the aftermath of their arrest, and throughout the media accounts of their trial, the boys were referred to as ‘Child A’ (Thompson) and ‘Child B’ (Venables).While awaiting trial, they were held in the secure units where they would eventually be sentenced to be detained indefinitely.

On that fateful day, the troubled boys were skipping school and wandering around a busy mall, stealing sweets, batteries and a bucket of paint – items that were later to be found at the murder scene. Casually observing children, they were looking for a child to abduct. The plan was to lead the victim to a busy road and push him into the path of oncoming traffic.

On February the 12th, 1993. James was out shopping with his mother in the New Strand Shopping Centre near Kirkby, England.

His mother Denise was briefly distracted inside a butcher’s shop on the lower floor of the center. A minute later she realized her son had disappeared. James had been wandering by the open door of the shop when Thompson and Venables caught his attention and lured him out of the mall at 3:42 pm.

Denise panicked and headed to the mall’s security office. She described her son’s appearance and what was he wearing: a blue jacket and grey sweat suit, a blue scarf with a white cat on it and a t-shirt with the word ‘Noddy’ on it. For security, it was a routine day. They often had to announce the description of a lost child over the loudspeaker so that parents could reunite with their child at the information centre. But what started off as a lost child in the mall, turned out to be one of the most prolific missing child cases in the history of the UK.

At 4:15 pm, the local Police Station was notified.

Sometimes he ran ahead, other times he fell behind. The boys were walking around aimlessly until they reached a nearby canal and proceeded to go under a bridge to an isolated area. There, they dropped James on his head. Venables and Thompson ran away, leaving the toddler crying. A lady saw James sobbing and assumed he was just playing with the local kids.

In his utter innocence, bruised and crying, James followed the boys once again. Several witnesses saw them and later described a boy crying and older boys kicking him. No one intervened, thinking that older brothers were just fooling around and watching over their younger sibling..

At approximately 5:30 pm, after more than a two-mile hike, Venables and Thompson decided to go to the railway tracks to finish the business. Between 5:45p m and 6:30 pm, James was brutally murdered.

The assault began with the boys pouring the stolen paint from the mall into James’ eyes. They pulled off his pants and underwear, mutilated his foreskin and inserted batteries into his anus. They kicked, threw stones and eventually smashed his skull with an iron bar. When they believed James was dead, they laid his body on the tracks, covering his bleeding head with bricks and rubbish, making it look like an accident.

They left just before the train came. The forensic pathologist of the case, Dr. Alan Williams, stated that James suffered so many injuries – 42 in total – that he was not able to confirm any one of them as the fatal blow, beyond the fact that he had died before the train cut his body in half.

Police got a hold of the CCTV footage of James’ abduction. The disappearance made the evening news and calls immediately poured in. Two days later, the severed body was found lying on the tracks. When the circumstances became public, the crime scene was flooded with hundreds of bouquets of flowers. The tabloids denounced the people who had seen the abduction but had not intervened to aid him.

Three days later, a breakthrough came when a woman recognised Venables on the released low-resolution photo from the CCTV footage. The tip-off led to an arrest and the boys were taken to separate police stations where they gave a total of 20 interviews over three days.

The boys confessed and were found guilty on the 24th of November, 1993, and received the sentence that would keep them behind bars for at least until they reached the age of 25. This decision made Venables and Thompson the youngest convicted murderers in modern English history and the youngest convicted murderers of the 20th century.

In 1999, lawyers for Thompson and Venables appealed to the European Court of Human Rights that the boys’ trial had not been impartial, since they were too young to follow proceedings and understand an adult court. The European court dismissed their claim that the trial was inhuman and degrading treatment, but upheld their claim they were denied a fair hearing by the nature of the court proceedings. The European Court also held that Michael Howard’s intervention had led to a “highly charged atmosphere”, which resulted in an unfair judgment.On 15 March 1999, the court in Strasbourg ruled by 14 votes to five that there had been a violation of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights regarding the fairness of the trial of Thompson and Venables, stating: “The public trial process in an adult court must be regarded in the case of an 11-year-old child as a severely intimidating procedure”.

In September 1999, Bulger’s parents applied to the European Court of Human Rights, but failed to persuade the court that a victim of a crime has the right to be involved in determining the sentence of the perpetrator.

The European court case led to the new Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, reviewing the minimum sentence. In October 2000, he recommended the tariff be reduced from ten to eight years, adding that young offender institutions were a “corrosive atmosphere” for the juveniles.

In June 2001, after a six-month review, the parole board ruled the boys were no longer a threat to public safety and could be released as their minimum tariff had expired in February of that year. The Home Secretary David Blunkett approved the decision, and they were released a few weeks later on lifelong licence after serving eight years.

Both men “were given new identities and moved to secret locations under a “witness protection”-style programme.”  This was supported by the fabrication of passports, national insurance numbers, qualification certificates and medical records. Blunkett added his own conditions to their licence and insisted on being sent daily updates on the men’s actions.

The terms of their release include the following: they are not allowed to contact each other or Bulger’s family; they are prohibited from visiting the Merseyside region;curfews may be imposed on them and they must report to probation officers. If they breach these rules or are deemed a risk to the public, they can be returned to prison.

An injunction was imposed on the media after the trial, preventing the publication of details about the boys. The worldwide injunction was kept in force following their release on parole, so their new identities and locations could not be published.

Blunkett stated in 2001: “The injunction was granted because there was a real and strong possibility that their lives would be at risk if their identities became known.

In the months after the trial, and the birth of their second son, the marriage of Bulger’s parents, Ralph and Denise, broke down; they divorced in 1995. Denise married Stuart Fergus and they have two sons together. Ralph also remarried and has three daughters by his second wife.

On 2 March 2010, the Ministry of Justice revealed that Jon Venables had been returned to prison for an unspecified violation of the terms of his licence of release. The Justice Secretary Jack Straw stated that Venables had been returned to prison because of “extremely serious allegations”, and stated that he was “unable to give further details of the reasons for Jon Venables’s return to custody, because it was not in the public interest to do so.”On 7 March, Venables was returned to prison on suspected child pornography charges.

In November 2011, it was reported that officials had decided that Venables would stay in prison for the foreseeable future, as he would be likely to reveal his true identity if released. A Ministry of Justice spokesman declined to comment on the reports. On 4 July 2013, it was reported that the Parole Board for England and Wales had approved the release of Venables.

On 3 September 2013, it was reported that Venables had been released from prison

  The murder of the toddler James Bulger This is probably one of the most disturbing murder cases in history. The fact that the victim was a toddler is awful enough but knowing  that two 10-year-old’s, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson from England, who killed and mutilated the body of the 2-year-old James Bulger, makes it nearly unfathomable.Even more disturbing is that the killers have been released from jail with new identities.