Chapter 947 Grounded

• Lila’s POV
• “Lila, come to my office as well; I’d like to speak with you and Sarah together,” Headmaster Prescott said to me, trying to be heard over the crowd of frantic students. Those affected by Sarah’s mind manipulation were freaking out because of the time they had lost and their free will being taken. The witches and those with abilities were frantic because they were powerless. Everybody was powerless. My heart began to beat rapidly in my chest as I looked up at the headmaster. She didn’t think I had anything to do with this, did she? “Am I in trouble?” I asked; I couldn’t hide the nervousness from my tone. “No, of course not. But I’d like you to be there so I can get the full picture of this situation,” she simply said. I met Enzo’s eyes from across the room; he was now standing and watching me with worry in his eyes. I gave him a small smile to assure him that everything was okay and thankfully, he returned it. “Enzo,” Headmaster Prescott said as she approached him. “Get everybody to settle down. They can still vote to keep their minds off the situation… not that it’ll matter much anymore. But then I’d like them to return to their dorms for the rest of the afternoon. I’m canceling evening classes. But I’ll make an announcement, once I’m done speaking with the girls.” He nodded. “I’ll have some of the staff help me get everything organized,” he assured me. She nodded at him, pleased by his quick response. “My powers!” I heard someone sobbing. “My powers are gone!!!” “What happened to me!” I heard someone else shouting. “Why did I do these mean things to people??” “Why can’t I remember anything from the last two days!” A boy asked as I passed him. I wanted to say something to him that reassured him, but I wasn’t sure what could make things better. My heart was squeezing painfully in my chest for them. Headmaster Prescott was already gone and I knew I couldn’t keep her waiting any longer. Enzo was already getting to work with the other professors to get the students to settle down. The board members were lining students up to vote in the back room and ordering the really frantic ones back to their dorms. I shook my head at the sight and turned away; I couldn’t watch anymore of this. When I got to her office, I was surprised to see that Alpha Jonathan was already there. I didn’t even see him leaving the auditorium. He was looking anything but happy. Sarah sat in the seat in front of the office door while he towered over her. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, and it looked like he had just finished yelling at her. The secretary who sat at the desk in the corner of the room looked pale-faced and wide-eyed, confirming my suspicions. Tiffany Prescott cleared her throat, getting their attention. “Come into my office,” she ordered them without giving them a second look as she opened her office door. Alpha Jonathan’s gaze found mine. “What is she doing here?” He asked the headmaster as if I wasn’t standing right there. I felt my face warming. “I asked her to join us,” she answers. “For what reason?” “I have my reasons and I’ll explain once you are inside my office, Alpha,” she said firmly. I was surprised by how assertive she sounded knowing that Alpha Jonathan owned this school. He didn’t argue with her, much to my surprise. He turned away from me and stormed into the office. I glanced at Sarah who also looked up at me; I couldn’t read her expression, but she looked pale. She visibly swallowed and stood to her feet. She didn’t say anything to me as she turned and went into the office. I followed closely after them. Headmaster Prescott had pulled up an extra chair and sat it in front of her desk before taking her seat behind her desk. “Please sit,” she instructed all of us. We did as she said, only Alpha Jonathan hesitated slightly before sitting beside his daughter who still appeared pale in the face. I’m not sure if that was because she was sick, or because she was terrified. “I need a full explanation of what happened today,” she said, staring directly at Sarah. She was surprised by the remark and glanced at her father who let a growl emerge from his throat. “Do I need to call my lawyer, Headmaster?” He asked through his teeth. She looked at him with a frown. “That won’t be necessary, Alpha,” she assured him. “I just want to get to the bottom of things. The students are very distraught and they seem to believe that your daughter has done something to them. I would like to know exactly what happened.” “I’ll tell you what happened—” he began to growl, but Headmaster Prescott held up her hand, stopping his words. “If you don’t mind, Alpha. I’d like to hear it from Sarah,” she said calmly. “I’m sure you can understand.” He went to open his mouth again, but this time, Sarah was the one who spoke. “I’m so sorry…” she croaked and when I looked at her, she had tears pouring out of her eyes. “It’s my fault.” “How about you start by telling me exactly what happened, Sarah,” Headmaster Prescott said, giving her a look of remorse, and yet compassion. Sarah swallowed hard and kept her eyes fixed on her fingers which she was tugging nervously. “Sarah…” Alpha Jonathan spoke her name like a warning as he clenched his jaw. “I can’t keep lying, Father. I could get in even more trouble,” she said softly, glancing up at him through her tear-filled eyes. “I own this school; nothing is going to happen to you,” he assured her, but his tone was anything but reassuring. It was hard and sent a chill down my spine. “I just can’t anymore, Father…” she said in a broken whisper, turning her attention to Headmaster Prescott. “They were telling the truth. I did do this,” she finally said as more tears fell from her eyes. “I have the ability to manipulate minds and I told them they needed to vote for me. During their campaigning, I kept erasing their memories for different reasons, so they lost a lot of time. I had them do things for me as well…” I held my breath while Headmaster Prescott stared at her, unmoving. “This is a very situation, Sarah. You do realize that, don’t you?” Headmaster Prescott said finally after a long silence. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying, my daughter is unwell. Can’t you see how pale and thin she is,” Alpha Jonathan stated, not even looking at Sarah who had looked up at him with shock. “Enough, Father,” she said with wide eyes and surprised assertiveness in her tone. “I’m done lying and I’m done cheating. I won’t do it anymore. She needs to know the truth.” “You will be silent,” her father said through gritted teeth. Headmaster Prescott sighed and turned to me. “Lila, do you have anything you’d like to say?” She asked, eyeing me carefully. I felt my cheeks flaring with heat. “Me?” I asked, lamely. She nodded and kept her eyes locked on mine. “Yes,” she answered. “You are her opponent, and this affects you just as well as it affects all the other students. I asked you here so you can share your thoughts as well.” “Oh…” I breathed, staring down at my hands. “I guess I’m still in shock. I had a feeling Sarah had special abilities, but I really didn’t know she was manipulating everyone to vote for her like that. I didn’t know they were all under her spell for this long. Makes me wonder what else she had done.” I didn’t say it out loud, but Scott came to mind. He was saying that Sarah was the one who put him up to vandalize the art exhibit. Because of that, he was sent to jail and had to stay there for months until the official trial. The trial was delayed because Cassidy-Ann was in Monstro and plus, she wanted him to rot there and think about what he had done. Then, his family was forced to pay for the repairs of the exhibit along with pain and suffering. He almost got expelled from the school, but they decided that he suffered enough and decided to give him one more chance like they gave Sarah last year. Besides, it’s not like the exhibit had anything to do with the school. But he isn’t a student and student behavior represents the school. Scott faced a lot over these months; people are still looking at him strangely. He was kicked off the football team and lost most of his friends. Sarah dumped him as well, so he lost his girlfriend too. Since he returned to the school this semester, he’s mainly been keeping to himself. I see him occasionally in the halls, but not much. He never talks to me, not since his warnings against Sarah and her abilities. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the thought that Sarah could have actually used her abilities and forced him to vandalize the exhibit, ruining his entire life. “Well, Sarah… considering who your father is, it’s not like I can expel you,” Headmaster Prescott murmured, peering up at Alpha Jonathan who huffed through his nose like a bull. “But even the owner of this school must know that there are consequences to such actions like this.” “Do what you must, Headmaster,” he said through his teeth. She cleared her throat and looked back at Sarah. “You are banned from any extra curriculums and school activities. You are hereby grounded for the next 4 months. This means you will not be allowed anywhere on campus besides your classes, the library, the dining hall, and your dorm. I’ll appoint a guard to standby to make sure you stay in those specific areas.” “That’s a prison!” Alpha Jonathan protested loudly, shaking the entire room. “That’s punishment for her actions,” Headmaster Prescott Surprised me by shooting back. “I’m sure the Alpha Committee would love to hear that you stood in the way of my job, Alpha. Isn’t Lila’s father in charge of that committee?” He swallowed hard and glared at me; suddenly it dawned on me as to why she truly asked me to be here, and I felt my face warming once again. The headmaster looked back at Sarah. “Or, option B is expulsion,” she said simply, pressing her lips together. “I’ll take option A,” Sarah said quickly, bowing her head in respect. “Thank you.” Alpha Jonathan let out a low and threatening growl, which Headmaster Prescott managed to ignore while she glanced at me. Her gaze softened and she even gave me a small smile. “Congratulations, Lila. By default, you are now the President of the Student Committee.”