Tapping in rhythm to the ticking of the desk clock sat a young girl of the age of 14, her feet tapped on the back of the chair while her eyes darted from the mirror to the stern principal's eyes. "Now, Kate, how many times have I told you to just ignore them or tell me when they're bothering you?" The authority figure asked impatiently.For about 20 minutes now she had been drilling Kate for information about the incident, but the young principal was rewarded with the sound of silence at the end of each question or the girl sighing and studying her black outfit carefully as if she overlooked a piece of dust that had gotten on her clothes. She tried a different approach. "Well I see you got your haircut. It looks nice." The principal smiled. With her eyes fixated on the floor her hand skimmed her thickly gelled hair, it stopped at the end of the new cut, she seemed to realize that her long wavy brown hair had been conformed to a short boy cut.The dark brown eyes met with the woman’s bright blue eyes and a simple reply followed: ‘Thanks." She was about to ask a question when Kate spoke some more."They didn’t like it, no one does, but that doesn’t matter." She spoke as if she were writing her thoughts down in a journal, the eyes resumed the place on the maroon carpeted floor. "I did it because my mother and I got in a fight and she was drunk. She yelled at me and also spoke about father." Her eyes blazed with anger then were washed with sadness at the name of father, who had just died when she was 12.
"I stormed out of the house, and just shoved money in the barber’s face saying to cut it all off. Then today the boys who tormented me saying that I was too boyish, I didn’t mind that, but then one of them said ‘Hey maybe now your mom will love you now that you’re a boy!’ Right then I lunged at him" She gave a humorless laugh and looked at the ceiling while remembering the fight, her eyes then returned to the floor. Kate then looked around the room and was startled; it seemed she was seeing the principal for the first time since she arrived here. "Well now I’ll talk to them and I’ll let you have the rest of the day off and also get your homework sent home ok?"
She smiled while handing her a note to give to the secretary on the way out. Kate was surprised; she smiled and left the room. The principal knew she had done a good job, for this day at least. Walking home through the big City Park the sun beamed as if sharing her good fortune, a cool breeze greeted her and she breathed it in, happy to be rid of the least five classes she had left. Her joy was put to a halt as a voice came up behind her.
"So you’re Kate huh? Rebel by day and computer hacker by night with the occasional bank for checks and savings accounts." This stopped her in her tracks and she turned around to see who knew about the hacking. It was a boy two or three years older than she was and by the looks of it stronger. Even though it was very hot out his outfit consisted of a black jacket, shirt, pants, and boots, with sunglasses to hide his eyes; his head was shaved. "Yeah, so what?" Her reply was shot back coldly, the backpack slid off her hands as she moved into a fighting stance.
"Well we think you’re pretty good, want to join us?" He asked moving forward slowly. "I don’t like cults, now leave me alone!" She shouted and ran to punch him, unfortunately she was greeted with a sharp blow to her face. Stunned she backed up a few paces nursing her cheek. "So it has to be by force that you’re coming with us huh?" He laughed and lunged at her. Quickness had been with her, she dodged him and gave him a kick in the stomach. As he doubled over Kate seized the opportunity.
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