Work Text:
Katherine paced her class nervously.
Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack.
Clearly written schedule, check. Name tag secured, check. Nickname on the board, check. Attendance pronunciations tested, check.
Why am I so nervous? Kathreine thought. I’ve been teaching for so long, how am I still nervous?
It was the first day of school and Katherine’s first day as a full time teacher in the Undercity. Maybe the stress was from Gem’s frantic emails last week as Gem caught up with a month of ignoring her inbox, or maybe it was Bdubs’ absolute lack of concern at Gem’s frantic emails that was spiking Katherine's anxiety.
Click clack, click clack, knock knock knock.
Katherine shot her head up from her pacing to meet the emerald green eyes and firey red mane of hair that belong to Miss Gem, the principal. Gem was leaning in the door to Katherine's classroom giving her a reassuring smile.
“Need some help? Honestly your heels echoing in the halls is stressing me out.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Katherine replied quickly. “I don't know. I shouldn't be this nervous right? Like, I've been teaching for nine years and I've started so many school years not stressed. This is just another first day of school, so why should I be nervous! Right?” She squeaked.
Gem sighed and trotted over to her stressed teacher, her hooves clopping loudly on the stone floors.
“This stress is natural Katherine,” Gem said gently, laying her hand on Katherine's shoulder. “Imagine today like the first day of school in a new city, this stress makes sense. I'll be wandering the halls for the first half of the day, so if you need help I'm here. Do you want some gum by the way?” Gem offered, pulling a pack of bubble gum from her pocket.
“Does my breath smell bad?”
“Um, well…”
“Yes, give me the gum!”
Gem waved goodbye as Katherine furiously chewed her gum, the fruity flavour exploding across her tongue. As she chewed she did another turn and surveilled her classroom she felt her nerves settle a bit, enough for her to cross the room, remove her white heels and put on her pastel pink flats with good insoles. She sighed and slumped into her chair, finaly starting to relax, when the shrill school bell rang, shocking Katherine to her feet.
Katherine paused for a moment, just listening to the sounds of kids calling to friends, lockers being slamed open by junior and senior students and for a moment Katherine was in every Uppercity school she had ever taught in. Then the colourful 3rd and 4th graders, who were her new students, flooded in. Feathered wings bumping into thrashing tails brushing against scaled fins, all swarming into Katherine's care.
Katherine quickly coughed her gum into a tissue and jumped into action.
“Welcome everyone, welcome! I'm Miss Katherine but you can call me Miss K! Come, find a spot on the carpet, we've got a big day ahead of us!”
When the lunch bell finally rang and the last fin tip swept through the door Katherine collapsed into her chair already wishing she was home with Shelby.
Gosh, I forgot how much energy 8 year olds have.
Katherine was just putting her head on her desk to take a nap when a blur of mossy green burst through the door.
“Katherine! Tamer of little beasts! How did this morning go?... Oh.”
“Hey Bdubs.”
Standing in the doorway of Katherine's classroom was Bdubs, the short glare mutant math teacher. He was dressed up today in a mossy green knitted vest over a collared white shirt and his hair was neatly styled showing off his big eyes.
“Are you okay? Should I call Shelby?” Bdubs worried, moving over to Katherine's desk.
“No, no, I'm fine,” Katherine replied, stretching her hands above her head and standing. “I just forgot how much energy it takes to keep up with 7 to 9 year olds. What about you? How were the seniors this morning?”
“Well I'd say 10 minutes into class most of the grade 11's had arrived, but then halfway through Zalls burst in with his shirt on inside out. Apparently they slept through their alarm and only just woke up to a call from Trix. Heh, he was ribbed so hard by Trix.” Bdubs answered with mirth, smiling as he thought about his students. “Anyways, they were good. I really want to know about your morning though. Anything interesting happen? Did the kids seem to like you?”
“Well no one died and no one cried so I would say it went well,” Katherine said. She grabbed her bag and led Bdubs into the hall. They started making their way to the break room as Katherine continued. “We did have to have a talk about how everyone learns at different paces though. I also can't tell if they like me yet.” Katherine finished nervously.
“From what I heard I think they adore you! I was next door with the grade 9's for a geography lesson and the laughter that echoed from your class let me know they were having a blast.”
Katherine felt her cheeks heat up with pride from the compliment from the experienced Undercity teacher. It was just enough of a boost that her heart didn't sink through the floor when she entered the staff room, it only sank to her stomach. Damn, she had been excited to eat her lunch too.
To her right Bdubs kept talking, something about beating a challenge Tango made, but Katherine wasn't listening. She was too focused on how very human she was in the staff room full of hybrids and mutants.
Bdubs grabbed Katherine's wrist and dragged her over to sit at the table in the middle of the cramped room. Katherine worried her lip and her eyes darted from face to face and she felt more nervous than her first time she made her way to the Undercity.
“Hi Bdubs, hey Katherine,” a rusty coloured cat hybrid that Katherine thought was named Sniff, or was it Spiff, greeted cheerily. “Oh Katherine, I hear amazing things from your room! I think that's the calmest I've ever heard the grade 3 and 4's on the first day of school.”
“Sniff's not exaggerating,” Puffy, the grade 1 and 2 sheep hybrid teacher with rainbow dyed hair, chimed in.
“Oh, um, thank you,” Katherine sputtered. She felt her cheeks warming again and the icy shard that had speared her heart on entering the staff room melt away at the comments from her coworkers.
“Puffy!” Bdubs shouted having returned from the kettle with a mug of tea. When did he leave? “Did I tell you about The climbing challenge Tango made? And how I absolutely dominated it!”
Katherine chuckled with Sniff as Bdubs launched into his epic story, regaling the staff room with the table of his parkour skills, and Katherine found her shoulders unwinding as she laughed with everyone as the conversation flowed naturally.
Katherine was surprised to find herself disappointed when the staff room started to clear.
Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Katherine waved goodbye to Sniff as she walked down the currently quiet halls with Bdubs and Puffy.
“What's your next class?” Puffy asked, turning to Katherine.
“Art, with the grade 10's,” Katherine answered as the group stopped in front of the grade 10 classroom.
“Goodluck,” Bdubs replied. “They were a lot this morning. I just pray that they didn't have too many sweets during lunch.”
“Hahaha, me too. We don't need a repeat of last year,” Katherine reminisced. She was just glad that shescheduledd any use of glitter for later in the year.
“Well, goodluck,” Puffy called as she and Bdubs continued towards the stairs. “If you hear any shrieking from below you it's probably Bdubs being the subject of a 7 year olds revolt.”
“Excuse you! I do not shriek!” Bdubs shrieked as he ran to catch up. “Bye Katherine! Have fun! They'll love you, promise!”
“Thank you!” Katherine waved as she pushed open the door to her next class, her face lit up by a smile.
Katherine didn't think her day would get better than lunch, apparently the grade 10's had other plans.
It started while Katherine was setting up the room before the bell, laying paper at every seat and baskets of pencils and pencil crayons on groupings of desks. She was enjoying the quiet before the storm when she noticed the door slowly being pushed open.
A pair of tall rusty gray ears poked into the room curiously followed by a small wolf hybrid girl clutching a big sketchbook. Her dark eyes darted nervously around the room before landing on Katherine who gave the wolf a warm smile, receiving a wide, fanged, grin in return.
“Miss K!” The wolf hybrid exclaimed.
“Hi Tilly! It's good to see you,” Katherine replied with equal enthusiasm but at a lower volume.
“Will you be our art teacher all year?” Tilly asked, tail wagging furiously as she bounded up to Katherine. “Because you taught us last year will we learn more techniques? Do you want to see what I made over the summer?”
“Unless something horrible happens, yes. Yep, but we gotta start with some warm ups first. Absolutely I want to see!” Katherine said answering the machine gun of questions.
Tilly flipped precisely to the last page she had shown Katherine at the end of last year and started to excitedly present all of her works in detail, pointing out any techniques she learned from Katherine and explaining any she had discovered over the summer.
Katherine remembered Tilly as one of the bright spots in the grade 9 art class last year. When Katherine started she had noticed the quiet wolf hybrid constantly doodling at the back of the room and it had been an honour to watch her shell crack as Katherine challenged her to grow in her art.
Now Katherine was overjoyed that Tilly was eager to show her the art she had made over the summer. Katherine knew it was the right idea to prepare extra material for Tilly.
All to soon the bell rang and students started to flood the room, eachone greeting Katherine with enthusiasm.
“Hi Miss K!”
“Good to see you Miss K!”
“Did you check the lids of the glitter shakers Miss K?”
The room settled surprisingly quick and, after a breif introduction and role call, Katherine found herself laughing with the students as she lead them through the warm ups.
The chime for senior periods to switch came all too quickly.
With an arm load of get to know you forms and art pieces, Katherine bid the grade 10's goodbye and made her way to the elementary office.
Katherine dropped into her desk and eagerly got to work reading and looking over the grade 10's work.
Time flew by and Katherine’s notebook filled with thoughts, plans and ideas for next class and the rest of the year.
Does the Undercity have pottery clay? Or maybe we can do that with paper mache and recycled materials? Definitely no glitter though.
The last bell startled her more than it should have.
As Katherine was putting away the last of the pages into her filing cabinet her thoughts were interrupted by a noise at the door. Knock knock knock.
Katherine answered the door to the bright smile of Gem.
“Hey Katherine, how are you?” Gem asked cheerfully. “I wanted to come catch up with you earlier but Cleo called for an impromptu meeting so I got busy.”
“You don't need to explain yourself,” Katherine laughed. “I'm good actually, really good.”
“Amazing, you sound better than this morning, that's for sure. Less stressed.”
“Yeah, heh, that's for sure.”
“Well I just wanted to check in with you before you left. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully we haven't scared you off,” Gem said, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.
“Of course not,” Katherine replied. “I actually have so many ideas for future classes.”
“Great to hear! Tell Shelby I say hi! Good evening Katherine!” Gem called as she headed down the hall.
Katherine pretty much skipped home. Her heart was soaring and she was pretty sure the creeper mutant she shared a cart with was confused by her bright attitude.
Katherine bid the creeper mutant a great evening as she jumped off at her stop, landing flawlessly on the platform.
On her walk home Katherine gave everyone she passed a big smile, a bright wave and wished anyone who made eye contact a good evening.
Finally she was slipping her key into the low arched door of her and her girlfriend's warm home.
“I'm home!” Katherine called, slipping off her work shoes and into soft slippers. “Gem says hi!”
“Welcome home!” Shelby shouted, popping into the foyer. “How was your day?”
Shelby's mushroom cap was glowing brightly showing her excitement. She hurried over and took Katherine's hands and led them into the living room.
The room, and the whole house for that matter, was carpeted by soft green moss and illuminated in a warm golden light from the long, winding vines of glow berries that grew from the ceiling and were strung around the house. Mossy green dominated the cozy home but was broken up by colourful vases filled with the brightest Overcity flowers Katherine could find. Along the walls were picture frames filled with flowers that Shelby had pressed and the name of each written in her loopy handwriting. Katherine spotted a vase of wild flowers that were starting to fade on the coffee table beside the heavy encyclopedia of Overcity home remedies that Shelby used to press flowers for the picture frames.
Shelby pulled Katherine onto the couch and curled up, giving Katherine her full attention and never letting go of her hand.
“Well, my class is cute,” Katherine started. “But oh my stars do they have so much energy, I got way to used to teaching the juniors and seniors last year. I think I've nipped most bullying in the butt, but they had a good time. I actually got complimented by Bdubs and some others about how happy the kids seemed. Then came the grade 10's art class. I still can't escape the glitter incident but Tilly is in that class and her art has evolved so much over the summer, I'm so proud of her!”
When she was done Katherine took a deep breath and her eyes were glowing with joy, not literally.
Shelby also sported the widest smile listening to her girlfriend ramble so passionately about her day. She remembered how nervous Katherine had been this morning, Shelby got close to dragging her to the school herself.
“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Shelby asked.
“And tomorrow, and tomorrow, and the day after that,” Katherine answered, smile never faltering.