Watkins, red-faced, complies. The prefect adjusts her cuff. The asymmetry is total: her wool and cotton, his bare skin; her authority, his exposure; her warmth, his shivering.
Cressida’s smile vanishes. The asymmetry, after all, is not permanent. It is a lesson . And at St. Dunstan’s, everyone learns. The Autumn Term at St. Dunstan’s does not pretend to be comfortable. It is designed to produce a specific outcome: boys who understand that vulnerability is not a weakness to be hidden, but a state to be occupied with composure ; and girls who understand that power is not cruelty, but attentiveness . Cfnm St Dunstans Autumn Term-l High Quality
And that lesson, Miss Thorne argues, is the most valuable one St. Dunstan’s ever teaches. End of Write-up. Approved for internal review by the Autumn Term Behaviour Committee. Watkins, red-faced, complies
"Prefect," she says quietly, "you will join the Remedial line next Tuesday. Without your blazer." Cressida’s smile vanishes