“Is something wrong, Mr Ratcliffe?”
“Is something wrong, Mr Ratcliffe?”
He looked up to see Cinderella, coming in to empty the bin. “I’ve just been told that Mr Frollo has been sexually abusing two young girls here; or trying to, at least.”
Cinderella gasped. “Oh, my! I never thought he’d try it on with school girls too!”
“Too?” Mr Ratcliffe got to his feet. “What are you saying, Miss Bucket?”
She took a deep breath, her cheeks colouring even so. “When I first started working here, I was mopping the hallways down by the Art rooms and he came up to me...”
Mr Ratcliffe took her arms, gently. “You mean he-?”
“No! He didn’t get that far!” She smiled. “But he did try to kiss me and made a few lecherous remarks. I didn’t know what to do, so I hit him with a broom.”
Mr Ratcliffe sighed and let go of her, much to her disappointment. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this earlier? Are they all scared of me or something?”
“No, sir! Not you!” Cinderella laid a hand on his arm. “Him! Everyone in the school’s afraid of him, well, perhaps you and the other teachers aren’t, but I know the scholars are.”
“I thought that was just because he was strict.” Mr Ratcliffe shook his head. “I had no idea there was another reason. I never should have employed the man in the first place.”
“It isn’t your fault, Mr Ratcliffe,” Cinderella insisted. “You weren’t to know. He keeps his inner feelings bottled and you’re not a mind-reader. How could you possibly tell what he was really thinking when he took this job?”
“That’s a small comfort, Miss Bucket.” Mr Ratcliffe smiled. “But thank you. And now, I’d better phone the police.”
Cinderella nodded and began to empty the bin. As Mr Ratcliffe picked up the telephone, she bit her lip and looked up at him. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you before, sir. It isn’t that I don’t trust you; I do. I just felt so foolish and embarrassed about the whole thing and...” She broke off, still blushing. “I’m sorry, Mr Ratcliffe.”
Mr Ratcliffe nodded. “It’s alright, Miss Bucket; it’s perfectly understandable.”
“Oh, good. I just don’t want there to be any awkwardness between us, Mr Ratcliffe.”
“Me neither.”
There was an awkward pause. “This isn’t your fault, sir,” Cinderella said, finally. “You’re a good teacher; you thought you’d picked the best man for the job. You mustn’t blame yourself for this.”
“Thank you, Miss Bucket.”
Cinderella left, cheeks burning. She felt so awkward and silly talking about school matters with a man she was so fond of. At least now what Mr Frollo had done to her, and the other girls, was out in the open, she knew he would sort it out.
Mr Ratcliffe phoned the police. “Yes, hello, it’s Mr Ratcliffe at Disney High. I wish to report a teacher for corruption of youth...”
Belle and Adam were in the library when it happened. Belle was up the ladder, trying to find a book she was after. Adam was below, at one of the tables, reading.
“Yes!” Belle muttered, finally.
Adam looked up. “Found it?”
Since Belle had felt too down to go back to her room and face her friends, Adam had suggested they come to the library, her safe haven, and that had cheered her to some degree.
“Yes, right here!” Belle smiled. “The Picture of Dorian Gray! I knew they must have it here somewhere!”
“Don’t tell me, it’s one of your favourites,” grinned Adam.
“Oh, yes, but it’s also one of the most frightening books I’ve ever read. It had such a chilling ending.”
“You know what scared me? The Woman in Black. It was like the guy just couldn’t escape from her, even in his later years.”
“You should read this,” Belle said, “if you liked Woman in Black.”
She handed it down to him.
“Alright, I’ll give it a go,” Adam smiled, taking it from her and leaning against her ladder to read the back of it. “Do you think we’ll have it for Book Club?”
“Maybe, I mean, it is pretty LITERARY!”
She wasn’t entirely sure how it happened. One minute she was leaning right over to push a book that was on the verge of falling back on its shelf; the next, well, she must have leaned over too far for her feet suddenly slipped off the ladder and she fell with a shriek.
“Whoa!” Adam dropped the book and caught her before she could hit the floor. “Belle, are you ok?”
“I-I-I think so,” she stammered, her heart racing. She looked up at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Please, keep it down,” said Fairy Godmother, gliding past them, “if you’d be so good, you two.”
Belle and Adam stared at her as she passed. Belle had just fallen off the ladder and Adam was now holding her as carrying her across the threshold and she was concerned with the noise they were making? Unable to control themselves, they both giggled.
“Please,” reprimanded Fairy Godmother.
“We’re the only ones in here; I don’t know why she’s making us keep it down,” Adam muttered to Belle.
She smiled. “I know, right?”
Adam realised that he was still holding her and he set her back on her feet. “Are you sure you’re ok? That was quite a tumble you took.”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She smiled. “Thanks for catching me.”
“Any time,” Adam smiled, retrieving the book he had dropped. As he straightened up, the sound of shouting from outside reached their ears.
“What the-?” Belle ran to the window. Adam joined her and they stared down into the yard where a knot of students and teachers were gathered. Mr Frollo was being hustled into a police van by two police men, who were having difficulty in restraining him.
“This school would fall apart if not for me!” shouted Mr Frollo. “It’s a hot bed of sin and corruption!”
“The only one full of sin and corruption here is you, Mr Frollo,” snapped Mr Ratcliffe.
“I fell tempted by those sinful Jezebels!”
Aladdin, looking angry, started forwards at once, but Mr Phil held him back. “Easy, Mr Street; we don’t want any more trouble here.”
Belle’s heart was racing. “It’s happening,” she whispered, as Mr Frollo was finally shoved into the van. “It’s really happening.”
“I hope they lock him up in a mental institute,” muttered Adam. “He’s too dangerous to be let out in public.”
Belle leaned against him and Adam slipped his arm around her shoulders. As the van drove away, Mr Ratcliffe turned and addressed the students. “It is my duty, as headmaster of this school, to issue a public apology to all those students who found themselves victims of Mr Frollo’s corruptive ways. I take full responsibility for allowing such a man on the school premises, even though when I hired him, I did not know what kind of man I was really allowing into the school.”
Meg stepped forwards. “Mr Ratcliffe, sir, I don’t think anyone blames you for what happened. You didn’t know.”
Cinderella, who was also present, nodded. There were murmurs of agreement from the other students. Aladdin put an arm around Jasmine.
“Thank you, students,” said Mr Ratcliffe. “I’m grateful for that. This is a good school and I had hope to make it a great school; and for that we do not need teachers like Mr Frollo soiling our reputations or that of the schools. Tomorrow, I will be advertising for a new Religious Education teacher and also, on advice from Miss Maleficent, a school therapist; someone you can talk to about problems like this in future should you want to or if you feel you cannot tell anyone else. Until we find a replacement for Mr Frollo, and I promise I will find someone much less corrupt than he, all Religious Education lessons are cancelled.”
“So, we’ll be leaving classes earlier on those days?” asked Hercules.
“That is correct, Mr Bolt. Once more, I am sorry that this occurrence...occurred and if anyone feels they need to take some time off lessons or even leave the school because of what has happened, you have my full sympathy and understanding.”
The students applauded; Belle and Adam did too. Mr Ratcliffe was, after all, a fair, just and caring man, and now he had proven to be wise too.
“Very well, now, unless anyone wishes to see me about anything, you may all leave and I hope that we can possibly get things somewhat back to normal here at Disney High.”
“I need to see Jasmine,” Belle murmured, leaning back from the window. “Even if she doesn’t want to see me, Adam; even if she throws it back in my face, I need to check she’s ok.”
Adam nodded. “Come on, let’s go.”
To Belle’s surprise, when they found Jasmine, she wasn’t with Meg or Snow White. She was sitting by the fountain with Aladdin. They weren’t doing anything, just talking, but Belle felt bad for disturbing them even so. She was about to suggest to Adam that they leave when Jasmine looked up.
“Belle!” She got to her feet.
“I just wanted to know-” Belle began, when Jasmine ran up and flung her arms around her for a hug.
“I’m so sorry for what I said! It was uncalled for!”
“No, I’m sorry,” Belle said, in surprise, as she hugged her friend back. “I should have told you. It’s not that I didn’t trust you guys; it was just, well, after all that happened that way with Gaston too...”
“Gaston tried it on with you that same day?” exclaimed Jasmine, breaking the embrace. Belle nodded. “Oh, that jerk! No wonder you were so traumatised!”
Belle smiled. “It’s ok. Really, Jasmine, I forgive you.”
“Are you sure?” Jasmine looked anxious. “I feel really bad about what I said.”
“Really, it’s fine. I should have told you guys.”
“Well, I think we’ve seen the last of Mr Frollo now,” Aladdin commented. “Though he did put up quite a fight.”
“So did you,” replied Adam, sitting down beside him. “I thought you were going to thump him.”
Aladdin flushed. “He shouldn’t have insulted the girls like that.”
“He’s just a creepy old pervert!” Jasmine shuddered and folded her arms. “Not worth bothering about!”
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Belle asked.
“Yeah, he didn’t really get anywhere; just a kiss and a sort of grope before I kicked him in the shins. It was more the shock than anything.”
Belle nodded, understanding. “But he’s gone now. He can’t hurt us anymore.”
“And if he tries to, we’ll be on him in a shot!” Aladdin vowed. “Right, Adam?”
“Right,” agreed Adam, smiling at Belle.
Belle smiled back at him. Was it possible to fall more and more in love with someone by the second..?
“I’m so sorry for what I said! It was uncalled for!”
"I knew you'd come back"
