earned the right to leisure time. The only books
permitted are the books related to your subjects, not
that any of you look like you read very much." she
added with a tightening at the right corner of her
mouth.
"No one will have any phone privileges until
she earns twenty merit plus points. That means no one
can call you as well-- not, from what I know of each
of your histories, that anyone would want to call you." "We really are like prisoners." Teal
complained, and quickly looked down,
"Since that wasn't put in the form of a question,
I will let it pass without penalizing you another
demerit. If you are like prisoners, as you say, it's
because you have imprisoned yourselves. You have
put bars on your own windows and built the walls
between yourselves and the rest of humanity. I am
your best hope to remove those bars, to crumble those
walls. Right now, y
ou see me only as a disciplinarian,
but in time, very soon, you will learn to appreciate
what I have to offer you,
"It's a lot like Annie Sullivan and Helen
Keller." she said, looking off. She smiled at some
image of herself. and even that smile was disturbing
enough to make my stomach feel as if I had just drunk
a gallon of sour milk. "For in truth, you all can't really
speak, can't really hear, can't really see. You're locked
up inside your own troubled bodies. and I will free
you. Yes, I will."
There was a long silence. My throat was dry. My stomach continued to churn and I felt the growing pressure of having to go to the bathroom. I trembled, but I had to ask. I raised my hand, hoping she would