Reforming Little Anya by Rose St. Andrews Read Free Book Online

loved them.
    It was over breakfast that she had to apologize to the girls who’d been punished because of her. The whole ‘sincere’ angle was easy to fake, and the girls seemed to accept it. Of course, if they were anything like the girls back home, they might be faking it and planning to take their revenge on her later. She would have to watch her back.
    Iva smiled so broadly her mouth just about split her face in half. “Oh, Anya, no apology is needed.”
    The other girls all nodded in agreement, and that was all the prompting Iva needed. She went around the table, telling Jessica about all of them.
    “We’re all between eighteen and twenty,” she explained, “and not all of us are orphans. Some of us came from abusive homes or we were abandoned.”
    “What? You’re all adults? So, why are you in a home? Shouldn’t you be in coll—I mean university, or maybe working?”
    The girls all hung their heads, and Jessica chewed her lip. Uh-oh, did I strike a nerve there?
    “Well… none of us have attended school regularly,” Iva replied. “We don’t really have any skills. So, the home is a place where we can learn those things, and be taught how to be good and responsible members of society.”
    Jessica prided herself on her memory, but Iva went far too fast for her to remember everything. By the time they were done eating, she at least knew the names of all of the girls, but that was about it. Although, she did notice that Iva kind of glossed over any details about herself.
    Then it was time for school, and Jessica truly thought she’d died and gone to hell. With her high IQ, she’d breezed through high school in a year, and now she was back in the Czech version of it. Oh, it was pure torture. The classroom was on the first floor, right next to the living/rec room, and it was a classic old-fashioned schoolroom. Rows of chairs and desks faced the teacher’s desk and blackboard. Maps and posters, and pictures drawn by the girls filled the walls, and bookcases overflowed with books and school materials. Sitting there, Jessica got a good feel for the layout of the building.
    With the early hour, her lack of caffeine, and being so bored—the first subject of the day was the U.S. Civil War—Jessica fell asleep.
    Smack! A ruler striking the back of her hand brought her back from la-la-land. Jessica sat up straight and looked around, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
    “The Council of Trent,” she sputtered.
    The girls giggled, and were silenced by the teacher. She looked up into the face of Viktor. He was not only the director, he was also their teacher. His eyes were narrowly focused on her.
    Oh, this is not looking good. Think fast, Jessica, think fast!
    “Miss Holstein, would you care to explain why you’re sleeping in my class?”
    She felt like telling him the truth: he was about as exciting as watching bread mold. His voice was like that actor Ben Stein and his role as a teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , monotonous and dull. But she knew better. Then the perfect lie presented itself.
    “Oh, I didn’t mean to, sir, but, I had trouble sleeping last night. I’m still grieving over poor momma and poppa,” she said, forcing out a few tears.
    The class responded with a collective ‘awww.’ Jessica couldn’t help herself; she grinned a sly grin. It was working. Then she felt a surge of fear: Craznik hadn’t taken his eyes off of her!
    Uh-oh, is he on to me?
    “Yes, very moving, Miss Holstein, but not a valid excuse. Up to my desk,” he ordered, pointing with his hard ruler.
    She cringed, but did as he said without complaint. There was no point risking more punishment. Standing there, she waited as he came up to stand next to her.
    “Bend over the desk and grip the other edge.”
    Jessica wanted to kick him right where he deserved it most, but—again—she held her tongue and complied. It was a hard reach, and left her on her tiptoes. She shuddered when he flipped her skirt up