Todd Vance turned slowly, a look of pure annoyance on his face. He stared at Carol as if she were a bug he had just found on his pristine floor.
«What did you say?» he asked, his voice deceptively soft.
«I said I’m sorry, sir,» Carol repeated, a little louder this time. She held the water bottle in her hand, unsure what to do with it. «It was an accident.»
Todd walked toward her, his steps slow and deliberate. He stopped just a few feet away, forcing her to look up at him.
«An accident,» he repeated, letting the word hang in the air. He glanced at her simple gray uniform, her worn-out cleaning gloves, and the bucket of murky water.
A slow, condescending smile spread across his face.
«This is a place of concentration,» he said, his voice rising so all his students could hear. «We are practicing a deadly art. Distractions can be dangerous. Do you understand that?»
«Yes, sir, I do. It won’t happen again,» Carol said, her voice trembling slightly. She just wanted to disappear.
But Todd wasn’t finished. He saw an opportunity, an opportunity to perform for his audience.
«You know,» he said, circling her slowly, like a shark. «I’ve watched you work. You come in here every night, pushing that mop. So quiet. So humble.»
