Soul Guardian

Coincidentally, or perhaps by design, the school's largest donors were not on the board. As news that the previous teacher had expired began to spread, suggestions and mild threats began to roll in. Many of the donors had sons or daughters that they insisted were perfect candidates to fill the vacancy.

Ryan rubbed his temples as he tried to power through the headache Bill had caused. “So, what should I say?”

The gray haired man leaned back in his chair and stepped his fingers. “Tell them that Ms. Morningstar came highly recommended, both for her credentials and her connections with various sporting organizations. Acquiring her before Stanford or one of universities could snap her up was a major coup.

“Her influence and training will benefit the students in ways that cannot be quantified. Furthermore, a major sporting goods company has offered to pay her yearly salary for the next two years. I can't say which one, but they will also be contributing uniforms and much needed equipment.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes at Bill. “How did you manage that? We just got notice of the opening a few hours ago.”

The businessman shrugged. “They wanted to borrow some money, so I suggested they help the school as a sign of good faith. But that isn't what's important. If one of our donors wishes to match that contribution, dollar for dollar, of course we will consider their candidate. It's only fair.”

Ryan sipped his water and tried to figure out what Bill was hoping to accomplish. His instincts told him that this was some kind of scheme. More than likely, the candidate and the company donating their pay were made up. It was probably Bill’s way of making lemons into lemonade. But there was also a non-zero chance that Bill was being genuine.

The man had somehow talked their biggest vendors into forgiving the school’s debts. Money was flowing in from the church and their financial troubles were becoming a distant memory. Yet, for reasons Ryan couldn't quite put his finger on, he didn't trust Bill.

Every meeting with the man felt like diving into shark infested waters. Bill was all smiles, but that didn't mean his teeth weren't sharp. The other board members could feel it too, the sense of unease.

The mysterious businessman had also made a few additions to the school’s support staff. Nobody could complain because they were all subcontractors, a company was donating their services to get a tax write-off. It seemed strange to Ryan that Bill was focusing so hard on improving the school when his daughter would only be there for a few years, at most.

Gardens were appearing all around campus, old buildings were getting new layers of paint, and the cafeteria was being completely overhauled. In a week when they opened their doors it would be unrecognizable.

Bill was saying something about the importance of nutrition when the Principal finally snapped.

“What are you really up to?” Ryan asked. He was done politely nodding and pretending that any of this made sense. “It feels like you're fixing up a house for sale.”

The businessman leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Have I done anything unsavory since I got here?”

“Well, no.” Ryan admitted.

“And have I given you any reason to doubt my word?” Bill gave him a probing look.

Ryan shifted uneasily in his chair. “No. But I can't shake the feeling that you aren't telling me what's really going on.”

“That's because I'm not.” Bill laughed, “You are so caught up in the day to day that you aren't planning for the future. Meanwhile, I enjoy a much wider view of things. Come on, let me show you something.”

The Principal followed Bill over to the quad. People were hard at work cleaning and making repairs. “You think that I'm putting in all this effort because I have some big plan for the school. You're worried that I'm fixing it up to sell, or something along those lines. But the truth is, I'm working so hard, because I don't have a plan.”

Ryan blinked a few times. “Wait, what?”

“You heard me correctly. I don't have any plans for the school. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete.” Bill took a sugar cookie out of his pocket and ate it in a few bites. “Something I've found is that if I focus on making improvements wherever possible, my life gets much easier as time goes by. I don't like having to come back later and fix things.

“You wonder why I'm putting all this effort into improving the school. But instead, consider this. What consequences might there be if I didn't? Kitch was deferring maintenance and lining her pockets. So, what happens if my daughter gets injured by a piece of defective playground equipment? The possible consequences of doing nothing far outweigh the costs of doing the right thing.” He offered a second cookie to Ryan.

The Principal looked at the sweet treat. “So, you’re not planning to sell the school?”

“Nope.” Bill shook his head. “I don’t even know if that is possible. I'm doing what's right for me and my family. It just happens to align with what's right for the school.”

Ryan took a bite of the sugar cookie. “Wow, this is really good!”

“I'll tell Margaret that you enjoyed her baking.” Bill let out a happy sigh. “It really is a wonderful day, isn't it?”

“Yeah, too bad all the students will be arriving soon to ruin it.”

***

When Bael got home he beheld a curious sight. A great number of the neighborhood vehicles were missing, and those that remained had sprouted luggage racks. They were stuffed to the brim with coolers and blankets.

He went over and asked his neighbor Jim what was going on. “It's the week before school starts, Bill.”

“Oh, and that means what exactly?” the demon asked.

“Well, the girls and I are taking the opportunity to go camping. You know, cooking smores around the campfire. Stargazing.”

“Ah, so are we!” Bael said, happy to have realized his mistake while it still could be remedied. “In fact, we're off to go pack right now!”