Leandro was sitting at the head of a long table staring at the girl who was brought to her from her dorms by the prefects.
Around the room in the oval court hearing room, there were his dean's committee who had been available to attend the hearing.
She was sitting on a chair as she was writing her statement of what had happened. Leandro had Melanie's statement too right in front of him and was going to compare it. When Melanie had named Ingrid, he expected it. He had studied the security camera footages from around the campus. He had noted every single person who had talked to jean that day. He had done that before going to Melanie. He suspected Ingrid. Melanie confirmed it. Ingrid was half German from her mother's side and half Italian from her father's side. She was the bad apple far from the tree. Her family were alright. Her cousin Irena was especially one of the girls who was a model student. Irena was in fact on the dean committee.
Ingrid had caused incidents before and was quite rude to people. It was time someone taught her a big lesson beyond detentions and writing lines.
Leandro stood up and walked to her as she dropped her pen. He silently picked up the paper and had a read. It was pretty much similar to what Melanie had told him. With some new details. He handed Ingrid's statement to one of the two prefects standing at either side of Ingrid "Photocopy this and hand one copy out to the committee members." He then turned to Ingrid "While we wait for the committee to read your statement, you have ten minutes to think of a defence statement. Write one. You will be heard once. You can talk about apologies, regrets or denying charges."
Leandro went back to his seat and sat down. After exactly ten minutes he demanded "Stand up Ingrid Bianchi."
Ingrid stood up.
Leandro said "You have obviously broken multiple rules of conduct. Do you anything to say in your defence?"
Ingrid said "Yes. I do. Everything I told jean she deserved it. I have no regrets and I am not willing to apologise. I don't deny any statements and I don't have any regrets. She is a pathetic little ugly princess with a squeaky voice who should just leave.
Leandro was happy to hear her plea. Her defiance meant he didn't have to give her any concessions of any kind. He knew she was not sorry. She was nasty and had a track record. She was not expelled because her family were not bad. They just were as helpless in handling her and always apologised for her behaviour.
Leandro said "You are guilty."
He didn't hear any objections from his committee. They were silent.
Leandro turned to the committee "Irena. Are you objecting?"
Irena said "No. She should be expelled."
Ingrid turned to Irena "Shame on you. I am not getting expelled. I want to go to Harvard."
Leandro said to himself "Not with that attitude." He was again happy Ingrid wanted to stay. Expulsion could be arranged. His father would have gladly expelled her. Ingrid was on her last warning but always alternatives were considered before expulsion. He was glad Ingrid wanted to explore those. Expelling her would not have taught her anything.
Leandro looked directly at Ingrid "You won't be expelled. Unless you choose to be expelled. There are other options."
Ingrid said "I don't choose expulsion. I can endure anything. I am not weak and pathetic like jean."
Leandro turned to Irena "You are her family. Do you have any special requests. I am willing to consider it. She deserves the maximum punishment but I am willing to consider your input."
Irena said "Let me do it please. I can perform the punishment on her or be of assistance."
Ingrid said "You are a disgrace."
Leandro said nothing to Ingrid. He didn't mind. Ingrid was only digging a bigger hole for herself. In his mind the more she was defiant, the more he was going to enjoy this show.
Leandro turned to Irena. "You can assist. Go stand next to your cousin. Her sentence is going to begin now."
Irena stood up. She was pretty tall. She played basketball and wrestling. She walked to Irena and stood behind her standing form.
Ingrid turned to Irena "Filthy traitor."
Irena asked Leandro "What's her punishment?"
Leandro said "Her punishment is not expulsion. But she can choose to be expelled at any point throughout her punishment."
Ingrid said "I won't."
Leandro said "Fine. Sit down Ingrid. Your sentencing begins now."
Leandro was very pleased. He wanted to keep her long enough to teach her actions had consequences. She needed to learn to keep her poisonous words to herself. He ordered "Restrain her to the immobile chair she is sitting on."
Irena restrained Ingrid to the chair by her hands and feet. The immobile chair that was secured to the ground and had restraints.
He then stood up as he put his hands behind his back. He stared at Ingrid coldly as he spoke "Punishment must fit the crime. You obviously have a problem with saying unkind and insulting words with your tongue. So the fitting action should be to burn your tongue so you don't use it again. But of course it's not the medieval times. We have to show consideration and be more modern. The punishment for you is what's applied to anyone who commits a crime like yours. You must be made an example of. So you get punishment number 80." The dean committee around him started clapping. They knew what it meant.
He looked at the standing form of Irena. "You know what to do."
Irena nodded. She walked to a safe in the corner and opened it with her password. She took out what she needed and walked back to Ingrid. She blindfolded her.
Irena then walked back to the open safe and took a device out. She walked to Ingrid and then secured it to her face. It was a device that kept her mouth open and was secured around her face.
Ingrid went back to the safe and came back to irena. She had a bottle in her hand. She opened the bottle and used a pipette to extract a liquid. She dropped a few drops on Ingrid's tongue and as soon as she did that Ingrid was making noises and thrashing around. It was a spicy extract. A very spicy one. Her tongue was now burning from the heat of the spices. Irena added more drops and Ingrid struggled more.
Irena put the bottle away. She then went to the safe and got another device. She quickly removed the securing device that kept Ingrid's mouth open and replaced it with another device. This one was was a metallic device to cover her mouth. But It that was covered in leather around the sharp edges to make it smoother and not cause hurt. Irena secured it around her mouth and it would have stopped her from speaking or opening her mouth.
Ingrid's muffled screams as she was thrashing around could be observed.
Irena removed Ingrid's blind fold and looked at her. Ingrid had tears in her eyes and her tears had soaked her face now because of the heat of the spice. Irena said "You will stay this way to taste the medicine you give to others. Taste it. This is what it tastes like when you tell others to disappear. You are implying to them they are better off dead. Shame on you. You will stay like this the whole night. Tomorrow morning you will be given milk and will be allowed to go to lessons but wearing this mask to help you keep your tongue in check. You use your tongue for, then you shouldn't be able to use it for committing sins. Your tongue will remain locked indefinitely until you learn to talk to humans like how everyone else does. If you need to eat or drink, it can be removed by the gate security and you can only eat and drink in a secluded area at the gate designated for people like you. Then they put the gag back on. Only then you will be allowed to go back to lessons and have the privilege of still being a student on the premises. The only communication you can make with others if they talk to you is on a piece of paper. You are only allowed to write "I have a sharp tongue. I am not allowed to speak." If you don't follow this simple instruction you will be brought here and the spicy treatment will be given to you again. If you understand nod your head or I will repeat myself."
Ingrid nodded her head as she was thrashing around, making noise and crying.
Irena said "Another thing. You now need to write an apology letter to the person you upset. Your punishment would have been the same no matter who you talked to in that way. Implying to someone that they are better off dead and should disappear and calling them names without expressing remorse is a heavy crime. We are in a school of high morals. You don't use your tongue for abusing others. You use it for kind words. So I will release your hands to write an apology letter.
When her hands were released, Ingrid did not touch the paper and pen Irena placed in front of her. She obviously did not want to apologise. She instead pushed the paper and pen away and banged on the table as she was thrashing from the spicy extract inside her mouth that was burning her tongue and her throat since she had swallowed it too.
Irena sighed and went to the safe. She brought a bottle out and a bowl. She poured the contents inside it and placed it on the table. "Here is milk. You can look at it but can't drink it. Because your mouth must be locked."
Ingrid looked up at the milk and she banged her fist on the table.
Irena said "It must make you feel helpless Ingrid. This is how you make people feel when you bully them and they can't get help when it's right in front of them. Your victims are too mentally crushed to realise your manipulations so they believe your poisonous words. They feel as helpless as you do right now. You have all night to write the apology. No one can save you from this. No one has the key to this device but the security guards at the gate who will watch you when you eat and drink. Of course I also have it since I am the one who have locked you in it."
Irena turned to Leandro "I think this punishment must be upheld as long as needed. There is no remorse at all."
Leandro turned to the committee "If you have any comments about this punishment, speak now."
No one said anything or moved. But after a few seconds everyone just clapped.