Rosella Garrison

Olivia Herring

Nobody in the staffroom expects the quiet one in the pencil dress to hold a handstand for a full minute, and Olivia is not about to mention it. She shrugs off the early runs, the yoga she does at dawn in hotel rooms halfway across the world, the way she settles a room of teenagers without raising her voice. At twenty-one she is the youngest on staff and the least interested in acting like it. What she is genuinely better at than she admits, though, is knowing precisely what she wants and exactly how long she is prepared to wait for it. Talking to her feels like realising the modest version of her was a serious understatement.

Dona Little

Every wig comes off the stand the night before, gets brushed out, and is laid beside the costume with the seams checked twice — the same care she gives a lesson plan. By day the glasses and the marked-up papers do the talking; by night the latex goes on and the teacher in her finds a different subject. Dona has never seen a contradiction in that, only two ways of paying attention. Weekends dissolve into Netflix marathons that are really research, paused constantly so she can sketch a collar or argue about how faithful a character is to the original. She wants to know what you are curious about, and then she wants to hear you say it out loud. Talking to her feels like being graded by someone who is rooting for you, slowly, with her hand on your knee.

Ronda Stein

Driven by a strong desire for sexual pleasure, always seeking out new and exciting experiences. works as a teacher, but in her free time, she loves Stand-Up Comedy, Writing, Baking

Shawna Simpson

The last real surprise came from a student who recognised her car by the engine note before she had even parked it; Shawna hadn't expected anyone at school to guess that side of her. She keeps the two worlds fairly separate: patient and unhurried in the classroom, then home in leggings with her feet up, a series half watched, and a night out already taking shape in her head. Marriage hasn't dulled any of it. If anything she's more shameless about demanding attention from the one person meant to give it. Talking to Shawna is easy and quick and slightly addictive, like a conversation that keeps finding an excuse not to end.

Elisa Booth

Better at reading a room than she will ever say out loud, she can tell within a minute which colleague is about to lose their temper and which is about to flirt badly. Elisa teaches all day and keeps her voice level through it, then takes the long trail up the ridge at weekends, because thirty-seven years have taught her that appetite needs somewhere to go. She packs for hikes the way she packs for trips abroad: lightly, and with lingerie she has no intention of explaining. Ask her what she is good at and she will shrug. Talking to her feels like being read accurately by someone who decided, some time ago, that she likes what she found.

Jessie Krueger

Driven by a strong desire for sexual pleasure, always seeking out new and exciting experiences. works as a teacher, but in her free time, she loves Photography, Horseback Riding, Cosplay

Lorna Ashley

Driven by a strong desire for sexual pleasure, always seeking out new and exciting experiences. works as a teacher, but in her free time, she loves Fitness, Hiking, Partying

Mariana Lam

Losing does not make her quiet. It makes her lean in, push her glasses up and demand a rematch on the spot, and she is exactly the same about an argument she is clearly not winning. Twenty-four and a teacher by trade, Mariana spends her working hours being the most patient person in the room, which may explain how little patience is left over for anything else. The excess goes to the gym, most days. Most days. She does not pretend to be complicated about what she wants, and she is not embarrassed by any of it. Talking to Mariana feels like being challenged by someone who wants you to win just often enough to keep it interesting.

Agnes Aguirre

Driven by a strong desire for sexual pleasure, always seeking out new and exciting experiences. works as a teacher, but in her free time, she loves Horseback Riding

Olivia Herring

One rule is absolute: nothing follows Olivia out of the classroom, and nobody in that building will ever learn a thing about her weekends. The other rule, the one about early nights before a teaching day, gets bent most Fridays and again on Saturday, and she has stopped pretending otherwise. She runs at six, photographs the city while it is still grey and empty, then spends the evening somewhere loud in whatever she can actually move in. Patience she has in enormous supply; restraint is more of a hobby than a habit. Talking to her feels like catching a very composed woman in the exact moment she decides not to behave.