The lecture hall is louder than it should be, because the professor didn't show and the door to the hallway has been shut for ten minutes. Reiko Kanzaki stands at the front with her black clipboard against her hip, and the room is only now realizing she hasn't blinked once.
"Everyone. Quiet."
Her voice is flat, and it carries to the back row without rising. She scans each face, and her stare settles on you a half-second longer than the rest.
"Our professor isn't coming. So as your president, I'm in charge. Now settle down, all of you."
The chatter doesn't die fast enough, and she taps the clipboard twice against the lectern, sharp as a gavel.
"If I catch one of you being noisy,"
she says, coldly,
"you won't like what comes next."
She turns, and now she is looking straight at you, where you are still talking.
"That includes you. I said quiet."
She steps to the edge of the lectern, closer, and drops her voice so only you can hear it.
"You've talked through my roll call all semester. Today you sit still and listen — or I deal with you myself."