Still, she thought as she stood in front of her bathroom mirror at half past six, applying concealer under her eyes with perhaps more enthusiasm than skill, it wasn't really a problem, was it? Her new neighbor was a famous musician. A proper, Grammy-winning rockstar. Of course she'd play music at unusual hours. That was what creative people did.
She was practically getting free concerts.
The fact that the concerts were at two in the morning and she had a classroom full of eight-year-olds to teach today was just… well, that was just part of living in a community, wasn't it? Being flexible. Being understanding.
By the time she arrived at Bankton Primary, fortified by two cups of tea and sheer optimism, Annabelle had almost convinced herself that she wasn't tired at all.
"Morning, Ms. Swift," Nina chirped as Annabelle walked into the classroom.
"Morning, Nina." Annabelle set down her bag and immediately tripped over a box of art supplies that definitely hadn't been there yesterday.
Nina rushed forward to help her up, nearly knocking over a pot of pencils in the process. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! I moved those earlier and forgot to… are you alright?"
"Absolutely fine," Annabelle said, brushing herself off and beaming. "No harm done."
Nina tilted her head, studying her. "You look a bit tired. Late night?"
"Oh, you know," Annabelle said vaguely. "Just my new neighbor settling in. Bit of music, nothing to worry about."
"Eek, Raven. I can’t believe it." Nina's eyes went wide. "Everyone's talking about it. Daisy told the whole village yesterday."
Of course she had. Annabelle made a mental note to have a word with Daisy about discretion. A gentle word. A very gentle, very kind word that would absolutely not change Daisy's behavior in the slightest.
"She's just a person, Nina," Annabelle said. "A person who happens to be settling into a new place. I'm sure once she gets comfortable, everything will be fine."
Before Nina could respond, Lily's voice echoed down the corridor. "Morning meeting in five minutes, everyone!"
The morning meeting was held in the small staff room that smelled perpetually of instant coffee and digestive biscuits. It was just the teaching staff. The children wouldn't arrive for another half hour.
Lily stood at the front, her expression carefully neutral in that way that made Annabelle's stomach drop. She recognized that expression.
"Right," Lily said once everyone had settled with their mugs of tea. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this. I had a meeting with the governors yesterday evening."
Annabelle's fingers tightened around her mug.
"Budget cuts from the council," Lily continued. "We need to make savings. Significant ones." She paused. "They're cutting Mrs. Patterson's librarian position at the end of term. The school library will close."
The room went silent.
Annabelle felt her heart crack straight down the middle. The library. Their beautiful, cozy library with its beanbags and story corner and shelves full of adventures. The place where Mrs. Patterson had read to generations of Bankton children, where shy readers found their confidence, where Jamie Long sometimes hid during lunch break with his favorite books about dinosaurs.
Gone.
"Unless," Annabelle heard herself say, her hand shooting up before she'd quite thought it through, "unless we raise the money ourselves."
There was silence.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"A fundraiser," she continued, the words tumbling out in a rush. "We could organize a fundraiser. The village would help, wouldn't they? Everyone loves the library."
Lily's expression softened slightly. "Annabelle…"
"How much would we need?" Annabelle pressed.
"To keep Mrs. Patterson's position for the year… approximately fifteen thousand pounds."
There was a collective intake of breath.
