Marlene exhaled a deep breath and entered the school house. Clutching her application in her small hands, she climbed the large stone staircase to the headmaster's office.

She knocked hard on the slightly ajar door three times, stepping back to compose herself.

A mans voice pierced through the silence of the hallway, "Yes?"

Marlene cleared her throat. "Good morning Mr. Bellwether, I was wondering if I could speak to you?"

There was a quick silence followed by a few loud footsteps. A man's face appeared in the doorframe. "Who are you?" The Headmaster demanded, slightly annoyed. He nevertheless opened the door and allowed her inside.

"I am Marlene Curtis Dowel, sir, and I was wondering if I could enroll here as a second year student next year." Marlene stated confidently. She handed the now confused looking Mr. Bellwether her application.

"Miss Dowel, that idea is absolutely preposterous. A girl? In this school? What are you thinking?" The man said, placing her application to the side without so much as glancing at it.

"Well sir, my grades exceed many of the male students here and I thought.... I thought I could be an exception?" Marlene inquired. Mr. Bellwether stood and leaned over his desk, placing his palms in front of Marlene.

"Do you know who I am?" He hissed.

"Yes sir, you're Mr. Gardain Bellwether, Headmaster of the Prismare School for Brilliant Minds. You graduated from Oxford University in 1823 and you were appointed Headmaster here in 1849,"
Marlene replied, hardly missing a beat.

"Oh, you think you're clever, don't you? Well I'll tell you something, Miss Dowel. Girls simply do not- cannot- enroll in this school." His tone worsened and he suddenly looked incredibly angry. He slapped the desk, pounding his palms against the wood.
"It is not allowed. You should be at home, learning how to be a proper housewife. Who is your mother anyway? She should be telling you this, not me," The old man barked.

Marlene sat up straight, a wave of anger and pride flowing through her.
"My mother was Francine Juliad Dowel, an incredible mathematician who pioneered many breakthroughs in her field. She is my inspiration and the reason I'm here."

Mr. Bellwether sneered. "And who is your father? He needs to knock some sense into that head of yours."

"He... he disappeared a few years after I was born." Marlene said uncertainly.

"Well of course he did! No husband would want a wife who doesn't know how to cook and instead spends all her time memorizing numbers! The same goes for you." Mr. Bellwether said, fuming.

"Well maybe I don't need a husband! But if I do get one, he will respect my career choice and support me." Marlene shot back.

The headmaster laughed, throwing back his head. "Miss Dowel, women respect men, not the other way around. No man will respect you."

Marlene straightened her skirt and looked the old man directly in the eyes.
"Why not?"