13: Kang Park-Min

Dr Valerie Cooper-Xavier, usually known as Val but not today, stared at the six kids lined up in front of her big oak desk, wondering exactly how many more times she would faced similar lineups of worried faces since she had become head teacher here at the Xavier Institute. She was sure the number would be a big one.
"So," Val said wearily, "what caused the fight at the bowling alley earlier this evening?"
"These guys on the next lane had a go at Angelica and Min," Shakeel explained, stepping forward and taking the lead role. "They were chucking their drinks around and acting like idiots. We all kind of lost our temper and piled into them."
"You all simultaneously decided to pile in," Val said, clearly not finding this explanation likely. "And I suppose none of you is any more to blame than anyone else?"
"That's right," Shakeel lied.
The rest of the line-up nodded. They had huddled together and sorted out their cover story on the mini-bus ride back to campus. Angelica had started the punch-up, of course, but Min had been racially abused and none of the other kids thought she deserved to cop all the blame.
"I understand," Val said reluctantly. "If that's the way you want me to deal with this, so be it. But when Jack came to pick you up he spoke to the staff members who were at the scene, and I think I have a pretty accurate idea of what really happened."
As he said this, Val cast deliberate glances at Angelica and Min.
“I shouldn't have to tell you how serious this incident could have been," Val continued. "It's been
drilled into you all time and again. What is the number one priority for groups of Xaviers students when they’re off campus?"
The line-up droned the answer, at different speeds and with varying degrees of gusto: "Keep a low profile."
“A low profile," Val nodded. "Xaviers is a secret organisation. The safety of everyone here depends upon the fact that nobody knows we do. When you're off campus, I expect you to behave in a manner that doesn't attract undue attention. I expect I you to avoid trouble at all costs, even under extreme provocation. Is that clearly understood?"
"Yes Ma’am," everyone nodded sombrely.
"A whole bunch of people saw your little display of fighting skills at the bowling alley this evening. Don't you think they"re going to be extremely curious about who you are and how a group of youngsters might come by advanced martial arts skills like that?”
“We wore no insignia,” Thomas piped up.
Val ignored him.
“Can you imagine the fuss that would have been caused if one of the boys you assaulted had been seriously injured? I know you're all trained in unarmed combat and had the good sense to use minimal force, but freak accidents can still happen.
"On top of that, you can count yourselves extremely lucky that I have connections at the local police station. I had to use all my leverage to ensure that the six of you aren't sitting in a police cell at this very moment facing criminal charges. So, your punishments."
It was midnight. The kids had been tired and fidgety while they listened to the lecture, but they snapped to attention at the mention of punishments, anxious to know what they were going to get.
"First of all, you're all banned from going into town for the next two months," Val announced. "Secondly, as you have so much energy I want each of you to do five hundred laps.”
“What?”
Fifty laps of the running track took two hours.
“You want more Shakeel?”
“No Ma’am.”
“You can space the laps out over the next month. And if any of you do something so stupid ever again you will run laps until you puke.”