Dread Nation

Years later, Jane writes a letter to Momma. In the letter, Jane says she’s been at a school run by Miss Preston for three years. Jane writes that she hasn’t heard from Momma for some time but that the teachers at the school seem to genuinely care for their students.

At the school, Jane receives combat training from Miss Duncan, who advises Jane on the proper way to hold a scythe. Miss Duncan fought the “shamblers” (the walking dead) for ten years in the Army. At school, Jane is friends with Sue, whom Jane sees as genuinely kind. Meanwhile, Jane is frequently at odds with Katherine. Katherine can pass for White, and Jane doesn’t know exactly how Katherine ended up at the school. But Jane also thinks Katherine is the prettiest girl at the school, which immediately made Jane dislike Katherine when Katherine first arrived at the school.

Miss Preston’s school is one of many that were built in the country in the aftermath of the Great Discord, the time period immediately after Civil War soldiers began rising from their graves. The schools were founded as a result of the “Negro and Native Reeducation Act.” Many in Congress disagreed with the plan to make Black and Native people fight the dead, but the majority party, the Survivalists, passed the bill, and now there’s nothing anyone can do to change it. 

After class, Miss Preston’s daughter, Ruthie, finds Jane and tells her that Miss Preston wants to see her. Jane goes to Miss Preston’s office, where Miss Preston and Miss Anderson, Jane’s etiquette teacher, are waiting. Miss Preston says that Jane is on the verge of failing her etiquette class. Jane retorts that Miss Anderson is sabotaging her by putting material on the tests that they haven’t covered in class. Miss Anderson, who is White, responds by making racist comments about Jane. Miss Preston then dismisses Miss Anderson.

When they’re alone, Miss Preston tells Jane that because the dead (or the shamblers, as they’re called) have been more or less wiped out in the cities, wealthy families in those cities now hire Attendants (who accompany families to defend them from shamblers), mostly to signal their high social status. Because of that, Miss Preston says, etiquette is more important than ever. Jane knows that she wants an Attendant Certificate from Miss Preston’s school because that school is considered one of the best in the country. With that certificate, Jane thinks she’ll be able to do what she wants in life. Miss Preston then says that because Jane’s combat marks are some of the highest in the school, she’s going to give Jane another chance and assign Miss Duncan to be her etiquette teacher.