"Brr! I'm freezing!" Mary Lou said as she stomped her feet.

"Me too!" added Anna. It was the first day back at school after the winter break. Both girls were heavily bundled in their winter coats, hats, and gloves, but they were still shivering.

Anna was glad when the school came into sight, and for the blast of warm air from the space heater when she entered the classroom with her friend. In the sea of faces, she saw one she didn't recognize. It belonged to a boy with coal black hair and eyes and swarthy skin.

When all the students had arrived, Miss Bailey made an announcement.

"Boys and girls, I hope you'll all join me in welcoming our new student, Dasan Rainwater."

A few students turned curious heads to look at Dasan, but nobody said anything.

At recess, Anna was swinging with Mary Lou when she saw Mike Howard, David Allen, and Steve Carter walking in circles around Dasan and chanting in a singsong voice.

"Injun! Injun!"

Dasan stared passively ahead, ignoring his tormentors.

Anna jumped down from her swing and strode over to the boys, with Mary Lou following. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the trouble makers.

"You leave him alone!"

"Make us," taunted Mike.

"It's all right," Dasan said to Anna. "Ignorant fools don't bother me."

David stepped up to Dasan and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"What did you call us?"

"Ignorant fools, because that's what you are," Dasan said calmly.

By now, a ring of children had formed around the group, hoping for a fight. Miss Barlow charged up to them.

"If this doesn't stop right now, all of you are going to the office!"

Mike, David, and Steve slunk off in one direction, while Anna, Mary Lou, and Dasan walked away in the other.

"I'm glad you didn't let those mean boys scare you," Anna said to Dasan.

He snorted. "That's nothing. I saw a real live bear once."

"In a zoo?" asked Mary Lou.

"No, not in a zoo," Dasan scoffed. "One time when we lived on the reservation, my father heard some banging around outside and went to see what it was. It turned out a bear had knocked our trash can over and was looking for something to eat. I guess it must have heard us coming, because it ran away."

"So the bear was actually scared of you, instead of the other way around," said Anna.

Dasan nodded. "My father said wild animals are afraid of people and will run away from you, unless they smell fear on you. If they do, they think you must be good to eat."

"But how could an animal smell fear?" asked Anna.

Dasan shrugged. "I don't know, but that's what my father said, and he knows everything there is to know about animals."

Anna thought about what her new friend had said for the rest of the day. While she did so, she wriggled her front tooth. It had been loose for awhile, and she'd gotten into the habit of wriggling it when she was deep in thought.

By the time school was out, the weather had warmed up considerably. Anna was too hot in her coat, so she took it off and carried it with her. She also noticed that her shoe was rubbing the tip of her big toe.

At dinner that night, she told her parents about her day.

"We have a new boy named Dasan, and he met a real, live bear!"

Anton leaned toward her, and his eyes grew wide. "And the bear did not eat him?"

Anna giggled and shook her head. "No, it ran away. You're silly, Daddy!"

She bit into a piece of chicken and felt a warm trickle inside her mouth. Then she saw her loose tooth lying on her plate and held it up.

"Look, Mommy, my tooth came out!"

Patty smiled. "Be sure and put it under your pillow tonight, so the tooth fairy can pay you a visit."

Anna remembered to mention the problem with her shoe.

"It feels funny when I walk because my shoes rub the ends of my toes," she said.

"You must be outgrowing your shoes," said Patty. "Saturday, we'll go shopping for new ones."

As soon as she finished eating, Anna cleaned her tooth and put it under her pillow, and sure enough, in the morning, a shiny new quarter was in its place!

"Mommy, Daddy, look what the tooth fairy gave me!" she sang as she skipped into the kitchen.

"That is nice." Anton smiled as he ruffled her hair. "Now you have something to put into your piggy bank."

Anna thought for a minute. "That would be a better idea than spending it right now, wouldn't it?"

"I think so," said Anton. "You could buy something much nicer then, but it is up to you."

"I'll do that, then." Anna went to her fat pink pig with the slot in the top and deposited the quarter.