"…in conclusion, this child could be a boon for this school. I hope we have come to an understanding?" Mr. Greene asked, looking both convincing and a tad frightened.

"I believe we have, Mr. Greene." Principal Erickson said with a massive smirk on his face. Accepting this ragamuffin was the best thing he could do for his school – despite the child in question being below average intellectually at this point, the man in front of him was offering to pay double the usual fee to feed, teach and board her.

Mr. Greene was noticeably relieved. "Thank you, Richard. I know this isn't the ideal situation for you…"

"Trust me, David. While you believe she might be trouble, I don't see it. She's just small for her age, both physically and from an educational stand point. We can and will fix that – at least educationally. Not to fear."

Mr. Greene got up, but then recalled one last thing. "Oh! Before we truly seal this deal?"

"Yes?"

"Do NOT have anyone cut the child's hair. She…has a condition that makes her actually feel pain at that, so…"

"…I will inform the teachers to keep scissors away from her head more than we do the other students…" Richard was confused. "Remind me, where did the child come from?"

"She is a…niece from my late wife's side…she's all alone but somehow they traced her to me."

"Hmm…well, regardless, we will take care of her as long as you take care of her costs."

"You know I will." Mr. Greene stood quickly, as if fearing more questions. "…have a fine day, Richard."

"You too, David…and get some sleep. You look a mess."

"…right. Thank you."

As the two men left the room, they noticed little Belladonna playing with a nearly complete Rubix's cube. Principal Erickson blinked: he knew for a fact that the cube had been a jumbled up mess when they'd entered the room…and they'd only been talking – he checked his watch – 25 minutes. While not an amazing feat by any means, for a five year old, it was pretty darn good…especially for one that didn't seem all that bright. He stole a glance to David Greene, then back to the child before approaching her.

"What you got there, little one?" He said. The girl jumped a bit, so focused on the cube. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She shook her head no with a smile. That was another reason the testers had marked her low – she barely spoke. "So, you having fun there?" She smiled wider and showed off the cube, now completed.

"Colors!"

"…yes, very colorful." He smiled back, before shooting David another glance…then double-taking on the man. He looked pale…scared. "David, what's wrong?"

"…that cube wasn't even close to being complete before, Richard…"

The child wilted as if scolded. She didn't seem to understand she wasn't in trouble for completing the cube… "David, its fine. This just proves that the child isn't quite as educationally challenged as we thought!"

Bella cocked her head to the side again, confused by the large words.

Principal Erickson looked at the child and smiled, saying, "I'm just saying you are smarter than the testers thought at first. That's good."

She smiled, pleased.

David just harrumphed. "If she's so smart, she should understand you no matter what words you use…but I guess I shouldn't be too hard on a five year old…"

Bella razzed at Mr. Greene before giggling.

"Typical five year old, indeed – sassy! Heh." Richard laughed.

That very day, Bella was introduced to the kindergarten class of Ivy League Academy. The girls came over quickly, impressed with the length of her hair and the sheen of it. The boys stayed away, sensing something in her that did not bode well for them – even the few tricksters that wanted to cut a lock of that hair for bragging rights. Richard noticed this as he discussed her 'condition' with the teacher, but didn't say so to the teacher, Ms. Lilac. For one, he thought it might just be his imagination and secondly, he didn't want to admit something was odd about the child to anyone, not even himself.

Mr. Erickson observed her inclusion to the class that day – she was pleased the girls wanted to hang out with her, but…she shied away more often than not to 'clean' after them: putting dolls away, color AND size organizing the blocks…it seemed to be a calming mechanism for the child. Before long, all but two girls were treating Bella like a servant rather than an equal. That wasn't right, but what could he do? Even as the principal, he had only so much power over the children here.

Time passes, things change and things stay the same. Belladonna Del Crux has only two good friends, but she claims that's all she needs here – and besides, she really has three, just one doesn't belong to the school. When asked about the friend, she claims his name is Toby and she's known him since she was a little girl, before the Academy. Since no one else knows of Toby, and Mr. Greene denies this boy exists, everyone assumes he's an imaginary friend…