When Lily returns to the schoolhouse on Liam's shoulders (he offered to carry her when she stepped on a sharp stick), she is surprised to see that her mother is already there waiting for her. She's talking to a big, yellow animal, who has large wings and a long neck. The strange creature doesn't seem to be as stressed out as her teacher, who is pacing nearby.

"It's a pretty small island," the yellow thing says causally, "I'll do another round. Eventually, we'll find whatever's left of her."

Lily's teacher slaps her leg.

"We'll find her in one piece, I mean," the animal coughs, "But you know, if we don't, you can always buy a replacement child. Feel free to take one of mine. If you want another dinosaur, I'm sure- Oh, wait. There she is."

As soon as Lily's mother catches sight of her, she rushes over with tears in her eyes. She picks her up, ignoring Liam, and hugs her so tightly that she chokes a little.

"Lily! Oh, Lily, I was so worried! Where did you go? Why didn't you come back?"

Lily is about to answer, but her mother squeezes her again, silencing her.

"You're okay, you're okay . . . Thank god . . ."

Her father dashes over and joins the hug.

"Lily! That was awful! God, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Lily cocks her head.

"Why?"

"I was scared to death!" he laughs with relief, running his hand over her head.

Lily's jaw drops.

"You were scared?"

He nods.

"Very much so. I thought I'd lost you. I thought you were-"

His lip quivers.

"Hang on. I need a minute."

Her mother rolls her eyes as he jogs away.

"Where's he going?" Lily asks.

"To cry, probably," her mother replies flatly, "He doesn't like to do it in front of other people."

Lily gulps.

"I made Daddy cry? . . ."

"You gave us both a scare," her mother affirms, "Why did you wander off?"

Lily looks away in shame.

"The other kids were teasing me."

Her mother covers her mouth.

"Oh god. Lily, I am so, so sorry."

"I've spoken with the troublemakers," Lily's teacher interjects, "They're ready to apologize."

Lily's mother shakes her head.

"No. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. She is not going back in there. We'll take her home and try again next year."

Lily's jaw drops.

"But Mom-"

"We can homeschool her until she's old enough to learn basic skills, then we'll have her educated in a controlled environment."

Lily swishes her tail back and forth in distress.

"Mom . . ."

"She can play with nice children who don't tease her about her species, and everything will be per-"

Lily yanks on her mother's tail.

"I want to stay, Mommy!"

Lily's mother stares at her in shock. After a beat, she shakes her head.

"No. Absolutely not. I will not allow you to be bullied, Lily."

"But I made a friend."

She points to Liam, who has been waiting patiently. Lily's teacher catches sight of him, and frowns reprimandingly.

"Liam . . ."

"He saved me," Lily pipes up, not wanting him to get in trouble, "He saw me running away and followed me into the forest. He protected me from a snake."

"Most of that is true," the yellow animal affirms.

Lily's teacher sighs and rubs her temples.

"Alright. Liam, go back to class. Don't cause any more trouble, please."

He nods.

"I won't, Mom. I really won't."

He rubs up against her leg as he walks past, then canters towards his classroom. Lily's mother watches him, then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Remind me to thank him later," she mutters, addressing Lily's teacher, "For right now, I think it's best if we all go home."

"No!" Lily cries, "I want to stay!"

Her mother shakes her head.

"I don't want you to stay if the other kids are being mean," she states reasonably.

"Liam is nice!"

"He's not even in your class, sweetheart."

"But he's in the same school! I want to see him!"

Her mother rumbles in frustration.

"You can have a play-date or something. There's no need to go to school."

"Yes, there is!" Lily insists, "I wanna learn about numbers and letters and be smart!"

"You're plenty smart."

"I want to be educated, then."

Lily's mother looks at her with worry, but her father returns and gives her a comforting nudge.

"Hey, let her stay. Take it from someone who barely went to school: education is important. If she thinks she can handle it, let her try."

Her mother glares at him.

"It's not about the education. It's about the R-A-P-T-O-R-S."

Lily wishes that she could spell like her mother. That's why she needs kindergarten: to learn how to do the things that will help her through life.

"Forget the raptors," her father argues, "They can learn to live with her. If she doesn't learn to socialize, she'll end up being just like the I-N-D-O-"

"You're jumping to conclusions!" her mother snaps, "Lily would never-"

"I won't take that chance. She needs this," he insists.

"Well, I think that's just D-U-M-B!"

"I know what I'm talking about. I'm not S-T-U-P-D!"

"You forgot the 'I'."

Her father crosses his arms.

"See? I never went to school, and I can't spell. This is important."

Lily tugs on her mother's tail again.

"Mommy?"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"I want to go to school," she says, "I want to read books and count things. I want to learn how motors work. I want to know why the ocean is salty, but puddles are not. I don't care if the others make fun of me. You love me and Daddy loves me and Liam wants to be my friend. I don't need the others. I just need you."

Her mother looks at her sadly.

"But you can be with us at home . . ."

"I don't want to stay at home forever," Lily declares, "I want to know what the world is like. Home is all well and good, but it's not an adventure. Even if I don't like what's outside of our world, I can always come back to it and try again the next day."

"Lily . . ."

"I'm not afraid of what's out here," she continues, "I'm not afraid of raptors or snakes or teasing . . . I can't be afraid, because if I am, I'll miss out on what's good. I don't want to stay at home forever. Please, let me go to school."

Her mother stares at her for a while, then closes her eyes and exhales.

"Are you going to stay put this time?"

Lily nods spiritedly.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Her mother sighs and quirks the corner of her mouth.

"Alright. We can try again."

Lily squeals happily and hugs her mother's leg. After resting her chin on her shoulder, Lily's mother nudges her towards the teacher gently.

"Alright, you little runaway. Go back to your classroom. Don't forget to have fun."

Lily smiles and follows her teacher. She peeks over her shoulder one last time and sees her parents smiling warmly at her. With a quick wave, she turns around and skips into the building. Before entering the classroom, Lily reaches into her backpack and pulls out the stegoceratops toy.

"This is yours," she says, holding it out for her teacher.

To her surprise, instead of taking the toy, her teacher smiles and pushes it back into Lily's hands.

"You can have him. He's happier with you. I can tell."

Lily beams and hugs her teacher's leg. She smiles in response and opens the door to the classroom. When Lily steps inside, the three raptors who were being mean during Free Time shuffle up to her and apologize. They invite her to play, and she accepts. As they sit down, one of the raptors offers her his T-Rex. Lily shakes her head.

She's happy with her hybrid.