I really appreciate your reviews! Thank you all so much! Okay, with this chapter we are about halfway through...

Katie still felt shell-shocked. She had been sitting in her bunk, staring into space, for over an hour since the incident in drama class, and she still didn't have a clue what to do. Part of her just wanted to go home and get away from the awful kids who had judged her so harshly just for being who she was. But she kept picturing the disappointment in her parents' faces… they probably thought she having a great time at camp, and they would be so hurt if they found out that the reality was so different. And she would be disappointed in herself for giving up.

She was still sitting there when Zuleikha, one of the camp counselors, approached her.

'Hi Katya.'

'Hey,' she replied numbly. The day's classes and activities were over, and the other campers were outside for sports hour. She realized that Zuleikha had probably noticed she was absent, and would try to get her to join the others. She wasn't ready to do that just yet. 'Zul, I –'

'Yes?' Zuleikha prompted, softly.

'I don't feel like going outside right now.'

Zuleikha looked surprised. 'That's perfectly understandable, Katya. That's not why I'm here. Shane told me what happened in drama class. I came to find out if you're okay.'

Katie nodded silently.

'Are you sure?' Zuleikha asked with concern. 'Talk to me, tell me how you're feeling.'

'I'm just… sad, I guess. I thought I would get along with everyone here.'

Zuleikha nodded. 'I'm sorry, Katya.'

'I can't even figure out how they know about my parents and… stuff. I've only told Carmen.'

'It turns out there's a story behind that – a pretty ugly one, actually,' Zuleikha said with a sigh. 'Basically, they've confessed that they snuck into Lisa's office a few days ago and read your file.'

Katie gasped. 'Why would they do that?'

Zuleikha shook her head. 'We're still shocked.'

'Are they… are they going to be punished?'

'They'll be leaving tomorrow.'

Katie gasped again and shook her head. She couldn't help feeling guilty. 'I never wanted to get anyone in trouble'.

Zuleikha's voice was still soft, but firm. 'You haven't. They got themselves in trouble. Carmen says this has been going on for a while from Reese and Christine, and that's unacceptable. And reading your file was a serious invasion of your privacy. This is supposed to be a safe, supportive environment.'

Katie still looked troubled. Zuleikha took her hand. 'This is not your fault, Katya. You were the one who was wronged here.' She paused; then continued. 'Lisa would like to see you in her office. Will you come with me?'

Katie nodded and rose to her feet.

When they entered her office, Lisa was sitting at her desk, looking serious and strained. Zuleikha gave Katie an encouraging smile, then left the room.

'Katie, take a seat… Shane told me what happened.'

'I'm sorry I walked out of the class like that. I just – I couldn't take it anymore.'

Lisa smiled sadly. 'This experience isn't quite what you were hoping for, is it?'

Katie sighed and closed her eyes. 'I'm sorry, Lisa,' she repeated, 'I guess it was a mistake to give me a place here.'

Lisa put a hand on Katie's arm. 'Look at me, Katie,' she said, and when Katie opened her eyes, she looked into them as she continued speaking. 'It wasn't a mistake. You're every bit as talented as any of the other kids here. You absolutely deserve to be here.'

Katie shrugged wryly. 'Well, not everyone thinks so.'

'The unfortunate truth,' Lisa said, 'is that not everyone is going to appreciate you for who you are. Some of them will genuinely want something different from what you can offer, some will be jealous; some will just be nasty, negative people. Some will have deep-seated issues and will try to hurt you for something some else did to them in the past. In this case, it's probably a combination of more than one of those things. But always remember that if someone attacks you unjustly, it's not about you. It is about them. What matters is what you believe. If you know deep in your heart that you're on the right path, don't let anything stop you. Use even the negativity to propel yourself forward.' She shook her head. 'I'm sorry about what happened in there.'

'I'm sorry too. I never thought anyone would be so… mad at me for being adopted. That's never happened before.'

'None of this is your fault, Katie. Did Zuleikha tell you what happened with your file?'

Katie nodded in confirmation. 'She also said Reese and Christine are going home tomorrow.'

'First of all, I have to apologize to you. I take absolute responsibility for not ensuring that all the files are secure at all times. I've fixed that already. I'm sorry.'

'Thanks, but it's not your fault, Lisa,' Katie replied. 'I – I understand why you're sending Reese and Christine home…. But… I feel like I should be the one to go. I'm the one they have a problem with. I'm the one who doesn't really fit in.'

Lisa shook her head. 'No way, Katie… do you want to go home?'

'No,' Katie admitted, after a long moment. 'I was learning so much and having a great time until the catty comments started.'

'Okay,' Lisa replied, 'once I'm done talking to you, I'm going to call your parents and tell them what happened. If they want to talk to you about going home after that, then that's their choice. But I'm not sending you home for other people's mistakes. What Reese and Christine did was very serious. We have rules, and I have to enforce them. And I probably shouldn't tell you this, but… I considered giving them a chance – if they were both willing to make a sincere apology and change their behavior, I was thinking of letting them stay until the end of camp. But they both want to leave – they called their parents themselves.'

Lisa paused and took a deep breath before going on. 'I'm going to tell you something else, Katie – but only because I want you to look back at this day as a victory.'

'A victory,' Katie echoed, confused.

'Yes, and I'll tell you why. But when I tell you, you can't be mad at your parents.'

'Uh oh. What did they do?' Katie asked.

'Your mother and I confide in each other. We have for a long time. Did she tell you that we lost touch after law school and then reunited years later?'

Katie nodded, and Lisa went on. 'Yeah, we bumped into each other randomly at a park in DC. I was in DC for a meeting and decided to take a walk there on a whim. She was meeting your dad there.' Lisa smiled. 'It was their anniversary, and they were going to have a packed lunch in the park – I thought that was a little weird and low-key for an anniversary celebration, but it was something about finding the nearest rosebush… or something. Anyway, I was at a very different place in my life. We had just lost Lilia… Mikhail and I were drifting apart, we just couldn't stand being together and thinking of what we'd lost. Your mom was amazing that day. I… I was talking to her about Lilia, and I just… fell apart. When your dad got there, they canceled their lunch plans, despite my protests. Harm left; and Mac sat there with me for hours, just listening.'

Lisa made a soft sound, remembering. 'I hadn't seen your mom in years, and I had only just met Harm, but somehow I felt so comfortable with them. So, anyway, I went back to New York, and we kept in touch now and then, mostly by email. Remember when I told you that a friend got me interested in working with young people?'

Katie nodded her affirmation. 'That was my mom?'

Lisa nodded in response. 'Yep, that was your mom. Until I moved here last year, we hadn't seen each other since that day in the park, but we've been there for each other. Not often, but when we needed each other, we knew we had each other's back. And that's why she confided in me about you.'

Katie shifted uneasily. 'What did she say about me?'

'Your parents love you very, very much, you know that. They love you unconditionally, for who you are. The biggest reason they wanted you to come here was because they acknowledge your talents and want to encourage you to keep developing them. But there was another reason – at home, you're very open and expressive with everyone – I've witnessed that for myself. But here, with these kids, you're very quiet – almost withdrawn at times.'

Katie nodded. 'I've always been that way.'

'I know, and I understand why. You have a more introverted personality, but that's only part of it. With your family and close friends, there's a level of comfort and trust that doesn't exist when you're with other people, especially people you don't know all that well. So you find it harder to speak up, and to stand up for yourself. '

Katie nodded silently. She was beginning to understand. 'So, my victory today was standing up to Christine and Reese?'

'Absolutely. But it's more than that – you handled the situation, you didn't let those poisonous words break you down… and you let them know how you felt. You were brave, you asserted yourself, even though you were hurt and it would have been much easier to just fade off into the shadows. And sticking up for yourself and for what is right, for what you believe in, is something you needed to do; something you will learn to do even more. The art world can be vicious – you need to be prepared to deal with that, and that was something your parents were hoping that you'd learn here. I'm proud of you – and I know your mom and dad will be proud of you too. You should feel good about yourself.'

Katie gave a small smile. 'I probably shouldn't have threatened them, though.'

Lisa shrugged. 'Yeah… but just between you and me, though, they deserved it. You did good today.' She rose to her feet and walked around her table to give Katie a warm hug.