Jeht tossed the book onto the floor in frustration.
"I can't do this," she said miserably. "No matter what I do, the letters look weird. I'm the dumbest person in the world."
Collei, unsure what else she could do, picked up the book and suggested they take a break.
Jeht wandered to the gardens, where the hedgerows surrounded a fountain. Sitting on a bench, she curled her knees to her chest and sighed.
They'd been at this for a month now and she wasn't getting any better no matter how hard she tried. The letters never made any sense. There were so many and a lot of them looked the same. Jeht was disappointed in herself, not only because she couldn't get it right but also because she was failing Collei.
Jeht stared at the fountain miserably. Then, around the hedges, she heard footsteps. A short, white-haired girl with green eyes entered the garden. Jeht put on a smile.
"Hello, Nahida."
"Hello, Jeht. Collei mentioned you needed some help?"
Jeht sighed. "I can't read."
Nahida plopped down on the bench beside her and gestured she continued. So, she told the Dendro Archon about her reading problems. As she spoke, Nahida put her chin in her hand, deep in thought.
"Interesting," she murmured, "you say the letters are hard for you. Could you explain?"
"Sometimes I forget the alphabet order. Some letters look totally alike to me like the b's and d's."
"Do d's sound like t's to you?"
"Yes! How did you know?"
"Hmm, well, it's just a hunch, but I think I see the problem. If I'm right, no wonder Collei can't understand why you're struggling."
"So?" Jeht asked. "What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing's wrong with you," said Nahida. "It sounds to me like you have dyslexia."
"Dys-lebia? What's that?"
"Dyslexia. It means your brain processes information differently, so learning how to read and spell is hard for you." Nahida hopped off the bench. "I'll have a word with Collei. She probably hasn't considered you have it. Reading's new for her too. With a little guidance, I'm sure she can adjust her teaching for you."
"But will I ever actually read?" said Jeht. "If it's always hard for me…"
"That doesn't mean it's impossible though. Plenty of people have dyslexia and still go on to master reading and writing. They just have to learn a little differently than Collei. It's like how one finch learns to fly by watching its parents, while another learns by hopping between branches. The one who learns by hopping might take a few more steps, but they learn eventually."
Jeht supposed that made sense. Still, reading was so difficult. Could any amount of practice ever make her as good as Collei? Maybe not, but Collei hadn't given up on her yet so Jeht wouldn't either. She promised Dad that she'd live a full, happy life with her new tribe. That meant mastering reading, just like Dad would've wanted.
