Dragons Can Be Killed

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

~G.K. Chesterton

Vera had never really loved school, but she had never hated it either. It was one of the things she had to do. She finished her classwork quickly and moved on to whatever book she was reading or whatever work she was doing on her own. Some of her teachers were better than others, providing her with work that challenged her once she finished the required work of the classroom. The school had wanted to move her up several grades every year, but her mothers wouldn't agree. Emotionally and socially, they both agreed, it was a terrible idea. Vera wasn't sure that saying in her assigned grade was helping her socially or emotionally, but her opinion was not requested in those conversations.

It was difficult for her to make friends. She was never in groups with other kids because she always finished first. When she tried to help others understand the lessons, she confused them more. So she stopped trying and kept to herself. On the playground, she climbed the jungle gym and jumped rope with other little girls, but they never said much to one another. They weren't rude, but they weren't welcoming either. It was a lonely existence, but Vera had a very vibrant imagination to keep her company at school, and a loving family to keep her company at home, so she was content for a long time.

The third grade felt wrong from the very first moment. Vera was polite as usual when introduced to her teacher – Mrs. Leonard – but the woman seemed annoyed by her immediately. Her tone and glare made Vera extremely uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure what to do about it. She wasn't as clued in to the emotions of others as her mama and older sister, but she was still sensitive to strong emotions, and she was very good at reading expressions and body language. And she had never felt this way before, as though someone were disapproving of her without words. It was on the very first day of school when Vera felt that this new woman disliked her. She tried to keep an open mind, as Chloe was always suggesting, but it was difficult.

After they were assigned their seatwork for the morning, she carefully completed it. She tried to pace herself, but it was basic math that she'd been able to do for years. She double and triple checked her answers to take a bit more time before she placed it in the bin they had been told to use. She was about to return to her seat when the teacher motioned for her.

"Bring me your work, please." Vera nervously straightened the skirt to her navy twirl dress with the matching peter-pan collar and bottom ruffle – her favorite option in their school uniform, and walked up to her desk, carefully handing over the stapled pages. The woman went over it with an annoyed look, a red pen hovering over it that never touched the page. "How did you know how to do this so quickly?"

"I'm not sure," Vera answered honestly. Her cheeks flushed as she grew warm; she could feel, and even see, at least some of her classmates were staring. The teacher was not being quiet or subtle.

"I suppose I have to find you something else to do now." She looked very annoyed at that prospect.

"I can read my book," Vera offered in almost a whisper.

"No, I was told I needed to prepare additional work for you. As though I'm not busy enough with the nineteen other students I have." Vera's face flushed hotter in embarrassment but she tried desperately not to cry – she was not going to do that. She felt tears welling and tried to think of other things – Beca was picking them up from school and they were very likely to get ice cream. She was so busy trying to distract herself, it took the teacher several attempts to get her attention again.

"Are you crying?" The woman asked. Vera shook her head, despite the clear evidence that she was, despite her best efforts. "There's absolutely no reason to cry." She reached over to her bookshelf and picked up a packet of paper before handing them to Vera. "Here, go and do those until I call the class together again." Vera did as she was told, very carefully wiping away her tears and keeping her eyes down, trying to keep classmates from seeing.

Madeline, the little girl who sat next to her, had never been her friend, really, but had never been mean either. She passed Vera a tissue under their desks. Vera took it gratefully but was so afraid to speak while the class had been told not to that she didn't even say thank you. She was shaken, but turning her attention to slightly more difficult math problems had helped keep her occupied and centered.

Later that day, they were gathered on the carpet, listening to a story. Vera loved being read to, no matter the story, no matter how many times she had heard it. And she had heard Charlotte's Web at least twice before – but she still adored it and hung on every word. After they read two chapters, the teacher began to pose questions about the characters and the setting. She asked about Fern and how she reacted when her father was planning to get rid of Wilbur. Vera raised her hand, as it was a question she thought she could answer well. The teacher's eyes drifted over her.

"Vera already knows everything, so we won't call on her." Vera put her hand down and lowered her gaze, staring into her lap and trying to fight the tears that were definitely coming for the second time that day.

She tried to be cheerful at home, but it was very hard – her chest hurt all the time – and it was sometimes hard to breathe. She had a terrible poker face, so her mothers, her sisters, and even their nanny knew something was wrong from the first day of school.

Her mothers had accepted her placated answers that everything was fine on the first night. She knew she wouldn't be so lucky after that. She wasn't. Bedtime stories were in her bedroom that week. After Chloe read them two chapters of Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Bella and Poppy left for their own rooms and Vera found herself alone with her mothers, who clearly planned to talk to her before tucking her in for the night.

Beca stood up, closed the door, and turned off the main light. The room was then illuminated only by the twinkle lights along the ceiling and the nightlight on the nightstand. Climbing back into bed, she lay on her side and faced her youngest. Chloe was still holding her as she had when they'd read the story.

"Vera, sweetie, you seem very sad since school started," Beca said softly.

"I'm not!"

"You don't seem much like yourself at all," Chloe argued. "Can you tell us what's going on?"

"Nothing," Vera insisted. "I'm fine." Her eyes were shut tight. She was a terrible liar and she knew it – she couldn't look at either of them and lie.

"My love, we can't help you if you don't tell us what's happening," Beca said, gently rubbing her back.

"I don't need help," she said stubbornly. "Nothing is wrong."

"None of the other kids are bothering you?" Chloe asked.

"No."

Beca and Chloe both kissed her brow and hugged her. "I'm sorry you feel like you can't tell us what's happening, but I promise you can. When you're ready, you can come talk to us," Beca said, making it very clear that Vera was not at all fooling them. They were simply choosing to let it go. For a moment. Beca and Chloe said her a song and tucked her in before leaving her along for the night. Vera cried herself to sleep.

Her mothers were beside themselves, absolutely knowing something was wrong and feeling powerless to do anything about it. But they both knew they couldn't push too much. "We have to do something," Beca said, as they both prepared for bed.

"She might just be having trouble settling in," Chloe said, repeating a phrase she had been trying to convince herself of for quite awhile. She was hoping she was right, despite knowing her daughter well. "If she hasn't told us anything and it hasn't gotten any better by next week, we can go and speak to her teacher. I think Annie can stay late on Wednedays. I'll ask her – and see about getting an appointment." Beca nodded, though she hated the idea of waiting it out any longer.

It was Bella who figured out the main source of the problem first, before the end of their first week. Her class was headed back to their homeroom from music when she saw Vera going into the bathroom. A very pale, very shaken looking Vera. She asked her own teacher for permission to use the restroom and quickly followed her sister.

"Vera?" She asked, as soon as she stepped into the space. She stood by the sinks and waited for her younger sister to eventually appear. She had clearly been crying but was trying to hide it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Vera said solemnly.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not."

Bella rolled her eyes, knowing her sister was hanging onto semantics. "Why were you crying?" Vera remained silent and turned around, ignoring her sister and focusing on washing her hands. "Vera, is someone bothering you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she told her, just loud enough to be audible. "Please." Bella allowed her to leave but was visibly broody when she made it back to her fifth-grade classroom. The class was working on a writing prompt, so Bella sat down next to her twin and picked up her pencil.

"What's wrong?" Poppy asked, seeing her consternation.

"Later," Bella responded in a whisper. As promised, as soon as they reached the playground that afternoon, she filled Poppy in on what she'd seen. "Someone has to be bothering her again."

"I thought we took care of that last year," Poppy huffed. They had dealt with the grade's biggest bully – and had made it very clear that Vera was off limits.

"Have you not noticed that some people are idiots who need constant reminders?" Bella said, acerbically.

Poppy stamped her foot. "This was not how I was planning to spend my recess. Are you sure?"

Bella raised her eyebrows. "Can you think of another reason Vera would be crying in the middle of the school day?" And she's been miserable at home. You've seen her." Poppy sighed – she knew her twin was right.

"Fine. Ashton, Tucker, Madison, and Rachel have siblings in third grade. Who do you want?"

"Not Tucker," Bella responded. "I'll take Ashton and Madison." They split up to find their classmates and ask them to pry information out of their own siblings. Ash was a nice guy, and he agreed to help instantly. Bella knew his little sister Evelyn probably wasn't part of bothering Vera but probably knew who was. Madison looked intrigued as Bella approached.

"Hey, Madison."

"Bella."

"Your little sister is in third grade, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"My sister Vera is in her class, and I think someone is bothering her. Can you ask her what she's seen?"

"Madeline wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I'm not accusing your sister. I'm asking if you can check with her to see if she knows who's bothering Vera. Please."

Madison stared at her, hard. "I'll do it if you get Tucker to sit with me at lunch." Bella rolled her eyes. She knew she could do it. The boy liked her, a lot. Madison? She wasn't sure he cared for her, but if Bella asked him to sit with her and then strategically placed him between herself and Madison, she could make it happen.

"Fine," Bella snipped. "But only tomorrow. And only if your sister knows something." The next day was Friday, and she really wanted to know what was going on before they hit the weekend. She didn't think she could watch Vera mope around for two days, all day. She wasn't sure her own anxiety could handle it - and she's been doing well lately.

It only took them until the next morning's recess to have information. It was Ash who approached them first, telling them what his sister has seen. Madeline and Rachel confirmed it with their tales. Only Tucker said his sibling – a little brother, saw nothing. It confirmed Bella's suspicion that Tucker's brother was as big a dope as he was, but she asked him to sit with her at lunch anyway, knowing at his excitement that it was going to cause her weeks of issues before he backed off again.

That afternoon, Annie took them to the park – and Bella was elected to talk to Vera. They were sure it was going to turn into a chase - and if they both cornered Vera, Annie would notice. And be suspicious. Vera went immediately to one of the climbing structures and Bella followed her, frowning at that thing. She could do it. She didn't want to, but she could. She started climbing quickly after her sister.

"We heard about what's going on with your teacher," she told Vera, as they reached the top and climbed over onto one of the ramps that led to a slide.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. You've been miserable all week. Ashton's and Madison's sisters and Rachel's brother all said the same thing – your teacher is being a bully. Why haven't you told Mama and Mommy?" Vera went down the slide without answering and Bella flew down close behind her, jogging once she reached the bottom to reach the next obstacle on the playground at the same time. She stepped in front of her sister, not allowing her to mount the next climbing wall. They were behind enough structures that she felt it was safe enough to grab Vera's hands.

"It you don't tell them, I will. It's not right. You know it's not."

"I'm fine," Vera told her, eyes filled with tears. "Please leave it alone. You're only going to make it worse."

"You do know that moms are going to believe you, right? I don't know why you're keeping this quiet. They're going to be livid when they find out."

"Please," Vera begged. "Please just leave it alone. Please don't tell anyone."

After having Vera practically sobbing, Bella really wasn't sure what to do. She knew her mothers weren't going to be upset with Vera, only her teacher. But she wasn't sure how to convince her sister of that. And finding time to talk to her away from their mothers wasn't the easiest task. Poppy tried a few times, but Vera was shorter with her, shutting her down immediately and telling her to leave it be. Eventually, the twins decided to at least wait a few days. Things at home seemed to be at least calming down a bit. Vera certainly wasn't happy, but it didn't seem to be getting worse.

During the second week of school, Beca and Chloe arrived at the school minutes after the students had vacated. They made their way to the third-grade classrooms and knocked at Mrs. Leonard's door. "Hello," the woman said, catching sight of them as she was cleaning the whiteboard. She offered a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Can I help you?"

"We hope so," Chloe said, offering a bright smile. "I'm Chloe Beale. This is my wife, Rebecca Mitchell. Our daughter Vera is in your class."

"Yes," the teacher responded, acknowledging the fact but nothing more. Beca and Chloe were a bit thrown – most teachers would say something positive about any of their daughters at that point. "Come in. I'm Mrs. Leonard. I understand you spoke with the office about setting up an appointment. Were you concerned about her grades?." Beca gaped for a moment. It was the seventh day of school. What asshole parent would be concerned about grades this early? And who would come in person about grades instead of sending an email this early into the term?

"We're more interested in why she's coming home crying every single day." She said, her voice as calm as she could make it. Considering she was practically blinded with rage at the question, it wasn't very calm.

The teacher set down her eraser and crossed her arms defensively, then uncrossed them and invited them to sit. "I'm sorry to say that I haven't noticed anything. She hasn't said anything to me. She seems fine in here."

"She is not fine in here," Beca said angrily. "Our other daughters have seen her crying in the middle of the school day. So if you haven't noticed, that begs the questions of how much attention you're actually paying."

"Beca," Chloe said, softly, putting a hand on her arm. She turned an apologetic smile to the teacher. "Mrs. Leonard, I know how difficult it can be to keep track of everything going on with each specific student, especially with self-contained classrooms. But is there anything you could share that might help us understand what's happening with Vera? Is there anyone who seems to be bothering her? Anything that seems to have her worried or frustrated? Anything at all that you've noticed that's not totally normal? It's not like her to be so… down. She really has been sad and withdrawn since the school year started – and we're worried."

The teacher's expression barely shifted. "I don't think there's anything I can share that will help you. Vera has been fine in class. She's finished her work quickly. I give her additional work, as was requested by the headmistress, and she does that with no complaint. She does not disturb other students, and I have not observed any students disturbing her.

Beca and Chloe were both frowning now. "Have you noticed who in your class she's been spending time with?" Chloe asked.

"Mrs. Beale, with all respect, I have nineteen other students to teach. I'm already forced to pull extra work for your daughter, taking additional time out of my day to keep her busy. I cannot take time from other students to watch her like a hawk."

"That's not what I was asking," Chloe responded, her own anger finally beginning to ignite.

"Thank you for your time. We're sorry if we wasted any of it," Beca said sharply, standing and motioning to Chloe before leaving.

Chloe looked bewildered, made their excuses, and followed her wife. "What are you doing?" Chloe asked. "That was not the end of the conversation."

"It definitely was," Beca told her. "She's not interested in helping. And I think I know who's bullying Vera," Beca said, as they approached the front office.

"Who?" her wife asked.

"The teacher."

"Beca, we have no proof of that. I mean, she's a bit short – "

"Did you hear how she spoke about our daughter? She's known her for less than two weeks and she doesn't like her. She talks about her like she's a burden. Do you know of any reasonable adult who doesn't like Vera?"

"That's not the same as having proof," Chloe objected.

Beca walked into the office, Chloe following and trying to pull her back out. "It's fine," Beca told her calmly. The secretary smiled at them.

"Hello, Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Beale."

"Hello, Ms. Pritchard," Beca responded. "I'm sorry to bother you at the end of your day – but is it possible for us to get an appointment with the headmistress for tomorrow morning?"

"Is everything alright?" She asked, looking concerned.

"I'm sure it will be," Beca said with a kind smile. The woman was looking on her computer and then turned back to them.

"Would 9AM work for you?"

"Perfect, thank you."

"Can I let Dr. Luther know what the meeting is about?" Beca told her they were a bit concerned about Vera having trouble settling in this year and wanted to nip it in the bud. The woman smiled and nodded, making the appointment for them.

Chloe was frustrated as they walked back towards Beca's car together. "Beca, we can't just show up tomorrow and accuse her teacher of bullying her."

"We'll have proof."

"How? Vera won't say a word."

"Something Bella said the other night just clicked. What do you think the twins have been doing for the past week and a half?"

"Going to school," Chloe said, giving her wife an expression that indicated how crazy she thought she was. Beca smirked.

"Yes, they have been doing that. But you're forget that Poppy knows the gossip of every student in this building. I guarantee they know what's going on. And who has witnessed it."

Chloe frowned at her. "Then why wouldn't they have told us?"

"Vera asked them not to," Beca said simply, her expression now serious and sad. The drive home was quiet and tense.

Walking in their back door, Beca and Chloe found Poppy at the kitchen table finishing her homework and Annie working on dinner. "Thank you for staying late today and starting dinner, Annie," Chloe said as both women removed their shoes and hung up their bags.

"Of course," the nanny said with a smile. "It's no problem at all. Poppy is almost finished with her homework, Bella is reading a book in the living room, and Vera is upstairs." Her voice grew soft, speaking only to them. "She said she was going to read, but every time I've checked on her, she's snuggled up with her stuffed animals. She's clearly been crying, but she won't talk to me."

Beca and Chloe both nodded sadly. "We're working on it," Beca promised her. Chloe took over making dinner while Beca greeted Poppy with a hug and kiss before moving onto Bella and ending up in Vera's room. The little girl was buried in her menagerie of stuffed animals, almost hiding herself completely. Beca sat on the edge of the bed and pretended not to see her. "I wonder if my daughter is under all of these animals." She picked up one of the stuffed toys. "Mr. Monkey, have you seen Vera? No?" She tossed him. "Olly the Octopus, have you seen Vera?" She continued doing this until Vera couldn't help it anymore, she was giggling at Beca's antics.

"There you are!" She said, tickling Vera for a moment before pulling her into a hug. "What are you doing, hiding in there?" Vera shrugged, turning her face way from her mother.

Beca cuddled with her, knowing she wasn't going to talk – and they would have plenty of time for that later anyway. After a few minutes, she heard Chloe call her name. She smoothed Vera's hair, kissing the top of her head. "Sweetie, will you come down for dinner now?"

Vera nodded slightly, her eyes still shimmering with residual tears. Beca gently helped her up, and together, they descended the stairs to join the rest of the family.

Dinner was a subdued affair, with light conversation and the gentle clinking of silverware. Afterward, Chloe and Beca exchanged a meaningful glance. They needed to address the situation delicately but quickly.

Once the dishes were cleared and the kitchen tidied, Beca and Chloe gathered Bella and Poppy in the living room, since Vera had again escaped to hide in her bedroom. "Girls," Chloe began softly, "we need to talk about something important. It's about Vera."

Bella and Poppy exchanged a knowing look, and Bella spoke first. "We know, Mom."

Beca raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "What do you know?"

Poppy hesitated before answering, "Bella saw Vera crying last week at school. So we asked some of our classmates who have siblings in her class – and they said none of the other kids are bothering her. But that she's having a hard time because of the teacher."

Bella nodded in agreement. "They said the teacher has been really mean to her, making her feel bad in front of the whole class. Madison's sister Madeline started crying when she told Madison about how the teacher was treating Vera."

Chloe's eyes widened, and she looked at Beca, who was not shocked, but was extremely enraged. She was focusing on breathing and calming herself. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Chloe asked gently.

"We didn't really have proof," Bella admitted, biting her lip. "And..." she glanced at Poppy, who continued, "Vera asked us not to say anything. She was afraid it would get worse if anyone found out."

Bella continued, "we told her you wouldn't let that happen, but she was really upset. So we decided to wait a few more days."

Beca sighed deeply, nodding in understanding. "Thank you for telling us now. We'll take care of it, I promise." They took the names of the 5th graders and their 3rd grade siblings – and asked the twins for any details. They didn't have too many, but the ones they did have were upsetting.

Chloe and Beca made their way upstairs and found Vera in her room again, once more curled into bed, staring into space. Chloe sat first, leaning down to feel and then kiss her forehead. "Sweetheart, why are you in bed so early?"

"I don't feel good," she said.

"What doesn't feel good?" Beca asked, rearranging animals so she could sit on Vera's other side. Vera shrugged. "Try for me, please. Close your eyes. What doesn't feel right?"

Vera did as she asked and eventually spoke. "My chest is heavy. And it hurts to take a deep breath." Her mother exchanged glances over her head. She wasn't having a panic attack. Yet. But she was certainly suffering from anxiety. Chloe pulled her into her lap and hugged her close. Beca moved closer and rubbed her back, closing her eyes as she tried to decide how to move forward. Finally, she spoke.

"Vera, sweetheart, you have been very sad since school started again. And we don't want you to be sad. We can't help if you don't tell us what's going on." Silence hung heavily around them. "Is Mrs. Leonard upsetting you at school?" She responded by breaking into heavy sobs. Once she cried herself out, her mothers got her to open up to them. Her voice trembled as she told them about what had been happening.

"She doesn't like me. I try not to be any trouble. I try to do my work really slowly. But she doesn't like me. She won't call on me in class because she said I'm a know-it-all. Some of the kids laughed when she said that."

Beca felt her anger rising again but kept her voice calm. "Has she said anything else to you, Vera?" she asked softly.

Vera sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "She said... she said I shouldn't try to be better than everyone else. She told me to stop being such a show-off."

Chloe's heart ached at the pain in her daughter's voice. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry you're going through this. You don't deserve to be treated like that."

"We're going to make sure this stops," Beca added firmly. "But you have to tell us when things are going on, okay? We can't help you with things we don't know about."

Vera nodded, still hiccuping from her sobs. They both comforted her for a bit longer, before Chloe had to pull away and help the twins get ready for the next day and bed. Beca remained with Vera, helping her get ready for bed, reading with her, and talking to her, reminding her as much as possible that she'd done nothing wrong.

The next morning, Beca and Chloe brought Vera and Annie with them to the school, asking Annie to wait with Vera in the office waiting area while they met with the Headmistress. Beca knelt in front of Vera's chair. "Try not to worry. You did nothing wrong, my love. Just tell the truth if the headmistress wants to speak with you, okay?" Vera nodded. She looked exhausted.

Beca followed Chloe into one of the inner offices and they sat across from the headmistress. "Good morning, Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Beale."

"Good morning," they both replied.

"What can I do for you this morning?"

Chloe began by explaining how Vera had been since school started. "She's not like herself at all – very sad every day, not eating much, not wanting to play after school. She comes home and wants to curl up in bed. And she's been crying so much lately. Last night she described anxiety symptoms for the first time."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Vera wouldn't say anything," Beca told her. "But as I'm sure you're aware, the twins are – resourceful."

"Very aware," the woman responded, a slight smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye. "So they found out what was wrong?"

"Several third graders – siblings of their classmates – told them what was happening – and Vera confirmed it last night, finally."

"Mrs. Leonard seems to be bullying Vera," Beca said, her voice low and calm. "Singling her out in class, calling her a 'know-it-all' in front of the other kids, refusing to call on her, rolling her eyes at her, telling her that she is a burden because she finishes her work so quickly."

"May I ask who the twins spoke to, to obtain this information?"

Chloe gave her the list of students and the older woman took a deep breath, sighing. She knew the children on the list, and they were unlikely to by lying.

"I am devastated to hear this," Mrs. Luther told them. "This is never the way we expect any of our staff to behave. This is Mrs. Leonard's first year with us. Not that that is an excuse – but it may be why we haven't seen any other red flags."

"What are you going to do about it?" Beca asked.

"This is clearly unacceptable behavior for any teacher, but we expect even better here at the Academy. Mrs. Leonard won't be in our employ much longer. I will, of course, need to speak to the students involved – but I don't imagine I'll hear much differently than you did."

"If you need to speak with Vera, could you do that today?" Chloe asked. "We plan to keep her home for the next few days. She's pretty shaken up. She needs time."

"Of course."

"We expect she'll be out all of next week," Beca told her. "Can we presume there will be a new teacher at the front of the room by the following Monday?"

The woman nodded. "We may not be able to find a classroom teacher that quickly – but we will certainly have a long-term substitute in place. There will be a substitute of some kind by this afternoon."

She spoke to Vera for a few minutes – very gently and very kindly. She told the little girl how brave she had been and how important it was to say something when things didn't feel ok. She promised Vera it would be much better when she returned.

Vera was very nervous about returning to school. She had loved her days at home with her mama and afternoons with her mommy. Even with the fact that she'd been made to go speak with Bella's therapist, it was still much better than this whole school business. She felt sick as Beca's vehicle pulled into the parking lot. The twins told her to have a good day and left the car immediately. Beca released Vera from her booster seat and sat in the back seat, pulling her youngest daughter into her lap.

"You're going to have a very good day," Beca told her. "I promise, it's not going to be like before. And if anything feels wrong, you need to call me immediately." They had already told Vera that she had their permission to leave the classroom and go to the office if she needed to, to use the phone.

Vera nodded but leaned into Beca, hugging her close. They were a little early, so Beca stayed with her like that for a few moments, humming some of Vera's favorite songs while rubbing her back. "We better get a move on – or we'll both be late," she finally said.

"Mama, you're the boss," Vera reminded her.

"I know, but I like to let Theo think he has a little bit of control over things. It's good for his self-confidence," she said, winking at her daughter. Vera smiled.

"Come on, let's go." They stepped out of the car and Beca carried Vera's backpack. She walked the little girl all the way to her classroom, where the teacher was waiting at the door, welcoming her students. She smiled brightly when she saw Vera. She knelt to her level.

"Hello, you must be Vera! I'm Ms. Laura – and I'm so happy to meet you."

"Hi," Vera said, shyly. She looked around the classroom and saw that things had changed significantly in her week away. Her classmates who had already arrived were around the room, doing a myriad of things.

The teacher saw her watching. "My favorite way to start the morning is with centers. I know you didn't get to see them introduced last week, but what if you go and help Madeline with the marble maze? I bet she would be happy to show you how to get started." Vera nodded and, with one last look at Beca, walked into the room. She put her backpack away and walked over to the closet door where Madeline was building a marble maze using magnetic ramps.

The little girl immediately moved over and made room for Vera and they began to work together.

Madeline looked at Vera. "I'm glad you're back. And I'm sorry Mrs. Leonard was mean to you. That wasn't right."

"Thank you," Vera said, softly.

"I'm glad she's gone," the other little girl said. "She was mean to you, but she wasn't too nice to anyone. I think Ms. Laura is going to be much better."

Vera nodded. "Do you really know how to play the piano and the violin? My sister said you did." Vera nodded again, hanging her head slightly. But Madeline wasn't trying to tease her. "That is so cool. Do you think you could show me one of them?"

"Yes," Vera said, smiling.

The teacher turned to Beca. "I'm sorry to hear about how this year started, but I will do my best to make that a distant memory. I can already see that it's a great class – and clearly Vera is going to be a wonderful part of it."

"Thank you," Beca said softly. "If she needs anything –"

"If you give me your number, I'll send you a few updates today."

Beca shook her head. "I don't want you to have to do that – you have a whole classroom."

"With two aides. And I don't mind doing a bit extra to give you and your wife peace of mind on her first day back."

"Thank you," Beca said, barely holding back her own tears. She handed the woman her business card after carefully writing her personal cell phone number on the back. She received – and forwarded to Chloe – four text-messages and three pictures throughout the day. Vera looked happy. And when Beca left work early to pick her up, she saw that she was, indeed, happy. Chloe made her favorite dinner and they celebrated a new beginning.