“Technically, several. I also served as an education advisor on Nivareth-4 during the ceasefire accords. Taught conflict de-escalation to hatchlings.”
The lie comes so smooth I almost believe it myself.
She tilts her head, trying to find a crack. “You seem... unconventional.”
“I’m not here to *seem* anything. I’m here to teach. With compassion. With discipline. And,” I add, lowering my voice like it’s a secret, “an advanced understanding of sticker-based motivational systems.”
Her mouth twitches.
I push just a little harder.
“The children are engaged. Test scores are up. And no one’s tried to eat a crayon in two days. Can any of your previous instructors say the same?”
She huffs through her nose and steps aside.
I count it as a win.
Ben clings to my leg like a barnacle as I finish handing off the last of the kids.
“Can I ride home with you?” he asks, peering up with those wide green eyes that make something ache deep in my chest.
I hesitate.
“Mom’s coming, right?”
He nods. “But she said she has to talk to someone first and she’s gonna be late again and?—”
I cave.
“Alright. But only if you promise to sit in the front and not touch the dashboard.”
He pumps a tiny fist in victory.
Kairo opens the door mid-sentence, phone to her ear, expression set to *not today, Satan.*
When she sees me, it shifts into something closer to nuclear detonation.
She ends the call with a curt, “I’ll call you back.”
“Explain,” she says, already moving toward me like she’s planning to remove my spine through sheer force of will.
“Surprise visit,” I say, smiling.
“I told you?—”
Ben bolts past us, yelling, “STORY TIME!” like it’s a sacred ritual.
Kairo pinches the bridge of her nose. “You can’t just take him without asking.”
“He asked me.”
“That’s not how this works, Jav.”
Her voice is sharp, but under it I hear the fear. The stress. The tightrope she walks every day trying to protect that kid and keep herself sane.
I take a step closer, dropping the smile.
“I’m not here to make your life harder.”
