Billy was a young troll, twice the size of the other students, with a shy smile and a gentle touch. He blushed a deep blue and hid behind a drawing of a castle.
The day was a whirlwind of name games, art projects, and story time. She discovered that goblin children were fiercely competitive about snack time, that werewolf cubs were incredibly affectionate, and that trolls made excellent, if oversized, building partners.
By the end of the day, she was exhausted but exhilarated. The school was exactly what she had been hoping for. A classroom full of bright, curious children who saw her as their teacher, not just as a human.
“You really do smell like sugar,” Petunia announced as she got ready to leave, tugging on her skirt.
“So I’ve been told,” she replied, gathering the last of the art supplies. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“It’s a good thing,” Peter said seriously. “My dad says things that smell good usually taste good. Are you tasty?”
“Peter!” Marjorie Gold had returned to pick up the children, and she gave Sara an apologetic look. “He hasn’t learned the difference between inside thoughts and outside thoughts yet.”
“It’s all right,” she said, her lips twitching. “But for the record, I’m not on the menu.”
Marjorie laughed. “He knows that, don’t you, Peter?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Peter’s ears drooped. “But she still smells good.”
“You’ll have to bring some of your famous brownies to the next PTA meeting,” Marjorie suggested. “I heard about them from Flora. Apparently, you’re a legend.”
“I just enjoy baking,” she said bashfully, resigning herself to the fact that the whole town seemed to be interested in her brownies.
She was tidying up her classroom after saying her goodbyes to the rest of the children and their parents when a tall, slender woman with silver hair piled in an elegant twist and skin the pale blue of a winter sky appeared in her doorway. Despite her somewhat icy appearance, she gave Sara a warm smile.
“Good afternoon, Sara.”
“Good afternoon, Principal Frostdale.”
“Oh, please. Call me Tricia. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to swing by this morning to welcome you, but I wanted to see how your first day went.”
“Wonderfully,” she said happily. “The children are delightful, and the classroom is beautiful.”
“Your predecessor Ms. Waverly had very specific ideas about creating an inclusive space.” Tricia’s eyes crinkled. “She believed that children learn best when they feel safe to be themselves. We’ve tried to maintain that philosophy.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Tricia nodded, then gave her a thoughtful look. “As you know, we were very grateful that you applied for this position, especially given the short notice. Your references are excellent, and your experience with diverse classrooms made you an idealcandidate.” She paused. “But I noticed you left your previous position rather suddenly.”
Her stomach tightened. She’d known this conversation would happen eventually—she was actually surprised that it hadn’t taken place during her interviews.
“I did,” she said quietly. “There was… a situation.”
“Would you like to tell me about it?”
She looked out the window at the snow-covered playground gathering her courage. Even though she’d rehearsed her explanation in her mind, she still hated talking about it.
“The father of one of my students began making inappropriate advances. At first it was relatively small things like comments about my appearance, but then he started finding excuses to stay after pickup and showing up at school events where I was alone.” She swallowed. “I reported it to the administration. They spoke to him, but nothing changed. If anything, it got worse.”
“I see.” Tricia’s voice was carefully neutral.
“I made it clear that I wasn’t interested, but it only made him more persistent.” Her fists clenched before she forced them to relax. “I documented everything and was preparing to file a police report. But then his wife found out.”
“And she blamed you?”
“Of course. She told everyone I’d been pursuing her husband, and that I was a homewrecker who preyed on married men.” The words still stung. “My principal did his best to defend me, but she just wouldn’t let it go. It wasn’t good for the school and it wasn’t good for the children, so I decided it would be better for everyone if I left.’”
Silence stretched between them before Tricia sighed.
